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In self-defense, Part II
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"It has been nearly four years – and will be this coming Sunday, July 11 – that Seattle resident Mary Cooper and her daughter, Susanna Stodden, were murdered along the Pinnacle Lake trail ..."
"Cooper and Stodden were unarmed, and there is no reason to believe that they ever would have been; probably quite the opposite. Other hikers do carry firearms, and in Washington State, to carry a concealed handgun while hiking ... or engaging in any other legitimate outdoor activity, one does not even need a concealed pistol license. They do this because bad things do happen to good people in unlikely places, including a quiet mountain trail where people are supposed to be enjoying the serenity, not being slain by a killer still at large." ... |
Facts and law aside, gun control advocates are right
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"With an inevitability that borders on a physical law, liberals greeted the Supreme Court's decision striking down Chicago's gun ban with a torrent of histrionics. Kicking things off: Retiring Justice John Paul Stevens, who warned that the McDonald ruling 'could prove far more destructive - quite literally - to our nation's communities' than the precedent case, Heller."
"He was hardly alone. The ruling is 'bad news for democracy and public safety,' warned the Kansas City Star. ..."
"Oh dear. Entertaining as it may be, all of this wailing and gnashing of teeth overlooks a couple of important things. The first is that it is - well, utterly wrong." ... |
Americans Agree on Second Amendment's Meaning
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"Most people in the United States interpret their Constitution’s Second Amendment in the same fashion, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 81 per cent of respondents believe the Second Amendment means that individuals have the right to keep and bear arms."
"The U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment guarantees Americans the right 'to keep and bear arms.' Some American states have enacted their own gun control regulations, independent of existing federal legislation." ...
"Polling Data"
"The Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution reads: 'A well regulated Militia ...' For you, personally, what does the Second Amendment mean?" ...
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Submitter's Note: Full poll available here[.pdf]. |
NRA Targets 4 Big Threats to Gun Ownership
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"Fresh from its victories to secure gun rights to residents of Chicago and Washington, D.C., the [NRA] is stepping up its campaign to shut down congressional and administration efforts to retaliate with even more anti-gun laws. In a new membership letter sent nationwide after the Supreme Court's decision to let Chicago residents own guns, NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre wasted no time warning that Congress and the administration have plans to attack gun owners. ..."
"'We are drawing a line in the sand against more gun bans. And,' he added, 'we will fight back against politicians who try to ban our guns and ammo." LaPierre then named names. ..." ... |
Freedoms for Everyone
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"1 for All. That's the name of a new campaign launched last Thursday to build awareness of the importance of the First Amendment."
"The American Society of News Editors is spearheading the campaign, which has attracted support from educators, librarians, attorneys, religious leaders, and artists of all disciplines. ..." ...
"He hopes the campaign will ... have the power of the marketing efforts of the [NRA]. 'I have the greatest admiration for the NRA and the tenacity and consistency of its message,' he said at the annual ASNE conference in April. 'Somehow the NRA has made the Second Amendment seem like the most patriotic one. But only one amendment is used by all Americans every day and that's the First Amendment.'" ... |
Linda Walker for National Rifle Association (NRA) Board of Directors
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"I'm Linda Walker, Central Ohio Chair of Buckeye Firearms Association, and I'm running for the board of directors of the National Rifle Association."
"I have been part of Buckeye Firearms leadership team nearly from the beginning of the organization. I have spent a lot of time in the Statehouse fighting for our Second Amendment Rights through both hearings and meetings. I generally attend every hearing for firearms legislation, which has amounted to hundreds of hours in Ohio's Statehouse." ...
"Because of my work with Buckeye Firearms, that led to my involvement with the NRA in various capacities ..." ... |
I Am America by Krista Branch (music video)
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"Pay no attention to the people in the street,
crying out for accountability.
Make a joke of what we believe.
Say we don't matter 'cause you disagree.
Pretend you're kings, sit on your throne.
Look down your nose at the peasants below.
I've got some news; we're taking names.
We're waiting now for the judgment day."
"I Am America, one voice united we stand.
I Am America, one hope to heal our land.
There is still work that must be done.
I will not rest until we've won.
I Am America." ... |
TX: Intoxicated man shot after attempting to enter wrong home
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FULL TEXT BELOW:
Precinct 4 deputies said an intoxicated man was shot early Monday after he attempted to force his way into the wrong home.
It happened in the 25500 block of Twister Trail at Falcon Trail in northeast Harris County.
Deputies said a man mistakenly went to the wrong house around midnight and began banging on the front door. The homeowner told the man to leave, but the man refused, saying it was his girlfriend’s house.
The man then went to the back door and tried to force entry, according to deputies. That is when the homeowner retrieved his gun and shot once through the door, hitting the man in the stomach.
The man was taken to Ben Taub hospital in stable condition. |
If you liked Mcdonald v. Chicago, you'll love Benson v. Chicago
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... "The main difference between McDonald and Benson may be how one-sided the new lawsuit is, based on the precedent set in McDonald. The four plaintiffs, Brett Benson, Raymond Sledge, Kenneth Pacholski and Kathryn Tyler, are challenging the new ordinance on eight separate counts based on their various experiences as businessmen, educators, and residents of Chicago, while the IL Association of Firearms Retailers (ILAFR) are challenging the ordinance's total prohibition on firing ranges and gun shops within city limits." ... |
About the right to bear arms
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"Chicago Alderman Rey Colon said the Supreme Court doesn't understand the reality of the inner city."
"'I understand the right to bear arms, but I also understand parents crying in their sleep,' said Colon ..." ...
Colleen Lawson, a plaintiff in [McDonald v. Chicago], agrees. She wanted a gun after burglars hit her home in the middle of the day."
"'To the criminals, I would like to say, 'The Chicago crime buffet is over. We are not prey.'"
"But not everyone agrees. There is a school of thought that tougher restrictions on guns will make for safer neighborhoods. ..." ...
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Submitter's Note: That's actually a 'school of feeling', because thought requires facts, which show just the opposite. |
What to expect after Supreme Court ruling
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"OK, the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the Second Amendment for the second time in three years. Got to be a major move in favor of firearms ownership, right?"
"Well, don't look for major changes to your plight as a gun owner right now. The rulings basically are a foundation -- the second maybe a stepping stone -- toward what many feel the Second Amendment already guarantees."
"If you think that the Second Amendment guarantees you the right to bear arms ... try strapping on a pistol and strolling down Main Street. And don't just walk into a store and demand your 'right' to purchase a handgun without a permit, etc."
"But, in the wake of the latest ruling, there are some things we can expect in the near future:" ... |
Firearms Sellers, CME Trader Sue Chicago Over Gun Law (Update1)
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"A Chicago Mercantile Exchange trader and three other people have joined with the Illinois Association of Firearms Retailers to sue the city of Chicago over a restrictive gun law passed by its legislators last week."
"The gun-owning plaintiffs, who include a teacher's aide and a married couple, claim the new ordinance restricting handgun possession to inside the home and mandating firearms training and permitting is unconstitutional." ...
"The teacher's aide ... said he and his mother live in a high crime neighborhood and that the new law bars him from carrying a gun from his house to his garage."
"The retailer's association... has members who want to sell guns and operate firing ranges within the city, yet can't due to the law." ... |
Guns and the Constitution
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"Last week, advocates of gun rights celebrated the U.S. Supreme Court decision in McDonald v. Chicago ... Combined with District of Columbia v. Heller, the court has now stated unequivocally that the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms refers to individuals and not just 'the militia,' and applies at the state and local as well as the national level."
"Gun control advocates were dismayed, asserting that the 5-4 conservative majority erred in its interpretation of the Constitution. They argue that the Second Amendment's reference to the militia and the use of the term 'the people' means that the right to keep and bear arms is a collective, not individual, right. ..." ...
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Submitter's Note: If you actually read Heller v. DC (instead of relying on the MSM to accurately report facts) you will discover that all nine Justices ruled that the Second protects an individual right. Stevens dissent states quite clearly: "The question presented by this case is not whether the Second Amendment protects a 'collective right' or an 'individual right.' Surely it protects a right that can be enforced by individuals. But a conclusion that the Second Amendment protects an individual right does not tell us anything about the scope of that right." |
PA: Pennsylvania gun rights advocates get new energy in their push for a 'castle doctrine'
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"Gun rights advocates got a monumental boost last week when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled local governments can't ban guns."
"Now, Pennsylvania gun rights advocates are aiming at their next target: giving gun owners the right to fire rather than flee when threatened in their homes or cars or, ideally, any public place where they have a right to be."
"The court decision gives new energy to the push for a so-called 'castle doctrine' in Pennsylvania." ...
"Gun rights advocates further feel the ruling adds firepower to their challenges of assorted gun restrictions, such as bans on guns in municipal buildings and parks." ... |
CT: State's assault-weapon ban can withstand challenge
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"After studying last week's U.S. Supreme Court decision, state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said Wednesday the rejection of a law banning handguns would not affect Connecticut's 1993 prohibition on assault weapons."
"Two of the three candidates angling to succeed Blumenthal agreed. But Martha Dean, the Republican endorsed at the party's May convention, said Wednesday she hadn't yet researched the issue." ...
"[Blumenthal] said the defense of the assault-gun ban would center on Connecticut's allowance of other weapons for home defense."
"'I think the argument would be that assault weapons aren't overwhelmingly chosen or used by Americans for the lawful purpose of self-defense,' he said. ..." ... |
NC: State gun law targeted
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"Is it illegal to carry a gun in a snowstorm? Sometimes it is, in North Carolina. This legal quirk has triggered a lawsuit by the same group that supported the Chicago case decided in favor of gun rights by the U.S. Supreme Court last week. This one shouldn't go that far."
"Back in January, Gov. Bev Perdue declared a state of emergency in western North Carolina 'due to the continued period of cold weather and the after-effects of the winter storm.'" ...
"Her action also dragged with it an obscure provision in state law that makes it 'unlawful for any person to transport or possess off his own premises any dangerous weapon or substance in any area in which a declared state of emergency exists. ...'" ... |
Where's The Well-Regulated Militia?
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Bruce W. Krafft
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"The ongoing controversy regarding the rights of individuals to carry registered firearms has heated up with a recent ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court extending, in effect, these rights. I have to wonder, first, if anybody bothered to actually read the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. ..."
"I then wonder why the rights of gun owners and carriers should be guaranteed when their activity has nothing to do with a well-regulated militia. Am I missing some fine point here?"
"Has the Second Amendment itself been amended by the judicial branch of the government?"
"Perhaps an advocate for gun ownership and for the right to carry, or someone with a legal background, can explain and clarify this for me." |
Right or Obtuse: Measuring Sharron Angle
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Bruce W. Krafft
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"I have an important question for Sharron Angle."
"To the Republican nominee running against Senate Leader, Democrat Harry Reid in Nevada: Do 'second amendment remedies' for disagreements over government policies extend to state legislatures and county and city councils, or should 'second amendment remedies' just be confined to the federal government? Exactly how will this work?" ...
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Submitter's Note: "Disagreements over government policies"? No one (but hyperventilating alarmists) is talking about armed resistance over 'policy disagreements'. We are talking about armed resistance to repression of speech, confiscatory taxation, forced relocation, gun confiscation, policies which will have led to hyperinflation and a breakdown of social order. Once the FedGov is restored to its Constitutional limits I feel confident that state and local governments will get the hint. |
AR: NRA gives Crawford its highest rating
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FULL TEXT BELOW:
First District Congressional candidate Rick Crawford received an “AQ” rating Wednesday from the National Rifle Association, the highest rating a Congressional candidate can achieve.
The "AQ" rating is based on a candidate’s responses to the NRA-PVF questionnaire. The candidate cannot have a voting record on Second Amendment Issues.
“I welcome the 'AQ' rating from the National Rifle Association. I pledge to be a tireless advocate for the Second Amendment Rights of all Arkansans in the First District,” said Crawford, an Army veteran.
Crawford faces Democrat Chad Causey in the November elections. |
TX: NRA Endorses Joe Heflin for District 85 State Representative Re-election
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Bruce W. Krafft
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"The National Rifle Association's Political Victory Fund announced the endorsement of State Representative Joe Heflin for reelection to the Texas House and announced Rep. Heflin's 'A' rating with the NRA last week."
"Tara Reilly Mica, NRA-Institute for Legislative Action State Liaison stated, 'Rep. Heflin's endorsement is based on his record of support for Second Amendment issues in the Texas Legislature.' Rep. Heflin responded by saying, 'I am extremely happy to receive the endorsement of the NRA and to earn an 'A' rating for the 2010 election cycle.'" ... |
FL: Changes sought in self-defense law
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Bruce W. Krafft
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"William and Jeanann Kuch say they are making a plea for common sense."
"On Aug. 1, 2009, their son, Billy Kuch, 23, was shot in the chest after he drunkenly tried to enter a home ... While the Kuches acknowledge that their son was inebriated and suffers from bipolar disorder, he was unarmed when he was shot ..."
"... citing the 'Stand Your Ground' self-defense law enacted in 2005, the Pasco-Pinellas State Attorney's Office declined to prosecute [Stewart]."
"William and Jeanann Kuch think the law should be changed. They say they support the Second Amendment, but think cases in which unarmed people are shot by others who claim self-defense should always go before a jury." ... |
IL: Chicago Rabbi Talks of Peace as City Council Again Bans Handguns
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"Providing a religious backdrop to a Second Amendment battle that has pitted the city of Chicago against the U.S. Supreme Court, Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbi Meir Chai Benhiyoun used his July 2 City Hall invocation to 'pray for better days when we won't need weapons to protect our society.'"
"Without endorsing either view, Benhiyoun, who directs Chabad in Downtown Chicago and the Center for Jewish Life, expressed the hope that such legislative issues would be a thing of the past. He invited his 13-year-old daughter Ruth Shaina Benhiyoun to the podium to quote a verse from the Book of Isaiah: 'They shall beat their swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks.'" ...
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Submitter's Note: To quote Heinlein "Those who beat their swords into plowshares shall farm for those who don't." |
WI: Gun law dropped in Wisconsin
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"Prosecutorial discretion is a pretty difficult call. A district attorney needs a good reason not to pursue a case, especially if there is evidence of a crime."
"The Constitution is a pretty good reason not to enforce a law."
"Bravo to Jackson County District Attorney Gerald R. Fox in Wisconsin for refusing to enforce the gun bans in his state following the McDonald vs. Chicago ruling, which held that the Second Amendment means what it says."
"I am no lawyer, but I believe those who would second guess Fox can file for a writ of mandamus that would force him to enforce the law."
"Until then, if I were a criminal, I might want to ply my trade someplace other than Jackson County, Wisconsin. People may be armed." ... |
CO: Thieves could go free while victim faces jail time
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"Admitted thieves are going free, while an elderly Wheat Ridge man is facing the possibility of spending the rest of his life behind bars, all, he says, for trying to defend his property and his life."
"82-year-old Robert Wallace ... looked out his window and saw two men hooking his flatbed trailer up to their pickup. ... they sped away, stealing his trailer. He told police he fired two shots at the pickup." ...
"... but when we asked him if the two men threatened him he said, 'They almost ran me over.'"
"The Jefferson County DA's office said that neither Torres nor Cardona have been charged with anything at this point, even though Torres confessed to the crime. However, the homeowner, Wallace is facing twelve felony counts ... he could spend the rest of his life behind bars. |
NY: Treason in New York, National Guard Confiscating Guns from Citizens
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Bruce W. Krafft
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"National Guard is currently working with police in Albany, New York, to confiscate weapons from citizens in violation of the Constitution and Posse Comitatus. The National Guard is a joint reserve component of the United States Army and as such prohibited from collaborating with state and local law enforcement except under circumstances expressly authorized by the Constitution or an act of Congress. ..."
"... the cops and National Guard are using the spurious drug war to search for and confiscate weapons ... Local cops are using x-ray technology provided by the Pentagon to search vehicles. In addition to images of pot plants, Fox 23 shows an image of an x-ray scan that reveals a rifle hidden inside a car." ... |
CA: How They Caught Grim Sleeper Suspect Lonnie David Franklin Jr: His Own Son's DNA Trail Led Them Straight To Him
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"His own son's DNA trail led directly to Grim Sleeper suspect ..." ...
"No doubt, working with police every day as an LAPD mechanic, he knew every trick for avoiding arrest. He knew cop lingo and police habits."
"But then, his son screwed up and apparently got nabbed by cops. His son got a mouth swab. His son's DNA test lit up like a Christmas tree:"
"His son's DNA ... matched in so many ways that LAPD knew they'd found a close relative of Grim Sleeper, the most elusive serial killer to ever haunt the Western United States." ...
"Neighbors say the 51-year-old Franklin Jr. was a mechanic at the Los Angeles Police Department's 77th Division station, near where most of the killings occurred in the 1980's." ... |
Dude Where’s My Gun?
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"No one can escape the experience of lost luggage when traveling by air, not even the Israeli Secret Service."
"... a suitcase belonging to the Israeli Secret Service entourage traveling with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington, was accidentally (or not )sent to Los Angeles instead. When it was located and opened in L.A a box with 4 guns were missing."
"The guns, which are Glock semi-automatic pistols, used by Israel and other security services in the world are known for their accuracy and low maintenance."
"The U.S. law enforcement authorities together with 'American Airlines' are checking the case and are investigating whether the guns were stolen in JFK New-York or in LAX in Los Angeles." ... |
KS: Disarmed: Supreme Court ruling not to affect Pitt State
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"The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling against a Chicago ban on handguns raised questions among students as to what effect it would have on PSU's campus gun ban."
"Jamie Brooksher, general counsel for Pittsburg State, says the ruling will have no effect on the campus gun ban."
"'I think what's going to happen from this is it's not going to change our ban on campus whatsoever,' Brooksher said. 'It doesn't sound like the Supreme Court is going to open this up for a free for all. Their main point in doing this is that people are allowed to have guns in their homes.'" ...
"Although the Supreme Court ruling will not change the ban at PSU or other college campuses throughout the country, some Pitt State students believe it should." ... |
IA: Hancock County decides not to ignore local preemption - for now
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"It was reported today that Hancock County (Iowa) decided not to enact their new weapons ordinance. The ordinance was to be read for a third time today, and if given a favorable vote by the three Supervisors, would effectively ban the carrying of firearms on all County property – even if the person carrying the weapon possessed a valid Iowa Permit to Carry Weapons." ... |
MA: Rights under fire
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FULL TEXT BELOW:
The sole purpose of the Second Amendment is to hold the government in check (“Liberal jurists shoot holes in Constitution,” July 6).
You can’t keep the government in check if you allow it to take away your weapons. The militias have become co-opted by the feds who pay their bills, so the National Guard is no longer the true guardian of individual liberties.
I was proud to serve in the U.S. Air Force for 20 years, but I wouldn’t count on it to protect my rights against a government that pays its salary.
- Rick O’Neil, Weymouth |
UK: Fury as police give shotgun licence to boy aged just TEN
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Website: http://www.nysrpa.org
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"Police have awarded a shotgun licence to a child aged just ten, it has emerged."
"The unnamed youngster is thought to be one of the youngest ever given permission to use a weapon."
"Astonishingly, it was one of nearly 50 firearms licences awarded to under 18s by one police force, Bedfordshire Constabulary, last year."
"Campaigners against gun crime accused the force of handing out the licences 'like Smarties'."
"Lucy Cope, founder of Mothers Against Guns, called for the licence to be revoked."
"She said: 'There is no way in any shape or form should a 10-year-old boy have a shotgun - it is horrendous.'"
"'Police should hang their heads in shame. The gun must be taken away and licence revoked right now.'" ... |
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