Holder Nomination Signals Obama's True Anti-Gun Rights Agenda, says SAF
"The nomination of Eric Holder for the post of attorney general of the United States sends an 'alarming signal' to gun owners about how the Barack Obama administration will view individual gun rights, as affirmed this year by the Supreme Court, the Second Amendment Foundation said today."
"'Eric Holder signed an amicus brief in the Heller case that supported the District of Columbia's handgun ban, and also argued that the Second Amendment does not protect an individual right,' noted SAF founder Alan Gottlieb. 'He has supported national handgun licensing and mandatory trigger locks. As deputy attorney general under Janet Reno, he lobbied Congress to pass legislation that would have curtailed legitimate gun shows." ...
Website: http://waronguns.blogspot.com
"Not to be outdone by the foolishness of their upstart neighbor to the south, Cleveland is holding a gun 'buyback.'" ...
"'Last year,' we are told, 'a similar program took 423 firearms off the streets.' How many crimes of violence were prevented is left unsaid. Those were gangbangers, robbers, rapists and murderers who turned those guns in, right?"
"And they're getting cheaper. C'mon, guys. Real cities pay their cud-chewers $200. ..."
"Again, assuming we're talking about that greatest of threats to civilization, old widow ladies who found their deceased husbands' rusty pistol in a shoebox in the closet, the assumption is made that they know how to safely handle and transport a firearm, and ... to ensure it is unloaded." ...
Brady Campaign: Voter Poll Data Show Broad Support For Stronger Gun Laws In Obama Administration
"Post-election polling of people who voted in this last election shows broad support across the country for strengthening background checks and passing other common sense gun laws." ...
The polling results can be found at www.bradycampaign.org/xshare/pdf/memo-11-18-08.pdf. Among the findings:"
"More than three-quarters said they would support reasonable gun restrictions. Fully 83 percent of all voters favor criminal background checks for all gun sales, including 83 percent of moderates and 84 percent of McCain voters."
"There is extensive support for a wide variety of gun restrictions, including criminal background checks, registration, assault weapon bans, and a five-day waiting period for handgun sales. ..." ...
DE: Opposition to deer hunting with handguns can't agree on why it's wrong
"A change in deer hunting laws in Delaware, providing more opportunities for the use of handguns, has (predictably) drawn some criticism. Amusingly, though, not only does the criticism not agree with facts and logic, it doesn't even agree with itself."
On the one hand, we have Scott Vogel, of the outrageously misnamed 'Freedom States Alliance,' who argues that handguns used for deer hunting are 'too powerful.'" ...
"On the other hand, we get the argument that handguns are not powerful enough to hunt deer."
"The Humane Society of the United States worries not only about the safety of the hunter but of the deer. The group worries that deer shot by handguns would suffer needlessly." ...
NY: Two Killed In Brooklyn Shootout
"Two men attempting to rob a Brooklyn store were killed Monday night following a shootout."
"Police sources tell NY1 that four people, two of whom had guns, entered a store on Nostrand Avenue around 8:30 p.m Monday."
"According to police sources, the shop owner pulled out his own gun, struggled with one of the suspects and opened fire, killing two of the attackers."
"The others fled the scene."
"Sources also say there may have been another man outside as a lookout."
"The store owner was shot multiple times. One of his employees was also hit in the leg."
"Both were expected Tuesday to make a complete recovery." ...
WV: Dunbar K-9 Escapes Handler's Kennel, Shot by Neighbor
Submitted by: R.S.G.
"A Dunbar Police K-9 dog was shot and killed Monday evening after it fought with its handler's neighbor's dog in a rural part of Kanawha County, according to Police Chief Earl Whittington." ...
"... the dog, Sgt. Angus, somehow escaped from his kennel about 45 minutes to an hour after Sgt. Conley brought him home and secured him in his cage." ...
"Angus then started chasing Conley's neighbor's dog and fought with it on the neighbor's property. Whittington says the neighbor came out and tried to break up the fight, but when Angus made an aggressive move toward him, he shot the dog twice with a shotgun, killing him." ...
"Whittington says he doesn't blame Conley's neighbor for trying to protect himself." ...
Eric Holder and the Phantom Terrorists at U.S. Gun Shows
"The fact that Attorney General nominee Eric Holder is no friend to gun owners is not a surprise. What may be a surprise, and worthy of examination at his confirmation hearing, is Holder's post-9/11 contention that a pressing threat to our national security is terrorists shopping for weapons at U.S. gun shows."
"In an op-ed from October 2001, Holder cited the 9/11 attacks as a reason to enact tighter gun control provisions:" ...
"In his op-ed, Holder claimed there were 'numerous and chilling' examples of gun shows putting arms in the hands of terrorists, and specified two. ..." ...
"... these two are the only examples citable out of the millions of transactions at gun shows over the past decades ..." ...
Shocker: Obama�s Attorney General Pick Is A Gun-Grabber
"During his campaign for the Presidency, Obama said 'I have no intention of taking away folks' guns.' He was right. His pick for Attorney General tells us that he doesn't intend to take away our guns. He just intends to make it so difficult for us to purchase and possess them that we won't want them in the first place"
"Back in 2000, when Eric Holder was a deputy AG under the Clinton administration, he answered a question about control with a rather long answer which details the fact that he has little to no respect for the 2nd amendment. ..." ...
The agenda: Gun control
"Put gun control advocates on the list of interest groups measuring Obama's issue coattails and hoping to sew up a legislative victory. In a new Penn/Schoen post-election poll passed along to First Read by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, two out of three respondents said that they believed that 'common sense' gun regulations -- like background checks, waiting periods, and a renewal of the assault weapons ban -- should be enacted in the first year of the Obama administration. The pollsters ... found that even majorities of voters who supported McCain, as well as rural voters and those who identify themselves as conservative, are in favor of some increased regulations on the sale and use of firearms."
NJ: Pressure grows for gun bill
Submitted by: fms
"Many years have passed since the New Jersey Legislature last dared to cross the gun lobby by passing a piece of legislation that the lobby didn't like."
"It soon may have a chance to redeem itself."
"An important gun-control bill had been scheduled for a vote today in the Assembly, but late last week the Assembly's Democratic leadership decided to postpone the vote until Dec. 15, to give its backers more time to bring public pressure on lawmakers to support it."
"The bill, A2116, represents a sane act of self-protection for society in an age of terrorist threats. ..."
"A2116 ... would ban private sale and possession of .50-caliber sniper rifles and ammunition. ..." ...
NY: Gun violence task force report misfires
"It's been a year of dinner time meetings for the 13-member Gun Violence Task Force. The bakers dozen's task is figuring out the right recipe to deal with gun crime. And fresh out of the oven, the final report."
"'Right now, I'm a little disappointed,' said Rev. Dr. Edward Smart, Gun Violence Task Force Co-Chair."
"But, after digging into the thick document full of charts, studies and the 16 recommendations for reducing gun crime in the city, many say the document doesn't taste right."
"'They have the science, the charts, but we live in the hood and these people really thought about us when we put this together and that is not there,' said Task Force member Rev. Valerie Faust." ...
IL: Winnetka strikes handgun ban
"The decision to strike Winnetka's handgun ban came tough for the Village Council, and it was even tougher for some residents to accept."
"Minutes after trustees unanimously voted to amend the weapons ordinance ... the ban's supporters clashed with opponents in a heated verbal exchange outside the council chambers."
"An explosion of accusations erupted from the small group of people, but it quickly fizzled as Winnetka police officers separated them."
"'Don't blame me! Read the constitution!' shouted Joseph Nesler, one of three Winnetka residents, who (with the [NRA]) sued the village to have the ban repealed."
"The encounter demonstrated the starkly different sentiments surrounding the controversy. ..." ...
TX: Bonnen pre-files gun bill
"A local legislator pre-filed a bill that would make it legal for gun enthusiasts to buy weapons in states that don�t share a border with Texas."
"... Bonnen said he authored the bill after a constituent told to him recently he couldn�t buy a rifle in Mississippi while on a trip."
"'He just wanted to buy a .22 for hunting,' Bonnen said."
"Texas law allows residents to buy a legal firearm only in the neighboring states of New Mexico, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Arkansas. The current law passed at a time when the federal Gun Control Act prevented sales from non-contiguous states ..."
"But federal law has changed, allowing interstate sales of legal guns such as rifles, shotguns ... and firearms accessories." ...
NJ: Ex-Lawmaker Convicted of Fraud
"Wayne R. Bryant, the former chairman of the New Jersey State Senate�s powerful Budget Committee, was convicted on Tuesday of bribery and pension fraud after an eight-week trial."
"Mr. Bryant, a Democrat, was accused of taking money for a job that required no work at a scandal-ridden state university in exchange for securing state funding for it. He was also accused of using that job and two others where he did little or no work to fraudulently increase his state pension." ...
COMMENT: Bryant is a former member of the Florio-Corzine-Torricelli coeterie of gun banners from the Democratic People's Republic of New Jersey.
GA: NRA offical: Chambliss' re-election crucial to protecting gun rights
"Describing the stark descent into heavy gun-regulation that they say Barack Obama's presidential administration will seek, [NRA] officials came to town Wednesday and called U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss' re-election crucial to protecting freedom and blocking a far-left agenda."
"Chambliss ... could represent the last line of defense between Democrats and a filibuster-proof team of 60 senators in Congress. ..."
"With NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre headlining the rally, speakers didn't pull any punches as they derided Obama's promises to protect gun rights as mere electioneering. A crowd of nearly 100 attendees � many wearing 'I'm a bitter gun owner and I vote' stickers� lapped it up." ...
ATF Finding New Ways To Infringe People's Rights
"Last month, we told you how the ATF was trying to prevent the distribution of an electronic 4473 Form. This software has been developed by a private firm, Coloseum Software Corporation, and is intended to protect dealers against the 'mistakes' that have allowed the ATF to prosecute or harass them into giving up their licenses."
"GOA issued a grassroots alert in mid-October explaining how the ATF had been dragging its collective feet for months -- keeping Coloseum from distributing its software, even while the ATF was developing its own competing software (and possibly, violating the copyright which belonged to Coloseum)." ...
OR: Sheriff cracks down on Web use at jails after porn site surfing discovered
"As the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office investigates allegations that three jail deputies separately used a work computer to view online pornography, Sheriff Bob Skipper has decided to disconnect the Internet in most parts of the county jails."
"Under a policy to start Dec. 1, employees inside the two operating jails will no longer be able to surf the Web from work computers unless they submit a written request detailing why they need to use the Internet for their job and receive an exemption."
"Computers in most monitoring stations and cell blocks will be disconnected." ...
PA: Police Bureau, Law Department tangle over gun control measure
"The city's Law Department and its Police Bureau are at odds over a gun control bill."
"A Ravenstahl administration lawyer testified yesterday that a proposed requirement that city gun owners notify police when their guns are stolen is unenforceable under state law."
"Mayor Luke Ravenstahl has been silent on a bill three city councilmen proposed last month exposing gun owners to fines and possible jail time if they do not report their guns are stolen, and the guns are later used in crimes. The law -- also approved by Philadelphia and Allentown, after the General Assembly voted down a statewide version -- is widely supported by law enforcement officials statewide and opposed by gun-rights groups." ...
CA: Supervisors criticize sheriff over weapons permits
Submitted by: John Jorgensen/GS2AC
Website: http://www.gs2ac.com/
"County supervisors, Sheriff Sandra Hutchens and hundreds of gun activists engaged Tuesday in a Wild West-style shootout over restrictive concealed gun policies Hutchens has introduced during her first six months in office."
"After hearing more than 80 speakers present compelling stories of threats and safety concerns, supervisors unanimously adopted a resolution calling on Hutchens to ease her review of concealed weapons permits and broaden the reasons why a member of the public could carry a concealed handgun."
"Hutchens � who sat through the entire eight-hour hearing � was gracious about the debate afterward saying, 'I was happy to hear what the issues are,' and called the session a 'respectful debate.'" ...
OR: Ex-Cop Wanted In Child Porn Case Turns Himself In
"A former police officer, wanted on 20 counts of 'encouraging child sexual abuse,' has turned himself in. Investigators say the charges stem from images of child pornography found on computers he owned."
"Mark Allen Heckerman of Phoenix had been in law enforcement in Hawaii and California for 18 years. More recently he owned a local construction company doing finish carpentry."
"Police say Heckerman left the area right after a search warrant was served that allowed investigators to go through his home. Last week he was in Contra Costa County, California, east of San Francisco, and heard he was wanted in Southern Oregon by the High-Tech Crimes Task Force."
"Heckerman agreed to return to Oregon and turned himself in ..."
TX: New constable allows friend to fire gun into air
Submitted by: motoboy
A newly elected constable was questioned by sheriff's deputies after allowing a friend to fire his county-issued handgun into the air at a party.
The constable, elected earlier this month, was at a friend's house late Saturday when Cameron County Sheriff's deputies responded to a call of shots fired.
The constable and the homeowner appeared to be drunk and the friend admitted to firing the gun, according to the incident report. Neither man was charged.
NJ: Monmouth County offers $50 per handgun
Authorities in Monmouth County are offering $50 per handgun as part of a guns-for-cash program this weekend in Long Branch.
The county prosecutor's office and other law enforcement agencies are sponsoring the program, which also will pay $100 for assault weapons and $25 for rifles or shotguns.
Other weapons also can be surrendered, but they won't be paid for.
The drop-off point is Long Branch police headquarters on Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. until noon.
The sponsors said no questions will be asked of those surrendering weapons, and payment will be made in cash.
KABA Note: Heck, I'll offer 'em $60 cash per (working) handgun.
Less Than 60 Shopping Days Till the Big Gun Grab
Submitted by: clell
"It's been a week and a half since Barack Obama was elected president. He won't take office for another two months. But he�s already got one big group of Americans on their feet."
"What is Barack Obama�s position on the rights to bear arms?" ...
"Seeking to reassure gun owners, Obama told a campaign audience in Ohio in October: 'I will not take your shotgun away. I will not take your rifle away. I won't take your handgun away.'"
"But the crowds mobbing America's gun stores this week say a large number of Americans � including first-time gun-buyers � don't believe it." ...
"Americans aren't waiting to see which Barack Obama takes office in January. They're voting with their feet, and their billfolds." ...
MN: Crime rises when guns are taken away
"I just read the letter from Mr. Souther of Crosslake in the Nov. 6 Lake Country Echo. To my surprise, I learned from Mr. Souther that the Ninth Circus Court of Appeals must in his mind overrule the Supreme Court (SCOTUS)."
"The Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. v. Heller this past June upheld that the Second Amendment to the Constitution IS an individual right."
"As for the references to those other countries, please look at the rates of violent crimes before and after the imposition of the gun control measures, and take a closer look at the statistics from the United States."
"The overwhelming majority of gun crimes take place in locations with the strictest gun control measures in place." ...
MI: Control over the smoking barrel
"When celebrating the recent success of President-elect Barack Obama's election, my glee was cut short by a few peers that were present at the time and boisterously made their opinions known. These friends began to attack Obama's opinions on gun control ... Not knowing much about gun control, I decided to look into the issue and the possible effects of our new President's beliefs." ...
"Many people are of the mind that gun control infringes upon the rights outlined for us in the Constitution, namely the Second Amendment. ... According to a Web site sponsored by the United States Senate [from November 1, 1996] 'there is no definitive resolution by the courts of just what right the Second Amendment protects.'" ...
"You seem ... to consider the judges as the ultimate arbiters of all contitutional questions; a very dangerous doctrine indeed, and one which would place us under the despotism of an oligarchy... The Contitution has erected no such single tribunal." --Thomas Jefferson, 1820