Keep and Bear Arms - Gun Owners Home Page

John Longnecker: Guns Are Not Right Wing, Guns Are Patriotic
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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"There is a big difference between being Conservative and being Patriotic. Elephants and Donkeys can agree on many, many questions on how we run our country, come to the same conclusions and get a lot of business done. And a lot of Conservatives can drop the ball and refuse to see the citizen authority - lethal force connection they should be standing up for."

"This is one of the biggest complaints of constitutents: for all the talk of Independence, the Conservatives won't really take a position on how citizen authority in this country is backed by lethal force in the hands of the citizen first and always. It is this authority backed by force which shall not be infringed ..." ...

Practice what you preach, but leave my gun alone
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Oh boy! Another cliché letter to the editor with a lousy opening, easily refutable content, and an impractical solution proposal - this time written by a professor. Jackpot!"

"I'm responding to Edward Schmid's letter to the editor entitled 'Education, not guns," which was responding to Marlize van Romburgh's article 'The amendment that protects your independence.' I think Schmid completely missed the point of Van Romburgh's article ... She was arguing the point that reinforced why the Second Amendment was necessary for upholding a free society and she did an excellent job by backing up her points with historical events used in context. Her point: governments should be afraid of their people." ...

A New Chance to Curb Gun Violence
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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"The Supreme Court decision last month overturning the District's handgun ban, though controversial, may have ended a long-standing political logjam. As a local law enforcement official, I hope this decision will allow a working coalition to transcend partisan disagreements and support strategies proven to reduce gun violence."

"The ruling left almost entirely intact the gun restrictions in Maryland and most other jurisdictions. Still permitted are: licensing requirements, bans on concealed weapons, prohibitions on felons and the mentally ill possessing handguns, bans on carrying handguns in 'sensitive places such as schools and government buildings' and conditions on the commercial sale of firearms." ...

Gun rights baloney
Submitted by: James A. Farmer

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"Dishonest, uninformed radio programs promote nonsensical, gun-worshiping baloney every day. 'We need to have all students armed in their classrooms.' 'All citizens have the right to own machine guns and bazookas.' 'Private gun ownership is our only defense against enslavement by the government.'"

"Oh, really? Suppose the government actually succeeded in enslaving the nongovernment citizens. And who would enforce this slavery? The U.S. Army? The police department? Or maybe a group of volunteers from Alabama, or some imaginary dudes from the 'New World Order.' I think these conspiracy nuts need to start taking their medication. Now."

"Never mind the fact that our government is already capable of vaporizing any American city in four seconds ..." ...

Sophisticated weapons unnecessary for citizens
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"The letter is in response to the articles covering the Supreme Court's June ruling that clarified Americans' right to own a gun for self-defense. It has once again sparked the debate about gun control."

"... the need for a state militia has been replaced by the National Guard and Coast Guard, whereby trained military personnel are entrusted with the defense of this country against domestic enemies. Their weapons are tightly controlled and safeguarded."

"The only two reasons for a citizen to own a firearm are for hunting or defense of the household from intruders. In either case, ownership of a handgun, shotgun or rifle is more than adequate to satisfy these purposes. ..."

Do You Feel Safer? Laws Allow Firearms in Public Places
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"New and expanded laws regarding firearms mean that they may be closer than you think - like at the parking lot at Sea World in Orlando or inside Atlanta's Hartsfield Airport."

"At Walt Disney World, employees will not be allowed to carry guns in their cars at company parking lots."

"The entertainment giant will make the Orlando parking lots gun-free zones, despite a new state law that allows Floridians with a concealed weapons permit to keep a firearm locked in their car while they work. The law took effect Tuesday."

"Disney is not making any friends with backers of the law. They say theyre surprised that Floridas largest single-site employer of 60,000 is using an exemption." ...

Heller's Fallout
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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"On June 26, the last day of the 2007-2008 term, the Supreme Court of the United States affirmed a lower-court ruling striking down a 33-year-old handgun ban in the nation's capital. District of Columbia v. Heller was the first Second Amendment case that the court has heard in 70 years and represents the first time the court has ever addressed the question of whether the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to bear arms for private purposes."

"In a recent interview with NationalJournal.com's Mary Gilbert, Adam Winkler, professor of law at University of California, Los Angeles, discussed the historical context and the practical and political implications of the Heller decision. Edited excerpts follow. ..." ...

Opponents promise challenge of new D.C. gun law
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"The doors opened Thursday to post-handgun ban era here, with gun rights advocates vowing another legal challenge to the city's newly approved gun control law."

"Less than a month after the Supreme Court overturned the city's 32-year-old handgun ban ... the same litigant in the landmark case appeared at police headquarters and said he likely would wage a new fight."

"Dick Heller, whose legal challenge prompted the Supreme Court ruling, said he would challenge new city regulations that continue to ban District residents from owning semi-automatic weapons."

"'The city still does not yet understand the decision of the Supreme Court,' Heller said from the steps of police headquarters. 'We have been denied again.'" ...

Lock and Load--It's the Law!
Submitted by: motoboy

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"For millions of Americans, the political highpoint of 2008 is now behind them. ... June 26 the U.S. Supreme Court for the first time affirmed, by a narrow majority of 5-4, the Second Amendment ..."

"Oddly enough, considering the endless political battling over gun rights, the nation's highest court has only once before ruled on the citizens inherent right to bear arms, and this was in the Roosevelt era. Gun control was one of the prime goals of the New Deal, partly as a backlash from the Tommy Gun era of Prohibition and the roaring twenties; also because in those distant days there was a very large and militant left, of which FDR was afraid. The New Deal was a desperate attempt to stave off much more far-reaching challenges to business-as-usual." ...

A Constitutional Right to Self-Defense?
Submitted by: Rick Schwartz
Website: http://hubpages.com/hub/Jacks-World-Famous-Carribean-Meatloaf-Jerk

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"Orin's and David Kopel's posts below discuss whether Heller recognized a constitutional right to self-defense. I'm inclined to say the answer is yes, for the following reasons:"

"1. Heller recognized a right to keep and bear arms in self-defense, which logically presupposes some legal right to self-defense. Why would the Constitution let you keep an object for a certain purpose, when all use of the object for that purpose could be outlawed?" ...

DC Rejects Handgun Application
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"District residents can start registering their guns today. But at least one very high profile application was already rejected."

"Dick Heller is the man who brought the lawsuit against the District's 32-year-old ban on handguns. He was among the first in line Thursday morning to apply for a handgun permit."

"But when he tried to register his semi-automatic weapon, he says he was rejected. He says his gun has seven bullet clip. Heller says the City Council legislation allows weapons with fewer than eleven bullets in the clip. A spokesman for the DC Police says the gun was a bottom-loading weapon, and according to their interpretation, all bottom-loading guns are outlawed because they are grouped with machine guns." ...

Heller's Future in the Lower Courts
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"The Supreme Court has released its long-awaited opinion in District of Columbia v. Heller, and the buzz has been considerable. Though much has been made of the majoritys historic ruling and of the narrowness of that majority, many commentators have missed an important point. What Heller is most notable for is its complete and unanimous rejection of the 'collective rights' interpretation that for nearly seventy years held sway with pundits, academics, andmost significantlylower courts."

"The repudiation of this extensive body of case law[2] suggests that the real test of Heller will occur once the lower courts ... face the inevitable follow-up cases challenging other restrictive gun laws. ..." ...

D.C. Tries to Finesse Gun Ruling
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Mayor Adrian Fenty and his feisty attorney general, Peter Nickles, stood on the steps of the Wilson Building this week ostensibly to announce how the District will comply with the Supreme Court's rejection of Washington's ban on handguns. But really, they were delivering very much the opposite message: With only the narrowest of exceptions, we're sticking with our gun ban. Don't like it? Sue us."

"'I am pretty confident that the people of the District of Columbia want us to err in the direction of trying to restrict guns,' Fenty told me, smiling broadly at the suggestion that what he's really trying to do is make it as hard as possible for Washingtonians to keep a loaded gun at home." ...

SC: Clerk shoots at man trying to rob store
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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FULL TEXT BELOW:

A clerk at a local convenience store on North Kings Highway shot at a man who tried to rob the store last night, according to Myrtle Beach police officials.

The incident happened around 6 p.m. Tuesday when a man walked into the store and demanded money.

The clerk pulled out a handgun from under the counter, shot at the man, and missed, said Capt. David Knipes, Myrtle Beach Police's public information officer.

The bullet hit a wall, Knipes said. He said the man fled out the door.

The case is under investigation.

MD: Burglar shot, killed in Park Heights home
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"A Park Heights man shot and killed a 45-year-old man who was attempting to burglarize his aunt's home early Wednesday morning, a police spokeswoman said." ...

"When officers arrived, they were told that a man had broken into a home. A man living in that house heard someone come into the basement, and he went upstairs to get a his .38-caliber handgun ..."

"The man, armed with the weapon, went to investigate and heard footsteps upstairs. He called out to his aunt to see whether she was walking around the house ..."

"Then he walked up to the first floor and saw the burglar running through the rear door of the kitchen and fired once, striking the burglar in the back ..." ...

MN: An Argument For An Armed Citizenry
Submitted by: Rick Schwartz

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"A horrific news story has slowly made its way into the headlines here in the Twin Cities. A local resident, his wife and three daughters spent the evening of the Fourth of July at Valleyfair, a local amusement park. They were leaving the park at midnight when a criminal began to molest his twelve-year-old daughter."

"The father intervened to defend his daughter, and the offender put out a call for his 'homies.' Eight 'men' materialized and began to beat up the father. They knocked him to the ground and took turns stomping on his head. The man's wife and daughters tried to protect him, unsuccessfully, and Valleyfair's security guards apparently tried to help, but ineffectually." ...

Oklahoma Rebellion
Submitted by: Anonymous

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"One of the unappreciated casualties of the War of 1861, erroneously called a Civil War, was its contribution to the erosion of constitutional guarantees of state sovereignty. It settled the issue of secession, making it possible for the federal government to increasingly run roughshod over Ninth and 10th Amendment guarantees. A civil war, by the way, is a struggle where two or more parties try to take over the central government. Confederate President Jefferson Davis no more wanted to take over Washington, D.C., than George Washington wanted to take over London. Both wars are more properly described as wars of independence."

"Oklahomans are trying to recover some of their lost state sovereignty by House Joint Resolution 1089 ..." ...

Franken forgets states pro-gun viewpoint
Submitted by: RPA-PAC
Website: http://www.rpa-pac.org

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"In one of Senate candidate Al Franken's literary efforts ... he reveals his personal feelings about a topic important to many Minnesotans. In Chapter 12 of his book, I learned that candidate Franken is against private ownership of guns due to his belief that firearms in the home are 'too dangerous.' I believe these views are more consistent with California or New York, where Mr. Franken still maintains corporate interests."

"His problem is Minnesota has always been a pro-gun state. Remember, a bipartisan majority passed 'conceal and carry.' I called the [NRA] for Sen. Norm Colemans most recent NRA rating score. Colemans previous votes and questionaire answers qualified him for their hightest category A."

Obama Would Be Anti-Gun President
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Dear Editor,"

"I was excited to see the U.S. Supreme Court affirm for the first time that the Second Amendment and our right to keep and bear arms was and is an individual right as intended by our Founding Fathers."

"Sen. John McCain understands this and he immediately praised the Court's decision. Sen. Barack Obama still can't figure out how he feels about it."

"Barack Obama has made many statements over the years that lead me to believe he would be the most anti-gun president ever elected to the White House and also leads me to believe that he doesn't understand our Second Amendment right." ...

TN: Senator Raymond Finney endorsed by National Rifle Association
Submitted by: RPA-PAC
Website: http://www.rpa-pac.org

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"State Senator Raymond Finney has been given a rating of 'A' by the ... [NRA] for his four years of service in the Tennessee General Assembly. In addition, the NRA has endorsed his candidacy for re-election to the Tennessee Senate."

"In making this announcement, NRA state liaison Heidi Keesling remarked that part of Senator Finneys endorsement was based on his 'strong and vocal support of our Right to Keep and Bear Arms.'

"Senator Finney said: 'I am grateful that the NRA recognizes that I am a strong defender of the Second Amendment. The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed ... that the Second Amendment provides the right to bear arms to Americans individually ... We must now guard this right at the level of all state governments.'" ...

IL: Governor signs new gun law
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Governor Rod Blagojevich has signed a bill that puts the adult who provides a gun to a minor in the same legal hot water as the minor who uses it to commit a crime."

"The bill signed Wednesday means that adults who sell or give guns to minors are eligible for the same sentence as minors convicted of violent crimes -- including murder -- in which they used the weapon."

"Before the law was signed, the maximum sentence an adult could get for providing a gun to a minor -- whether it's used in a crime or not -- was seven years." ...

"Supporters of the bill say they hope the possibility of a stiffer sentence will make adults think twice about handing over guns to minors."

IL: To avoid NRA suit, aldermen vote to amend gun ban -- Officials hope complying to U.S. Supreme Court ruling will allow aspects of Evanston's handgun ban to remain
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Evanston aldermen unanimously voted to amend the city's 27-year-old handgun ban last week at a special closed-door meeting in light of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down a similar ban in the District of Columbia."

"... On June 26th, the day after the ruling's release, the National Rifle Association sued numerous cities that ban the private possession of operative handguns, including Chicago, Morton Grove, Oak Park and Evanston. After weeks of consideration and consultation with the police, Evanston city council members authorized a resolution that would rewrite the ordinance to comply with the Supreme Court ruling." ...

WA: Keep your gun, leave your knife
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Half a dozen Democratic state lawmakers all of them from rural districts want the state's attorney general to weigh in on whether cities can ban otherwise-legal firearms on city property. Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels recently issued an executive order doing so."

"'I'd like to know whether cities like Seattle can set aside the Bill of Rights when you walk onto city property,' Rep. Kevin Van De Wege, D-Sequim, said last week."

"Washington lawmakers ran into a similar issue firsthand several years ago, when they spent hundreds of thousands of dollars installing and staffing metal detectors and X-ray machines at the entrances to the state capitol." ...

Feds charge S.C. trooper
Submitted by: Duane

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FULL TEXT BELOW:

A former highway patrol trooper was indicted Thursday on charges he violated a mans civil rights during an arrest in 2006.

John B. Sawyer is charged with violating the civil rights of Sergio Cardini, said U.S. Attorney Walt Wilkins.

Wilkins said the office is alleging Sawyers actions willfully deprived Cardini of his constitutional rights to be free from the use of unreasonable force by a police officer.

The indictment is a result of a joint investigation led by the FBI and the State Law Enforcement Division. On a dash-cam recording then Lance Cpl. Sawyer is seen kicking Cardini at least seven times in the head area on May 28, 2006 in Sumter.

Cardini had just led police on a chase down I-95.
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KABA Note: There is video at the site.

NY: City Offers Money for Guns
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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CO: 'Armed man' prompts scare at store
Submitted by: Mark McCullough
Website: http://www.georgiacarry.org/

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FULL TEXT BELOW:

The report sounded ominous when Aurora police responded Tuesday morning, July 15, after hearing a man with a AK47 and a banana clip was seen in a Home Depot Store.

Police surrounded the store at 3475 N. Salida St., just before 9 a.m. Employees and customers were brought out of the store as officers with rifles searched the interior for the reported gunman.

K-9 units were also called in the search the store.

Then, an employee came forward and told police that a man matching the description of the gunman had been inside the store earlier.

The employee said the man was carrying a nail gun and was looking for parts. He had left before police arrived.

FL: Officer Accused Of Threatening Starbucks Managers For Free Coffee
Submitted by: Anonymous

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"A police lieutenant in Daytona Beach was fired over accusations that he threatened slower emergency response times if he was not given complimentary specialty Starbucks coffee drinks."

"An internal police investigation found that Daytona Lt. Major Garvin received free coffee for about two years from a city Starbucks coffee store."

"However, when recently denied free coffee from new management, Garvin allegedly told managers that he could change the police department's response time if they refuse to give him complimentary drinks."

"Garvin is accused of saying, '... I've been getting whatever I want. I'm the difference between you getting a two-minute response time, if you needed a little help, or a 15 minutes response time.'" ...

IL: Judge: Police Supt. Jody Weis can't fire cop who beat man cuffed to wheelchair
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"The Chicago Police Board made the correct decision in suspending and not firing an officer who was videotaped beating a 60-year-old man handcuffed and shackled to a wheelchair, a Cook County judge has ruled."

"Officer William Cozzi still faces criminal charges in federal court in the beating of Randle Miles on Aug. 2, 2005 at Norwegian American Hospital in Humboldt Park."

"A hospital surveillance tape shows Cozzi hitting Randle Miles about 10 times, prosecutors said. Miles does not appear to resist, but he was charged with resisting arrest a charge that was later dropped." ...

GA: Bad guys are the ones pulling triggers
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Regarding David Newman's July 8 letter ('Guns in restaurants explosive idea'): To answer his first question, 'What idiot ... made it legal to carry concealed weapons ...?' The people of the United States upheld that right in 1791 when the Second Amendment was ratified ..."

"Another query of Mr. Newman's was 'When did restaurants become so threatening ...?' Does anyone remember Luby's Cafeteria? The McDonald's massacre? Yes, these are rare occurrences. Yet, if one law-abiding citizen were to have a weapon when the nut-of-the-month had decided to go on a killing rampage, fewer lives would have been lost. ..." [links added] ...

ME: Maine doesn't need gun restrictions
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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"Cathie Whittenburg's column, 'Follow court's lead on gun control' ... is most notable for its omissions, meandering logic and clear misrepresentations."

"Whittenburgs description of Maines gun laws as 'the weakest in the nation' is erroneous on three fronts. Firstly, it is wrong by ignoring the state of Vermont, where no licensing of any type is required or any handgun possession (including carrying concealed), as well ignoring the many states whose basic restrictions are no different from Maine's."

"Secondly, by raising the issue of 'waiting periods' Whittenburg raises a red herring, since the inception of instant background checks of prospective buyers ... has been adopted across this country." ...

FL: Florida pro-gun laws saving lives
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"There is literally living proof in Florida that its concealed carry and other pro-gun laws save lives."

"From 1987, when the concealed carry law was passed, until 2006, murder and non-negligent manslaughter rates in Florida plunged 45 percent, to 6.2 per 100,000 persons from 11.4, according to crime rate statistics compiled annually by the Federal Bureau of Investigation."

"More people are alive today in Florida thanks to those laws, which kicked off a nationwide trend toward adoption of conceal-carry provisions. Today almost 40 states have followed Florida's lead." ...

OH: D.C. v. Heller's Alan Gura at the Cleveland City Club
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"On July 7, 2008 the City Club and the Cleveland Lawyers' Chapter of the Federalist Society hosted a luncheon forum on gun possession. Alan Gura, who represented Dick Anthony Heller in his successful case against the District of Columbia (DC gun ban case) was the guest speaker."

"Buckeye Firearms Foundation sponsored a table. In attendance were State Representative Tom Patton (R-Strongsville) Don Myers, Terry Gallagher, Executive Director, Ohio Patrolman benevolent Association, and Buckeye volunteers Hank Olden, Ron Lisy, Chris Chumita and Jim Irvine."

"Gura discussed the history of why they chose D.C. and why they chose to go forward at this time." ...