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AL: Self-defense law at center of Autauga case
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The effects of retooled self-defense laws got another test recently in Autauga County this month, when a jury exonerated Erik Scoggins for the 2011 killing of Brandon Headley.
Scoggins didn't deny shooting Headley, according to the Montgomery Advertiser. He argued that he was defending himself. Prosecutors said Scoggins, who was in his truck, could've driven away. Jurors agreed with Scoggins. |
NE: Neb high court upholds new trial in murder case
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Nebraska's self-defense law, which says a person does not have to retreat from his home before using deadly force in self-defense, does not exclude people fending off an attack from a roommate, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled Friday when it ordered a new trial for a man sentenced for stabbing his roommate to death.
The ruling came in the case of Darrell White, who is serving 60 to 90 years in prison for the 2010 stabbing death of 45-year-old Todd Berg.
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Bowhunters stand with the NRA to defend Second Amendment
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Anti-gun activists routinely say they’re not against guns for hunting, but they aren’t fooling anyone.
Citing the natural overlap between the gun-rights groups and the bow-hunting community – and their natural enemies in the gun-control crowd, Bowhunter Magazine has published an editorial urging bow hunters to work together with the NRA to protect Americans’ constitutional right to bear arms.
“Arms” isn’t limited to firearms. |
MO: Mo. Gov. May Allow Gun Control Nullification to Pass Without His Signature
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In less than two weeks, Missouri could join Kansas in enacting a state law refusing to enforce federal gun control measures.
On May 22, the Second Amendment Preservation Act (HB 436) was sent to Governor Jay Nixon. As of this writing, Nixon, a Democrat, has not indicated whether he plans to veto or sign the bill.
Earlier this month, both houses of the Republican-controlled state legislature passed the bill by an overwhelming majority. |
NH: Ayotte showed courage in fight to address mass violence
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I am proud of Sen. Kelly Ayotte for her courage in voting for legislation that would address the criminal misuse of firearms by prohibited persons. She could have taken the easy way out and voted for ineffective bills that sounded good to the media and anti-gun crowd, but which would not have addressed the root causes and which would not have prevented another Sandy Hook tragedy. |
TX: Governor Perry calls special session
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Rep. George Lavender, R-Texarkana, said he asked Perry to include high profile Second Amendment bills that didn’t make it.
Lavender, R-Texarkana, authored a bill that would allow people carry their weapons openly, like law enforcement officers do.
“There is a tremendous support in the state for open carry, and I hope those people’s voices will be heard in a special session,” Lavender said of his bill, which was killed in a House committee. |
UT: Lawmaker wants to lure gun makers to Utah
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A Utah lawmaker wants to entice gun manufacturers to set up business in the state and has begun work on legislation to offer incentives.
Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, said he saw an opportunity for Utah after Maryland's governor recently signed gun control legislation that Maryland-based gun maker Beretta called offensive.
The company issued a statement saying it was thinking of shifting some operations to other states. |
NE: Deep problems with treaty
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The treaty regulates everything from handguns to missile launchers. Surely we can agree comparing hunting weapons to bazookas, and attempting to regulate both with one document, raises legitimate concerns about the Second Amendment rights. Article 12 of the treaty addresses record-keeping and strongly advocates for participating countries to keep records of all firearms sold right down to the “end user,” which could very well be applied to you and me. |
Bowhunters claim Obama is targeting them too
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As the White House strategizes on a new scheme to pass gun control, bowhunters are joining gun defenders, claiming that they are President Obama's next target.
The sport's bible, Bowhunter magazine, is calling on bow and arrow hunters to join Second Amendment advocates to stop gun control, which they view as a smokescreen to hide an anti-hunting agenda. |
MD: Sensible gun measures curb violence
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On May 22 the Board of Commissioners of Carroll County, with much pomp and puffery, passed a resolution declaring Carroll County to be a “Second Amendment Sanctuary County,” and declaring Maryland’s “Fire Arm Safety Act of 2013” to be unconstitutional.
This resolution will have all the legal effect of shaking one’s fist at a thunderstorm. It may make you feel better, but that doesn’t change the rainfall by a drop.
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AL: UA Board votes on new campus guns law
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Arkansas' two largest university systems are opting out of a new state law allowing faculty and staff to carry concealed handguns on campus.
The University of Arkansas and Arkansas State University boards on Thursday voted unanimously to continue banning concealed firearms on campus.
The bans will apply to UA's 11 campuses and ASU's four campuses.
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CO: Sheriff Maketa email on gun lawsuit fundraiser stirs controversy
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An email from El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa is raising a lot of eyebrows. The email is the latest development in the ongoing fight over gun control in our state.
"I think it is a misuse of power," Christy Lelait of A Whole Lot Of People For John Morse said. That's the crux of the criticism surrounding a recent email sent by El Paso County Public Information Officer Dave Rose. Sheriff Terry Maketa requested Rose send the email to all county employees alerting them to a $5.00 per person fundraiser scheduled for tomorrow night. The money will support a lawsuit by Maketa and fifty-three other Colorado sheriffs against the state's new gun control laws. |
NE: Friends of the NRA banquet takes aim
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Jennifer Svoboda wrote and received a grant for the West Nebraska 4-H Trap Club from the National Rifle Association.
The club members decided they wanted to pay it forward on June 3 with the first Western Nebraska Friends of the NRA banquet. Money raised from NRA banquets in Nebraska go to the Nebraska NRA and are given back to local organizations.
“There has never been an NRA banquet in western Nebraska,” Svoboda said. |
PA: Pennsylvania to upgrade background check system for concealed-carry license requests
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A switch to an online system and additional staffing are expected to speed up Pennsylvania's approval of concealed weapons license applications this year, eliminating delays like those plaguing Allegheny County, state officials say.
A $1.2 million upgrade is planned for the Pennsylvania Instant Check System, which is used for the background checks sheriff's departments and firearms dealers must run to issue concealed-carry licenses or sell guns, said Capt. Scott Price, director of the Pennsylvania State Police operational records division in Harrisburg.
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NRA Life of Duty Memorial Day Tribute
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There is something incredibly moving about the uniform beauty and reverent silence of our national cemeteries. The endless flow of granite and grass where etched in stone the names of heroes live on forever. Adorned with flag and flowers, the sacred and hallowed ground inters America’s courageous sons and daughters of liberty, those who’ve paid the ultimate sacrifice in the cause and defense of freedom. No greater act of love nor noble act of selflessness is represented in these memorials of tribute to patriots past. |
TX: Texas lawmakers okay law to allow college kids to bring guns on campus
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Lawmakers in Texas approved a bill on Sunday that will let college kids possess guns on campus so long as they keep them in their vehicles, according to The Associated Press.
The Texas House and Senate previously approved the measure amid a flurry of pro-gun bills the legislature passed earlier this month, but it was not final due to slight differences between each chamber’s version.
A reconciled version of the bill gained final approval on Sunday and Gov. Rick Perry (R), himself an ardent firearms enthusiast, is expected to sign it into law. |
IL: Senate schedules showdown for dueling concealed carry plans
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Key state senators are poised to consider dueling plans to legalize the concealed carrying of firearms in Illinois amid a debate over whether Chicago and larger communities will retain their overall ability to restrict guns.
Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, said Monday that a House-passed bill backed by Speaker Michael Madigan would be called for a vote in the Senate Executive Committee on Tuesday. Also to be considered is a compromise measure offered by Sen. Kwame Raoul. |
Forget 3-D Printing: When It Comes to DIY Guns, There's a Much Bigger Danger
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Recently, Mother Jones reporter Bryan Schatz told the story of how he constructed a fully-functioning, perfectly legal semiautomatic AK-47 assault rifle. Most of the parts came from disassembled guns that were made elsewhere and are totally legal to sell. The receiver -- basically, the only part whose sale is closely regulated -- had to be constructed by hand, a process that took Schatz a few hours in a machine shop.
Homemade AK-47s are legal, as long as the owner doesn't have a criminal record. They also don't have serial numbers, which makes them basically untraceable and impossible to regulate. And, unlike a 3-D printed handgun, AK-47s can fire ten rounds per second, are extremely durable, and can be easily repaired or replaced.
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The NRA Is Wrong: The Myth of Illegal Guns
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But given my somewhat shady past (not to mention the Bronx being the Bronx) I’m fairly certain that I could find a shady character close to home who will sell me a gun illegally—with three caveats: I’d risk being sent back to prison if caught, I would be putting my life in danger, and the price of weapons bought in such deals can be in excess of five times their retail cost. To put this in perspective, the assault weapon that Adam Lanza used to murder 20 children and six adults in Newtown, Connecticut, last December, which has a retail value of between $1,000 and $2,000, could cost between five and ten grand on the streets. |
Gun Makers Saw No Role in Curbing Improper Sales
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The Glock executive testified that he would keep doing business with a gun dealer who had been indicted on a charge of violating firearms laws because “This is still America” and “You’re still innocent until proven guilty.”
The president of Sturm, Ruger was not interested in knowing how often the police traced guns back to the company’s distributors, saying it “wouldn’t show us anything.” |
Tyranny Got You Down?
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As a preemptive tactic, the Second Amendment Preservation Act was introduced in 31 states in an effort to hold the federal government within its constitutionally prescribed role. Eleven states passed the act through one of its legislative chambers, while four pass it through both houses. Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback signed the Second Amendment Preservation Act into law on April 16. Alaska and Missouri are expected to have their bills sent to their governors soon. |
FL: Combat Veteran Sues over Gun Confiscation (with some help from Florida Carry, Inc.)
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On a day that we honor those who fought in defense our Constitutional rights, we’d like to shine a light on a court case in Florida that, though only quietly gaining media attention, we feel speaks quite loudly about the obstacles and prejudices veterans face back home (and echoes the current state of our inalienable rights). Florida Carry, Inc., a non-profit carry and gun rights organization, has filed a lawsuit against the City of Daytona Beach (as well as two other individuals) on behalf of an unnamed combat veterans for unlawfully refusing to return firearms seized by law enforcement—a disturbing trend in the Sunshine state with a nickname, ‘Baker Acting’. |
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