Gun Rights News Roundup

Articles, news stories, and op-eds of interest to gun owners:

Fed's blame U.S. gun owners for Mexican violence:

"This report is really affirming the information received by the professional gun grabbers at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. In fact, it uses numbers provided by the ATF without questioning where those numbers came from to begin with," says Lt. Stephen Rodgers, a police commander who favors the Second Amendment.

"My fear is that the Obama Administration will create a phony 'crisis' in order to justify violating the rights of citizens to own and bear arms, a constitutional right that sticks in the craw of the liberal-left power structure in this country," adds Rodgers.

The GAO claims that evidence indicates a large proportion of the firearms fueling Mexican drug violence originated in the United States, including a growing number of increasingly lethal weapons. While admitting it is impossible to know how many firearms are illegally trafficked into Mexico in a given year, over 20,000, or around 90 percent, of firearms seized by Mexican authorities and traced over the past 5 years originated in the United States, according to data from DOJ's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

However, observers believe that the "90 percent" figure is based on information provided by a foreign government that relies on the US for millions and millions of dollars in aid each year in fighting the so-called war on drugs.

“There’s just one problem with the 90 percent ‘statistic’ and it’s a big one: It’s just not true. In fact, it’s not even close. The fact is, only 17 percent of guns found at Mexican crime scenes have been traced to the US, ” said Snyder, who also serves as an advisor to the National Association of Chiefs of Police and the American Federation of Police.

"A large part of the guns recovered in Mexico do not get sent back to the U.S. for tracing, because it is obvious from their markings that they do not come from the US," he added. ...

Meanwhile, Congressmen push White House for new "assault weapons" ban:

WASHINGTON – Democrats and Republicans in the House of Representatives asked President Barack Obama on Friday for an improved strategy against the arms traffic to Mexico, beginning with the reinstatement of a ban on U.S. imports of assault weapons [emphasis added]

In a letter sent Friday, the chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), and other lawmakers asked that efforts be made to step up the fight against the arms trade that fuels drug-cartel violence blamed for more than 10,000 deaths in Mexico over the past 2 1/2 years. ...

[Florida] Free class promotes safe gun handling and use:

With her daughter, Jessica Hurford, 30, Myers enrolled in one of Von Bender's free "Concealed Carry Training" classes through the Armed Citizen League. The women learned how to choose a handgun, how to safely store and clean a firearm and how to buy ammunition.

"My daughter and I went together because we're both single and we live alone," Myers said. "Right now, especially after 9/11, there are so many single women out there, and we need to know how to protect ourselves.
...
A former drill instructor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Von Bender has been a National Rifle Association-certified teacher for nearly a decade. He started offering his training classes seven months ago, holding sessions twice a day, five times a week, at no charge. He also runs the Suncoast Gun Club, a gun education program for children.

"I have ladies 50 and older that are coming in that have never held a gun before, and they're doing this because they're scared," Von Bender said. "It's sad that that's the world we live in. But this is a way for people to feel a little safer. I try to help them as much as I can." ...

[Kentucky] Pastor opens church to open carry event:

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A southwest Jefferson County church opened its doors to guns as the pastor makes a point about the Second Amendment to the Constitution.

At the New Bethel Church, Reverend Ken Pagano said the church is celebrating the independence and freedom provided by the constitution by raising awareness about being a safe and responsible gun owner.

Pagano said he felt he had a duty to teach that to his community and congregation. He decided to do so by allowing everyone to carry guns into the church.

"As a church, we're here for the community and also want to address community minded issues," Pagano said.

On Saturday, he open the sanctuary of the church to an "Open Carry Celebration." ...

[California] Ammo registration, "smart" gun bills frustrate gun store owners:

Two new pieces of legislation related to guns are making their way through Sacramento — and making gun store owners in the Mid-Valley frustrated at what they call political myopia.

The bills, AB 962 by Assemblyman Kevin de Leon, D-East Los Angeles, and SB 697, by Senator Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, are aimed at reducing gun violence and improving gun safety.

But gun store owners like Lee Smith said the bills are pointless at best, and full of unintended consequences at worst.

"It does nothing other than create more paperwork and make a crime out of exchanging ammo between two people," said Smith, managing partner of Shooting Gallery in Yuba City, of AB 962. "They're do-nothing bills that restrict what's now a constitutional right."

AB 962 would compel those who sell ammunition to be licensed the same as gun dealers, and mandate a face-to-face transaction when someone buys ammunition.
...
DeSaulnier's bill, SB 697, would mandate safety measures be included in every gun sold in California. That technology would be used to tell how many unfired cartridges remain in a gun, to avoid accidental shootings when thought to be empty.

Guns would also have to have biometric technology to prevent them from being fired if someone other than the registered owner tried to do so.

Gun store owner and former Sutter County Sheriff Roy Whiteaker said such technology would add so much to the cost of a gun, it could kill gun manufacturers' willingness to put product into California. ...

[Ohio] Church rallies for gun rights:

A rally was held Monday, June 29 in west Toledo in support of the right to bear arms.

Sponsors say they are worried about the Obama administration's view on gun control, even though there's been no new restrictions.

The rally pointed to numerous biblical references claiming Jesus Christ would support second amendment rights. "We're just informing our folks you got to be able to protect yourself and what does the Bible have to say about it. We know our constitution. But this is the final authority here above our Constitution is the word of God," said Reverend Andrew Edwards with the Northwest Baptist Church. ...

[Tennessee] Cities look to ban guns in parks:

Local governments and advocates for firearms owners are gearing up for a summer face-off over how far to take a new state law that lets people with carry permits bring handguns into parks.

City councils across Tennessee, including Nashville and Hendersonville, are moving to reaffirm their bans on handguns in parks following passage of a new state law. But people opposed to handgun restrictions are mobilizing to block their efforts.

"I don't think it's necessarily reasonable to close all of them," John Harris, executive director of the Tennessee Firearms Association, said of Metro's plans to keep parks closed to handguns. "I don't think it's necessarily reasonable to close any of them."

A state law signed earlier this month by Gov. Phil Bredesen has touched off the debate.

The law is meant to let handgun permit holders carry their weapons into every park in the state, wiping out local policies governing handguns.

But in a compromise to smooth the law's passage, legislators included a provision that gives local governments the power to ban guns in some or all of their parks by passing a new ordinance. ...

[Missouri] Residents seek record numbers of CCW permits:

Jackie Poynter surveys the row of handguns on the metal table and picks out a silver .22-caliber Smith & Wesson.

With protective ear muffs on, the 31-year-old Independence woman waits for the firearms instructor to give the signal before squeezing off a series of shots.

“We’ve got a marksman right here,” she exclaims. “Lord help anyone breaking into my house.”

Across the Kansas City area, record numbers of people like Poynter are applying for permits to carry concealed weapons. The surge reflects the fears of rising crime in a down economy and concerns that the election of President Barack Obama might bring new limits on gun rights.

Clay County has seen the biggest increase.

From Jan. 1 through the end of May, 801 Clay County residents applied for permits to carry a concealed weapon — compared with 863 in all of 2008.

Sheriff Bob Boydston said that in January the line of applicants stretched across the office. Each week, the line got longer.

Eventually, Boydston had to pull deputies from other duties to handle the demand. The county has gone from accepting applications two days a week to five. ...

[Ohio] Concealed carry permits on the rise:

... More and more Ohioans are carrying concealed weapons, with an enormous increase this year alone. Most officials attribute that increase to the fear that Barack Obama's administration in the White House will take away guns, coupled with the struggling economy and an increase in crime.

Through March, Ohio reported 159,000 residents with concealed carry licenses, which represents about 1 percent of the population. Of that number, 16,323 were new licenses issued in the first three months of the year, a number that continues to climb at a high rate.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives estimates 25 percent of the U.S. population owns a gun of some type, and half the households in the country have at least one gun inside.

Many local counties report doubling or tripling the number of applicants for the first six months of the year compared to all of 2008. In Auglaize County, 92 licenses were issued last year, compared to 295 so far this year. Allen County issued 323 licenses last year, compared to 449 so far this year. ...

[Arizona] Lawmakers pass restaurant carry bill:

PHOENIX — The Arizona Senate has approved a bill to allow people with concealed weapons permits to carry a gun into a business that serves alcohol.

The 19-8 vote completes Legislative action on the bill and sends it to Gov. Jan Brewer.

The measure has pitted powerful groups representing gun and bar owners against each other.

It would require bar and restaurant owners who want to ban weapons to post a sign next to their liquor license. Drinking while carrying a weapon would be illegal. ...

[Tennessee] Beale Street merchants to ban guns:

Beale Street developer John Elkington calls it the “summer of discontent.”

It was the summer three years ago when the entertainment district cracked down on minors being on the street late at night and began screening the adults at different checkpoints along the street. Elkington remembers 650 knives being seized that first summer.

Later this month, Beale Street will break out the hand-held metal detectors at the entrance points and use other security measures to keep guns out of the three-block area day and night.

The new measures are a reaction to the Tennessee Legislature’s passage of a law permitting those who legally own handguns to carry them concealed in places that serve alcohol as long as they aren’t drinking. ...

NICS now requires place of birth:

Beginning June 29, 2009, the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) section is requiring that place of birth be provided for all FBI-initiated transactions. This will be a valuable and efficient addition to the NICS process for the following reasons:

Currently, place of birth is a mandatory field on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Form 4473 and is therefore readily available for inclusion in the NICS check. There are no additional information disclosures for the potential purchaser or data collection requirements for Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs).

Being a name-based search, having additional data points such as the place of birth helps to increase the accuracy and efficiency of firearm eligibility determinations. Place of birth is either a mandatory or optional field for entry of records into all three of the databases that the NICS searches against: the Interstate Identification Index (III), the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), and the NICS Index. ...