The Wakefulness Kerfuffle: Some reasoned and relevant feedback has been trickling in on this issue. Rather than present it in daily installments, I'd like to wait until Sunday, a slow news day, to summarize it. --- The Racist Roots of "Gun Control" Revisited: "Gun control," as forcible citizen disarmament is generally referred to, owes its American origins to racism. An example would be this Reconstruction Era law, in Louisiana: "No negro who is not in the military service shall be allowed to carry fire-arms, or any kind of weapons, within the parish, without the special written permission of his employers, approved and endorsed by the nearest and most convenient chief of patrol." ...Such laws were, of course, quite a boon to the KKK, who could have more confidence in their victims' inability to fight back effectively. Conversely, of course, this kind of law was very bad news for blacks in the South, which is why the Reconstruction Era Fourteenth Amendment was intended to protect Second Amendment rights against restrictive state and local laws, as demonstrated by Senator Jacob Howard's 1866 speech introducing the 14th Amendment... http://www.examiner.com/x-2581-St-Louis-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m1d28-Violence-Policy-Center-espouses-no-guns-for-negroes --- South Carolina Firearms Freedom Act Needs Amendment: As currently drafted, H. 4022 could cause innocent South Carolina gun owners to lose their right to keep and bear arms for life! If passed as written, South Carolina gun owners who rely on H. 4022 and abide by South Carolina law will still be considered to be in violation of federal law. This means the federal government will still prosecute South Carolina gun owners who abide by South Carolina law. H. 4022 must be amended to better protect gun owners in South Carolina. GrassRoots GunRights has proposed language to fix the problems with H. 4022. GrassRoots delivered this letter... http://www.ammoland.com/2010/01/28/south-carolina-firearms-freedom-act/ --- South Dakota Firearms Freedom Act Has Broad Support: More than half of South Dakota's state lawmakers are sponsoring a bill that would exempt domestic manufacturers of firearms and ammunition from federal regulations. South Dakota is one of about 20 states nationwide considering such legislation. The genesis for the idea comes from Montana, which passed an identical bill last year, setting the stage for a legal battle with the federal government. "I think every state that passes something like this will add another rock to the pile and momentum to the legal case," said Sen. Larry Rhoden, a Union Center Republican who is the prime sponsor in the Senate. Rhoden said he's pleased by the number of sponsors - a group that includes Republican and Democratic, urban and rural lawmakers. Firearms, firearm accessories and ammunition manufactured here would not be subject to federal regulations if those items remain within the borders of South Dakota. Any firearms produced here would need to be stamped "Made in South Dakota," and the provision applies to firearms, accessories and ammunition produced and retained within the state after July 1. The measure doesn't apply to automatic weapons, crew-served weapons or exploding ammunition. Even so, it's a direct challenge to federal authority over firearms. Congress regulates interstate commerce under the Constitution's Commerce Clause - an avenue that allows for federal regulation of firearms and ammunition... http://www.argusleader.com/article/20100128/NEWS/1280339/1001/news --- Gun-Show Bill Dies in Virginia Committee: A handful of Virginia legislators have killed a bill that would require private sellers at gun shows to perform background checks on buyers, while approving bills to make it easier to purchase and carry guns. A House Militia, Police and Public Safety subcommittee voted 4-1 Thursday to kill Democratic Del. Jennifer McClellan's bill to close the so-called gun-show loophole, where private sellers are not required to perform checks. The House has killed the bills for several years. A handful of similar bills have not been acted on. The subcommittee passed several gun rights bills, including ones to allow renewal of a concealed carry permit by mail, allow localities to auction guns received in buyback programs to dealers and one that shields records of permit holders from the public. http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/ap/gun-show-loophole-bill-dies-in-va-house-83018357.html --- Arizona Constitutional Carry Bill Draws Notice: Arizona's loose gun laws gained national attention last year when a man openly carried an AR-15 rifle to a protest outside a speech by President Barack Obama. Now, gun-rights advocates are hoping for even fewer restrictions on where they can have a firearm. Among their top goals, they hope to make Arizona the third state where it is legal to carry a concealed weapon without a permit, which would eliminate background checks and training classes for people to carry hidden guns. "That's sheer insanity," said Kristen Rand, legislative director for the Violence Policy Center. "If you remove the background check requirement, you're literally writing a death sentence for law enforcement officers, family members, just people in the street." But supporters say criminals will carry concealed weapons regardless of the law, so gun restrictions only affect law-abiding citizens who want to protect themselves... Police departments worry that making permits optional might encourage more people with nefarious motives to carry concealed weapons, said John Thomas, a lobbyist for the Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police. It also could lead to more accidental gun discharges by people not adequately trained in firearm safety, Thomas said... (Not mentioned is that it is perfectly legal in Arizona for anyone who is not a prohibited possessor to carry a firearm openly, with no training and no permit, and no one has ever been able to show that those who do so have a higher rate of accidents or arrests.) http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/local/az_gun_laws_012810 --- Nevada RKBA Leader Interviewed: ..."Many Nevada gun laws are unconstitutional and we are working to repeal them. These include the Clark County residents' requirement to "register" every handgun they own, as well as the 72 hour waiting period that is also imposed by Clark County for first-time handgun buyers. GONV is also opposed to the state-run Baby Brady law. Flaws in the system regularly prohibit law-abiding citizens from purchasing a legal firearm... GONV is also dedicated to holding our lawmakers accountable to the Constitution through grassroots constituent pressure. Unlike the typical lobby, which hires highly paid lobbyists to schmooze politicians, GONV works to inform and empower its membership to be involved in the legislative process. GONV enables thousands of individual citizens to be effective lobbyists right from their own homes. Our long term goal is to remove every unreasonable restriction that our "leaders" have imposed on us..." http://www.ammoland.com/2010/01/28/shot-show-interview-with-robert-johnson-of-gun-owners-of-nevada/ --- DC Gun Laws, NBA Rules Hobble Team: The Washington Wizards' problems were hardly resolved when NBA Commissioner David Stern suspended guards Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton on Wednesday for the remainder of the season. All that has been cleared up is that Arenas won't wear a Wizards uniform again this season, with Crittenton yet to decide if he will appeal the decision, which stemmed from the players bringing guns into the locker room. The franchise is left to deal with myriad concerns. As one team insider put it on Thursday, "The worst isn't behind us yet." Arenas is still set to be sentenced for a felony gun charge on March 26 and his relationship with the organization is in tatters - with both sides feeling betrayed in the aftermath of this incident - but there is no easy solution for a separation... (I don't mean to discount the juvenile behavior of the two players nor do I personally care about professional sports but lost dollars are the one thing that might influence the NBA side of this equation.) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/28/AR2010012803732.html --- Two Survivors of NYC Holdup Plead Guilty: The two surviving members of a group of would-be stickup artists thwarted by a shotgun-wielding Harlem shop owner have pleaded guilty to robbery. Prosecutors say Shamel McCloud and Bernard Witherspoon entered their pleas Wednesday. They're expected to be sentended to five years in prison on March 11. The 21-year-old McCloud and 22-year-old Witherspoon were among four men who tried to hold up the Kaplan Brothers Blue Flame Corp. in August. The restaurant supply store's 72-year-old owner, Charles Augusto Jr., fired at them. McCloud and Witherspoon were wounded. James Morgan and Raylin Footmon were killed. McCloud's lawyer, Scott Leemon, called the episode a "drastic mistake" for McCloud. Witherspoon's lawyer didn't immediately return a telephone call. (For those who do not recall the incident, it was very good shooting for someone who claimed not to be a gunner. There was some confusion in the press as to whether the shotgun was possessed in conformity with NYC's laws but it appeared that the shotgun had been purchased legally.) http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=11889042 --- Men Sentenced on Federal Firearm Charges: A Carter County[KY] man charged, along with his father, in a federal court case involving illegal firearms sales was sentenced on Monday... Russell pleaded guilty to a single count of tampering with documents or proceedings. The charge was for burning a log book that belonged to his father, Gary Lynn Russell, that contained records of the elder Russell's gun sales. Nicholas Russell's intent was "to impair the United States' ability to use the notebook in criminal proceedings against (his) father for dealing in firearms without a license," court records state... Gary Russell, of the 3200 block of Camelot Drive, pleaded guilty in October to selling firearms without a license and possession of a machine gun. Other charges, including possession of unregistered weapons and conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice, were dismissed as part of his plea agreement... The indictment of the Russells was the culmination of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms that began in early 2007 and continued through March of last year. Gary Russell engaged in more than 200 gun sales during that time period, according to court records. The transactions took place at his home, at gun shows and at flea markets... http://www.dailyindependent.com/local/local_story_026234030.html --- Another Plug for the Leatherman M.U.T.: John Farnam mentioned this briefly in one of his SHOT Show reports. Here is an explanation for why it incorporates a bolt-override tool: I should explain what bolt override is. It is a stoppage when a cartridge has wedged itself between the top of the bolt and the area above it, near the gas tube. There are a couple of possible causes, but they look essentially the same: The bolt is stuck partially open and something is preventing movement. One method of fixing this problem without the appropriate inventory is to draw the sidearm and continue the fight. With the right tool and training, the carbine can be up quickly. The bolt override tool on the Leatherman M.U.T. allows the mission to continue. For those not willing or able to invest in an additional Leatherman tool, in his book Green Eyes & Black Rifles, itself a good investment for serious users of the AR-15 or other combat-oriented autoloading rifles, Kyle Lamb explains how to clear this malfunction with a conventional Leatherman tool. I assume that the bolt-override tool makes the process simpler and faster. http://www.policeone.com/police-products/firearm-accessories/firearms-storage/articles/1993879-Product-Review-Leatherman-M-U-T-Military-Utility-Tool/ --- Thankfully, She Has Not Been Charged: A disabled woman who is nearly blind told today how she tackled an intruder with a garden fork and locked him in a shed until police arrived. Brave Eileen Burke, 59, can 'barely see' because of severe glaucoma and is waiting for an operation on two arthritic knees. But that didn't stop her tackling a 6ft 4ins intruder who allegedly broke into her shed at night and began helping himself to food from her freezer. She grabbed a garden fork and 'jousted' him into a corner, locking him into the outbuilding until police arrived... Sergeant Andy Murphy of Taunton police praised Mrs Burke for making a 'brave decision'. He said: 'From our point of view Mrs Burke can be commended for her actions. 'She did absolutely the right thing in making sure the offender was detained and calling the police.' ... (Hard to figure this one. Is the tide turning in Britain or was she not charged because she did not have to stick the guy with the pitchfork?) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1246763/Blind-woman-59-tackled-intruder-garden-fork-locking-shed-police-arrived.html Meanwhile, According to One Paper...: ...MY Sun users on the News Forum have been rifling through the pros and cons on whether legalising guns would help keep one out of arm's [sic] way. Gun possession could potentially lead to recklessness as GodblessUK goes on to prove: "If someone winds you up in the street or smashes your car, you can just take it out of your pocket and shoot them." Jonnyflap adds more weight to the stance that they should remain illegal saying: "Legalising guns would mean far more in circulation, and far more falling into the wrong hands. Gun crime would no doubt skyrocket." Having contemplated guns being legal in Britain, a concerned Grapefruit posed this question: "Can you imagine the carnage on a typical Friday or Saturday night when the pubs close and all the boozers fancy a fight but they've all got guns in their pockets?" Rather not. "Let's leave this one to our US buddies, eh?" she muses further... (There was a time when Englishmen carried handguns but we see no references to the days of "Wild London.") http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/mysun/2816998/Should-guns-be-legalised.html --- From AzCDL: If you interested in volunteering, please contact Duke, Tom or John to get on the schedule. Since space is limited at the tables, we have to be frugal with our staffing. Volunteers who call first get first choice on scheduling. Tombstone - contact duke.schechter@AzCDL.org . Tucson - contact tom.woodrow@AzCDL.org . Phoenix - contact john.rosado@AzCDL.org . In February, AzCDL is working events in Tombstone, Tucson and Phoenix. February 6 & 7 is the Arizona Arms gun show at the Pima County Fairgrounds in Tucson. Please contact tom.woodrow@AzCDL.org to volunteer. February 10 through 14, 2010 is the Third Annual "High Noon at the Tombstone Livery." AzCDL Director Duke Schechter will be working the entire Tombstone event and could use some help. If you would like to help Duke, please contact him at duke.schechter@AzCDL.org . February 20 & 21 is the McMann's Roadrunner gun show at the Tucson Convention Center. Please contact tom.woodrow@AzCDL.org to volunteer. February 27 & 28 is the Crossroads gun show at the State Fairgrounds in Phoenix. Please contact john.rosado@AzCDL.org to volunteer. A complete listing of Arizona gun shows can be found at: http://www.americangunshows.com/GunShows/AZ-GunShows.htm . 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 volunteers. These events provide a great opportunity to educate other gun owners about our hard won successes (http://www.azcdl.org/html/accomplishments.html) and the legislation in the works this year (http://www.azcdl.org/html/2010_bills.html). If your AzCDL membership is coming up for renewal, you'll save $10 if you renew at any event! It's like getting paid to attend! Sustaining memberships also get a FREE AzCDL t-shirt. Not a member? Not a problem! You can join AzCDL at these events and still get the $10 discount. 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 . You can also follow AzCDL on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AzCDL_Alerts and Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/FacebookAzCDL . AzCDL's Political Action Committee (PAC) is also on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/FacebookAzCDLPAC . AzCDL - Protecting Your Freedom http://www.azcdl.org/html/accomplishments.html Copyright © 2010 Arizona Citizens Defense League, Inc., all rights reserved. --- Tangentially Related: ...Since Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world, it would have been very difficult, if not impossible, for most Haitians to have the resources to prepare for such a tragic national disaster. However, in the United States, virtually all Americans can - and should - take the basic preparations to be ready for any natural or man-made disaster. What survival lessons can we learn from the heartbreaking Haiti earthquake disaster? A booklet published a few years ago by the National Crime Prevention Council, "United for a Stronger America: Citizens' Preparedness Guide," gives some superb and practical preparedness tips. In this column, I will review some parts of this important pamphlet... http://newsmax.com/US/Mandelblit-preparedness-disaster-safety/2010/01/29/id/348389 --- And a Bit of Humor: One of the best marksmen in the FBI was passing through a small town. Everywhere he saw evidence of the most amazing shooting. On trees, on walls, and on fences there were numerous bull's-eyes with the bullet hole in dead center. The FBI man asked one of the townsmen if he could meet the person responsible for this wonderful marksmanship. The man turned out to be the town drunk. "This is the best marksmanship I have ever seen," said the FBI man. "How in the world do you do it?" "Nothing to it," said the man. "I shoot first and draw the circles afterward." -- 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 .