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Gun Unhappy
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"For a moment, I thought that this editorial criticizing the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia's ruling against the Washington, D.C. handgun ban appeared in the New York Times. One expects that sort of hysteria from Pinch's rag. But the Washington Post editorial page, while liberal, is usually, well, reasonable. This led me to two possible conclusions. Either the Post editors farmed out the op-ed to someone at the Times; or gun control is the one of the few areas where sane liberals still do not permit rational discussion to enter the debate."

"The editorial has many of the hallmarks of hysteria -- overheated rhetoric, distortion, omission of inconvenient facts, and appeal to authority. Here is a rundown:" ...

Taking Aim at Judicial Activism
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Judges who ignore decades-old precedent, who dismiss express Constitutional language as being irrelevant, and who substitute their views for those of democratically-elected representatives - these have been the targets of 'conservative' politicians and commentators over the years."

"Now those judicial activists are at it again. Last Friday, two judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia -- for the first time in American history -- declared a gun law unconstitutional based on their reading of the Second Amendment."

"The March 9, 2007 decision in Parker v. District of Columbia is judicial activism at its worst:" ...

The Right to Bear Bazookas: A New Take on the Second Amendment
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"The Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia has decided to strike down a gun control law as a violation of the Second Amendment. The decision, known as Parker, casts aside more than 70 years of established jurisprudence. The Appeals Courts revisionist reading of U.S. v. Miller, (1939) the controlling Supreme Court precedent, is highly problematic. According to the majority opinion in Parker, Miller was only concerned with the type of weapons protected by the Second Amendment. If the decision is not reversed it ought to mean plenty of new business for the manufactures of flame throwers, bazookas, and Stinger missiles who are certain to welcome the DC Courts lunatic logic." ...

Gun laws as a right to safety
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Owning a gun is a constitutional right, a US appeals court panel said last week as it struck down a District of Columbia gun ban. This unusual ruling, which challenges a 1939 Supreme Court decision, sets the stage for a new showdown over the meaning of the Second Amendment."

"... The wording clearly applies to only the common defense, the high court ruled nearly 70 years ago, with a gun right grounded only in relation to state militias."

"That was settled law until last week. Now there's a possibility that a more conservative Supreme Court might endorse this lower-court decision. If so, the justices will need to acknowledge that public safety requires regulation of firearms." ...

One step back
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"ON MARCH 9th the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit overturned the District of Columbia's long-standing ban on handguns. Some might say, so what? Last year the police recovered 2,655 guns in the District, which hardly suggests that the ban was keeping guns out of circulation. Nonetheless, Washington, DC, has long been a small spot of resistance to a culture all too tolerant of firearms."

"In a 2-1 decision, the judges rejected the District's claim that the Second Amendment applies only to militias. The rights protected in the amendment 'are not limited to militia service', the majority argued, 'nor is an individual's enjoyment of the right contingent upon...enrolment in the militia'." ...

MI: A deadly wrong ruling
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"The drafters of the U.S. Constitution get much credit for their foresight in that they came up with a blueprint for a national democracy that has withstood the test of time. But what if these agrarian, 18th-century thinkers had gotten a glimpse of today's urban warfare in America - made possible in part by guns far more accurate, speedy and deadly than the single-shot, muzzle-loading firearms around when they wrote the Second Amendment?"

"James Madison might say: Hey, we'd better clarify that amendment so it won't hamper government in enacting sensible regulations for these future weapons of much destruction." ...

DC: Give Us Back Our Gun Law
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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"As lawyers in guarded courtrooms debate whether it is a good idea to preserve tough gun control in the District of Columbia, in the real world of the city's juvenile justice system, the jury is in. There is no single solution to the problems of youth crime, but strong gun control laws such as the one struck down last week by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit clearly make a difference."

"The public needs to understand that young people get their hands on guns differently than adults do -- mainly by borrowing them from family members and friends or by buying them on the black market, according to a Justice Department study." ...

PA: Grandmother Of Slain Man Says She Warned Him (follow-up)
Submitted by: jac

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"Brenda Jones' grandson, 20-year-old Cornell Toombs, died a violent death, but police said he was the victim of his own actions."

"Toombs was shot to death as he and another man attempted to rob a North Philadelphia restaurant at gunpoint, police said." ...

"'She would preach to him every day, 'If you don't get a job and get a good education, you would never be able to take care of yourself properly,' Jones said." ...

NY: Armed Shooter Shatters Greenwich Village Community (Brady Campaign)
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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"Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, issued the following statement about Wednesday night's shooting rampage in New York's Greenwich Village:" ...

"... We need to investigate how the shooter came to be armed with his two semiautomatic handguns and more than a hundred rounds of ammunition. And we must continue to take steps to make it harder for criminals and other dangerous individuals to obtain these firearms so easily." ...
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KABA Note: Dance Bradys, dance in the blood of the innocent.

GA: Gun bill is right on target
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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FULL TEXT BELOW:

The gun bill is a good one. The public and police officers have nothing to fear from a law-abiding citizen carrying a gun. The criminals that are a danger to us all will carry a gun regardless of the law.

This law reinforces the current state law as well as the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States.

If one thinks most people in north Georgia oppose this law or the right to carry, one does not know us at all.

I urge our legislators to continue to support our Second Amendment rights.

I urge all citizens who choose to own a gun, learn how to safely handle, store, and use. Thats right, we have the right to choose. Keep America free.

A Fourth Mayor Quits Bloomberg Anti-Gun Group
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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"A fourth mayor has withdrawn from Mayor Bloomberg's coalition against illegal guns, officials said."

"Mayor Mary Wolf of Williamsport, Pa., said in an interview yesterday that she withdrew from Mayors Against Illegal Guns because she thought it was attempting to erode all gun ownership, not just illegal guns."

"Mr. Bloomberg and Mayor Menino of Boston formed the coalition last year to lobby for laws that would prevent guns from illegally ending up in the wrong hands."

"In a letter to Mr. Bloomberg, Ms. Wolf wrote, 'I have learned that the coalition may be working on issues which conflict with legal gun ownership, and that some actions on your behalf are dubious.'" ...

OH: Cleveland files suit to uphold right to pass its own gun laws
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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"Cleveland challenged a state law Wednesday that makes it illegal for the city to make its own gun laws, such as banning assault weapons."

"Cleveland filed suit in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court on the same day the state law throwing out local gun ordinances took effect."

"At a news conference announcing the suit, Mayor Frank Jackson said Cleveland will continue to enforce its gun laws, which include prohibiting minors from possessing firearms and banning the sale and possession of assault weapons." ...

IL: Lawmakers consider bevy of gun laws
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"State lawmakers are considering a measure that would force gun owners to lock up their firearms in homes with minors 18 years old and younger.

"The proposal joins a handful of other gun-related measures state lawmakers are considering this spring. ..." ...

"... Of particular interest to Quad City area lawmakers are proposals that would prevent the manufacture and possession of .50 caliber rifles and ammunition."

"The legislation is pending in the Senate as is another measure that would give people who knowingly have lost their firearm 72 hours to report it. The proposal that would require more strict regulation and licensing of firearms dealers is awaiting debate by a Senate committee." ...

OH: Ohio State Highway Patrol's 'plain sight' champion on his way out (BFA)
Submitted by: Buckeye Firearms Association
Website: http://www.buckeyefirearms.org

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"The Columbus Dispatch reported this week that Col. Paul D. McClellan, the current Superintendent of the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP), has announced his retirement."

"The retirement of McClellan, who made Buckeye Firearms' 2006 list of Ten People Who Are Threatening Your Ohio Gun Rights, comes at an ironic time for Ohio concealed handgun license-holders. Also being retired this week, thanks to passage of HB374, is the highly unpopular, unsafe requirement that CHL-holders carry their firearms in 'plain sight' while in a motor vehicle - a provision which was lobbied for heavily by McClellan's OSHP before passage of Ohio's concealed carry law in 2003." ...

OH: NBC Cleveland: City Police do not support Mayor's defiance of state law (BFA)
Submitted by: Buckeye Firearms Association
Website: http://www.buckeyefirearms.org

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"On Wednesday, March 14, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson announced that he would defy the will of the Ohio General Assembly as expressed in HB347 - legislation which made all firearms laws uniform across the Buckeye State."...

"Not even Jackson's own police department is supportive of his decision. NBC Cleveland's WKYC.com is reporting the city's police union is not pleased with Jackson's order to ignore HB347, and that union president expressed support of the General Assembly's decision to remove the ridiculous 'plain sight' requirement for CHL-holders in motor vehicles." ...

OH: Officer shot self with stolen gun
Submitted by: Eldon Eddy

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FULL TEXT BELOW:

A policeman who said he was shot by an unknown assailant actually shot himself with a gun he stole from the police department's property room, Dayton police Chief Julian Davis said Wednesday.

Davis said he does not know why Donald Fink, 31, a five-year veteran of the force, stole the handgun and shot himself in the stomach Tuesday while patrolling. Fink had been wearing a bulletproof vest and was not seriously injured.

NH: Court officer convicted of prostitution
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"A jury took about 90 minutes yesterday to convict a former court security officer of prostitution after concluding he offered a Franklin couple struggling to pay a court fine $20 an hour to have sex while he watched. The couple said the officer told them he was testing sheets and condoms for an insurance company." ...

"'I'm just pleased that the jury saw through the defendant's story and held him accountable,' [County Attorney] Coull said. He said the most troubling part of this case was where Theriault found his victims: 'In a courthouse, where he was supposed to protect people.'" ...

CA: Western States Sheriff's Assoc. recognizes Parker
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Tehama County Sheriff Clay Parker has been recognized for his law enforcement interests that fall outside the county's borders." ...

"Then on Feb. 17, Parker won the 'Outstanding Peace Officer of the Year' award from the California Rifle and Pistol Association, because of his support of a citizen's right to bear arms and carry concealed weapons. Parker serves on the California State Sheriff's Association Legislative Committee, a group that watches out for legislation that would affect one's right to bear arms." ...

"The Second Amendment is important to Parker in part because 'it's a benefit to me in law enforcement,' he said. 'If there are law-abiding citizens legally owning guns, I think it's a safer county.'"

CT: For Connecticut Officer Charged With Theft, a Career of Ups and Downs
Submitted by: Anonymous

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"In nearly four decades on the force in this city, Lt. William White has collected a string of accolades, cultivating an expansive network of informants and conducting dozens of arrests to take down street gangs and drug dealers."

"But fellow law enforcement officers frequently looked upon him with suspicion as he was the target of citizen complaints and of skepticism from bosses and subordinates."

"Early in his career, officials found that Lieutenant White had planted white powder on a suspect in a drug arrest, which cost him his job though he won it back with the help of the police union. Public outrage erupted in the 1980s when a group of children accused him of pointing a revolver at them and hurling racial epithets. ..." ...

MD: Baltimore arm shows gunning for a good weekend
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Raise those rifles up high and get your Second Amendment-loving selves to two area arms shows this weekend."

"Opening Friday is the 41st Annual Baltimore Area Collectible Arms and Militaria Show and Sale at the Maryland National Guard Armory in Pikesville."

"Open through Sunday, the popular show will feature militaria from around the world and weapons involved in all wars." ...

"Another option is the Original Baltimore Antique Arms Show, which sets up shop at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium Saturday and Sunday."

"Run by the Maryland Arms Collectors Association, the show will feature antique arms (pre-1898) on exhibit and for sale." ...

UT: U drops federal gun lawsuit
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"The legal battle over the U's campus gun policy came to an end Monday after the university agreed to drop its federal lawsuit against the state."

"Students and staff members are now guaranteed the right to carry concealed firearms on campus with a permit -- the U's long-held former policy banned them from bringing guns on campus."

"State law still prohibits non-permit holders from bringing guns onto a college campus."

"The decision came two weeks after the Utah Legislature passed a law that would allow students living in the Residence Halls to decide if they will room with a permit holder. The U had agreed to end the federal case while negotiating the law with legislators." ...

OH: OFCC Attorneys Advise 6th District of Preemption (OFCC)
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Yesterday Ohioans For Concealed Carry's legal representation in Ohioans For Concealed Carry v. City of Clyde filed a motion with the court to bring to it's attention the fact that statewide preemption became law and had serious implications in the case. Ohioans For Concealed Carry is asking the 6th District Court of Appeals to return the case to the original court." ...

"Ohioans For Concealed Carry originally attempted to convince the City of Clyde council and other city leaders that posting "No Guns" signs in it's parks was in direct conflict with state law. Clyde had even adopted an ordinance for their signs and penalties." ...

ID: Red's loses its gun license
Submitted by: ChareltonHest

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"Red's Trading Post, one of Idaho's oldest gun shops, can trade no longer."

"The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has revoked the business's license to buy, trade or obtain guns after an ATF audit found Red's employees sold guns improperly numerous times between 1999 and 2004."

"Red's manager, Ryan Horsley, admits when the business sold guns it sometimes left blank required parts of a gun purchase form, omitted a background check on a special order, failed to log multiple handgun sales to the same customer in five working days ..." ...

"The five-year audit found violations over a period in which 10,000 guns were sold, Horsley said."

"'Mistakes happen. Stuff happens,' Horsley said. 'I think it's unreal expecting to have 100 percent non errors.'" ...

UK: Pistol champion aims for Beijing
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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"The paralympics in Beijing next year is still the target for a Thurnscoe shooter who is near to breaking the world record."

"Air Pistol shooting champion, Chris Summerscales, 34 of Oak Road, Thurnscoe is hoping his current form will be good enough for his to get on a plane to the Far East in 2008."

"Chris, who has retained the British Championship last month has been shooting since 2002, following a car accident in 2000 which left him paralysed." ...

UK: Taxi driving 'most dangerous job
Submitted by: jac

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"Father-of-five Younis Khan is the third taxi driver to be killed in Yorkshire in the past year."

"Editor of trade magazine Taxi-Today, Tony Mite, said he believed the profession had become the 'most dangerous' in the country."

"He said attacks happened at any time during the day and night." ...

"Mr Mite said more needed to be done to protect taxi drivers." ...

"They are asking for cameras and also asking for anything else that can be done to bring down the numbers of incidents." ...
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Submitters note: More news from the gun free utopia.