Keep and Bear Arms - Gun Owners Home Page

OK: State Senator Proposes Tax Break on Guns Submitted by: Mark A. Taff Website: http://www.marktaff.com	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Gun enthusiasts may get the chance to buy guns a few times a year, without paying taxes. Senator John Sparks (D-Norman) is proposing legislation for what he calls a "Second Amendment Weekend." If passed, all rifles, handguns, and shotguns would be tax free on a few days a year. The measure would not apply to gun accessories. Sparks said the tax break is a good idea even in a recession.

TN: Bar Manager Shoots Patron Who Pulled Knife
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An early morning shooting has left one man in the hospital and another claiming self defense.

Around 2:38 a.m., Chattanooga Police were called to the 45th Street Lounge located at 210 West 45th St. on a shooting. The owner of the bar, Michael Knox, 50, shot a patron who he said was refusing to leave and causing a disturbance, after the patron reportedly pulled a knife.

Marcus Boston, 23, was transported by EMS to Erlanger for treatment of his non-life threatening gunshot wound to the neck. He told investigators he did not wish to prosecute for the incident.

The case is still under investigation.

NRA Bosses - But Not Members - Defend Policies That Help Arm Suspected Terrorists Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Website: http://www.nysrpa.org	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
If the National Rifle Association's leaders want to help suspected terrorists get easy access to guns, bucking the wishes of their own membership, they should come out and say so.

NM: Las Cruces, NM home invader shot by armed victim
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A Las Cruces, NM apartment renter reportedly used his handgun to stop a pair of home invaders who broke in at 8 AM.

Police say that the home invasion victim was sleeping in his apartment, on the 1400 block of Telshor Drive, when two intruders broke in and advanced on him. The sound of the home invaders' entry is said to have awoken the victim, at which point he grabbed his handgun and fired in self defense. One of the suspected intruders, who police have only described as a Hispanic male in his 20's, was reportedly found dead at the scene. Police are said to be seeking a second suspect, and the burglary victim was unharmed.

IN: Pizza Hut robbery suspect recovers from shooting
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Simmons was held on $40,000 bond in the Madison County Jail on Monday evening. He is charged with a count of armed robbery as a Class B felony, and Casey said additional charges are expected.

Anderson police say Simmons pointed a semiautomatic handgun at the Pizza Hut cashier and demanded money. The cashier loaded about $720 into a small bag.

But before Simmons could run from the restaurant, deliveryman Michael Shaker fired a round from a personal firearm that struck Simmons in the back of the head, according to police.

Shaker is not expected to face any charges in the incident, Casey said, because his actions were considered self-defense.

Number of police officer killed by guns up 24% Submitted by: Anonymous	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
The number of officers killed in the line of duty by gunfire increased 24 percent from 2008, according to preliminary statistics compiled by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, a national nonprofit organization that tracks officer-related deaths.

Supreme Court has saved toughest cases for second half
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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With more than 50 scheduled cases yet to be heard or decided, and other cases still to be added, some of these pending questions are pretty fundamental.

Does the government violate the First Amendment when it bans corporations from spending their own money on political campaigns? Do cities and states violate the Second Amendment when they ban gun possession?

"The people's right to arms is inextricably tied to the equally fundamental right to defend oneself â€” to fight to save one's own life," argued Elizabeth Egan, the district attorney in Fresno, Calif., in one legal brief joined by dozens of other California and Nevada prosecutors.

Battle Lines Forming In Gun-Control Case
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Other cities invited to file briefs supporting Chicago include Baltimore, Cleveland, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia.

Sacramento City councilman Kevin McCarty, who supports the city’s involvement in the case, told the Bee that guns “are most likely to be used by assailants or people who shouldn’t have guns in the first place.”

But there is plenty of firepower on the other side of the case.

Many states, including Texas, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, have filed an amicus brief arguing that Chicago’s handgun ban is unconstitutional. Here’s a link to that brief.

MA: The Second Amendment and Martha Coakley
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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I don’t know about crime in your neighborhood, but in mine (Forest Street, Washington Street, Highland Avenue, Clematis, South Border Road), there have been 22 reported house break-ins in the past two months. That’s almost three per week.

That’s sufficiently alarming to cause the police chief to pro-actively conduct on going gun safety classes and issue gun permits. In the matter of home invasions, when seconds count, it is not comforting that the police are only minutes away.

Just 5–6 weeks ago, five teenage boys invaded a home in Mount Vernon, N.H., murdered Kimberly Cates and badly maimed her eight year old daughter.

WA: Proposed gun ban sparks debate
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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On Christmas Eve, The Seattle Times editorial board called for new gun laws [“A region reels again,” Opinion, editorial, Dec. 24].

It stated: “Every time a state lawmaker attempts to tighten a gun rule or change a law, the Second Amendment crowd goes bonkers. They bear some responsibility for what is happening because of a never-give-an-inch stance on gun policy.”

I am a responsible gun owner.

Every time the Democrats propose a new gun law to make us safer, they want to restrict my right to own, use or posses firearms or ammunition. I would support making it harder for criminals to get and use guns, as long as it doesn’t infringe on the rights of law-abiding citizens.

Philosophical arguments supporting the 2nd amendment
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
Website: http://www.marktaff.com

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Many people believe that since we have police, there is no need for an individual to protect themselves. The function of police in our society (or any other for that matter) serves as a general deterrent against crime. Those who do not believe in the right to arm themselves against attack, also do not value themselves. A society which has disarmed their people is not a civilized society. It is tyranny, totalitarian, and dehumanizing.

There are other societal benefits of gun ownership as well. The whole population benefits from our right to self ownership and the right to bear arms. This right has far reaching effects for the entire society. Those who own guns provide benefits to those who do not own guns.

WA: ACLU's Attention to Rights Should Include Gun Rights, Says CCRKBA
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington has vowed to monitor legislative reaction to three different police shootings in Washington State to make sure the proposals do not ultimately violate people's rights if they become law.

The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms today reminds the ACLU that the right to keep and bear arms is a constitutionally-protected right, and demands the same protection from legislative abuse as any other civil right.

"While our thoughts and prayers remain with the families of those officers who have been murdered in recent weeks," noted CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, ...

GA Bills: HB 873 Freedom of Choice and Security Act
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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HB 873 would repeal most gun laws.
Today's column is Part One in a special series here at the Atlanta Gun Rights Examiner. ...we will examine the most recent bill, HB 873, the Freedom of Choice and Security Act.

Introduced by Rep. Bobby Franklin (R-43, Marietta), HB 873 would have the effect of repealing Article 4, relating to dangerous instrumentalities and practices, in its entirety. This would mean that there would no longer be Georgia laws against carrying a pistol without a license, carrying a concealed weapon, and carrying a deadly weapon to a public gathering. It would also mean that Georgia would no longer have a preemption law, keeping cities and counties from regulating the carry and possession of firearms, ...

NV: New year means new state laws to take effect
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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As of the first of the year, courts will be required to transmit information to the state regarding criminal cases in which a defendant was deemed mentally ill. The data will be shipped to the Central Repository for Nevada Records to determine whether a weapons permit should be issued to the individual in question. Nevada law prohibits a person from owning or possessing a firearm if he or she has been judged mentally ill or has been committed to a mental health hospital. The person has a right to later ask the court to delete this finding that he or she has had a mental illnes

CO: Colorado State University administrators relying on flawed study to ban firearms
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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Colorado State's Board is relying on a study by the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators, which found that of 30,000 Americans killed by guns in 2005, only 147 were shot in justifiable homicides.

But this is faulty logic. For one thing, only citing the number of those killed by guns doesn't speak to those who were deterred by the suspected presence of a firearm -- the basis of concealed carry laws. ... And the National Crime Victimization Survey, done by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, found that every day, 550 rapes, 1,100 murders, and 5,200 other violent crimes are prevented when someone shows a gun. In less than 0.9 percent of these instances is the gun ever actually fired.

Should the wives of Tiger Woods and Charlie Sheen be in jail
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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"No one should have the right to assault another person unless it is in self defense," he adds. "If you find out your wife is cheating you have the right to divorce them, you have the right to take their money, you do not have the right to use physical violence."

...

In the Sheen case police reports show Brooke Mueller was legally drunk (.13 blood alcohol) on Christmas Day when she called 911 and claimed the actor was assaulting her. From jail he posted bond after talking to a judge. His blood alcohol was within legal limits (.04). Sheen said his wife was the aggressor and indeed Mueller later recanted her story. Police were investigating whether they should prosecute her on charges of filing a false police report.

New Year's gun rights resolution: Get formal training
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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Today's suggestion for Examiner.com's New Year's resolution special project applies to novice and experienced shooters:

I will attend a gun-related course to improve my knowledge and/or skills.

It can be a basic safety course if you're new to guns. Or maybe you want to take an armed self-defense course. Or take hunter safety. Or learn practical shooting. Or become a range safety officer. Or a certified instructor. Or...

The truth is out: Workman is a moron
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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Going back over the past ten months since I became the Seattle Gun Rights Examiner – one of about 15 “GRE’s” around the country, one thing has become evident.
When someone doesn’t like what I write, they exercise no diplomacy at all in the process of saying so. But that's okay. It's that "First Amendment thing."
Take my mid-December column about a proposed ban on so-called “semiautomatic assault rifles” in Washington State in the wake of three police shootings, none of which involved such a firearm.

CA: Gun sales boom in 2009
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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While other industries have suffered massive losses during recession-ravaged 2009, the firearms business seems to have had one of its best years in recent memory.

Concerns about personal safety in a crippled economy and worries that Washington, D.C. democrats would limit firearms sales prompted a gun buying frenzy this year, local and national industry insiders say.

"It's ironic that we've experienced what we call the `Obama effect,"' said R.J. Kirschner, founder of Top Gun Training Centre in the Lytle Creek area. "The President has been the most effective economic stimulus for the firearm industry."

AK: Kelly Optimistic About Second Amendment Bill
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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State Representative Mike Kelly of Fairbanks remains optimistic that his gun rights bill will have support in the State Senate. The bill, which passed in the House of Representatives during the 2009 session, will be in front of the State Senate in January. Last week, we asked him for more details about the bill. He said the bill proposes that any gun manufactured and sold in Alaska be regulated by the state, not the federal government. He expects this bill, if passed by Alaska, to receive a challenge from the federal government.

CA: Obama foe suggests armed rallies
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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Laguna Niguel attorney Orly Taitz, who’s failed in several lawsuits to have Barack Obama removed from office, is now suggesting on her Web site that armed rallies and protests are an appropriate course of action.

I’ve cut and pasted this verbatim from her Web site:

“Seeing targeted destruction of our economy, our security, dissipation of American jobs, massive corruption in the Government, Congress Department of Justice and Judiciary, it might be time to start rallies and protests using our second amendment right to bare arms and organise in militias.”

CA: Massacre In Mexico
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff
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It must do more. Some 90 percent of the guns seized from operations against organized crime in Mexico come from the United States. President Barack Obama expressed strong support during the campaign for closing the gun-show loophole, which allows some purchases of weapons without the buyer undergoing a federal background check. Since taking office, he has distanced himself from the pledge, and he has taken only anemic steps to empower law enforcement officials to share information about the origins of weapons used in crime. He also has yet to respond meaningfully to the reasonable pleas from Mexican President Felipe Calderon for the United States to do more to stem the flow of illegal guns into his country.