New Jersey town spends over $17,000 to defend $5 fee it charged resident .. and loses

Today's no-wonder-your-state's-broke story comes from the Garden State, where the town of Bridgewater spent more than $14,000 in legal fees to defend a $5 fee it charged resident Tom Coulter for a CD of a town council meeting. The town lost its fight, and had to pony up another $3,500 for Mr. Coulter's legal fees, along with a $4.04 refund for the overcharge on the CD.

Read it here. So, $17,504.04 of the taxpayers money down the tubes. Hey, it's not like New Jersey is in financial straits, or anything, right? Obviously, $17K is a drop in the bucket compared to the billions in the hole New Jersey's government at all levels is in, but it speaks to the kind of contempt that their politicians have for their taxpayers money, that they would spend waste that kind of money over a $5 matter.

But for the most part that's representative of socialist governments, always happy to waste other people's hard-earned money. Then act surprised when the money runs out.

Gov. Christie schools teacher during town hall

Today's unvarnished truth, from NJ Gov. Chris Christie:




Man, he's good. Blunt, straightforward, and in command of his facts. A refreshing change.

New Jersey governor signs gun control law

From the anti-gun hellhole known as New Jersey:

TRENTON - New Jersey will become the fourth state in the nation to limit handgun purchases to one every month. Gov. Corzine signed the controversial measure into law yesterday.

Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer joined Corzine and called on Pennsylvania to become No. 5. The law, which is aimed at slowing gun trafficking, would make life safer in New Jersey and neighboring states by fighting trafficking, he said.

"I just hope Pennsylvanians would make it safer for us by passing this bill," Palmer said at a ceremony outside Trenton City Hall. [emphasis added]...

Article here.

Gun Rights News Roundup

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

On the media and hollywood's anti-gun bias:

... The media conducts a constant and insidious assault on our freedom by ridiculing and denigrating the American way of life and more importantly, the way of life that made America great. Hollywood and New York have forgotten that just about everybody between the two coasts does not subscribe to these values-or have they? Perhaps they know we don’t hold their values and this is a way to make inroads to changing our minds and numbing us into letting our freedoms slip away. If you say a lie often enough, it becomes the truth, for it is impossible to un-hear what you have heard. Some of you may have read Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s propaganda minister quoted saying, “if you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it” [3]. The danger of all this is the rumor, the lie, and the innuendo become fact and we in the 2nd Amendment fight don’t have near the resources or ability to combat these kinds of slander the left does. We don’t make movies or print newspapers. We can write letters to the editor, etc., but they still control what is printed and shown on the air. We are losing the war on the culture front by letting these huge Trojan Horses of the media right into our living rooms, and national consciousness, disguised as entertainment or news.

To combat this it is imperative we point out insidious derogatory references to the great American way of life when we see them. It is important to teach our children and our children’s children that freedom does not mean dragging down the rich heritage and culture that made America great. Teach them how to think critically about what they see in the movies, TV and print. Help them understand the biases that are introduced into each movie and television story line. Don’t censor their viewing, but help them understand the disparity between fact and fiction, ideology and reality. It means influencing everyone you can about what message some of these shows and articles are really trying to say. Eventually, the majority will understand the difference between trash and treasure, perhaps even changing what movies and television shows they watch, thus hitting anti-gunners right in the wallet. ...

[D.C.] Guns in D.C., one year after Heller:

It's been a year since a Northwest D.C. housewife carried a Ruger .357 Magnum into police headquarters in a blue plastic grocery bag and became the District's first legal handgun owner since the Supreme Court overturned a decades-old ban.

Today, Amy McVey's handgun is one of just 515 that have been legally registered with the Metropolitan Police Department -- a number that pales compared with more than 2,000 illegal weapons that have been seized in the same period.

She hasn't had to use it to defend her home. Nor has anyone attempted to steal it and use it against her or to commit some other crime -- undermining the most widely used arguments for and against permitting guns. ...

[Ohio] Buckeye Firearms Association says anti-gunner DeWine running for AG:

Montgomery County Republican Party Chair Greg Gantt is circulating an email to "Republican insiders" that Mike DeWine will announce his candidacy for Ohio Attorney General on Wednesday, July 22nd at 9:45am at the Greene County Courthouse.

That's right, Mike DeWine.

The same Mike DeWine who was thrown out of his U.S. Senate seat by voters in 2006, after running around sporting a Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (formerly Handgun Control Inc.) endorsement because "his record really wowed the group."

The same Mike DeWine who Human Events Online named among the Top 10 anti-gun U.S. Senators, noting that he was "consistently the only Republican to speak in favor of anti-2nd Amendment legislation on the Senate floor."

The same Mike DeWine who, shortly before his defeat in 2006, took a position in opposition to legislation which barred gun manufacturers, distributors, dealers or importers from frivolous lawsuits designed to put them out of business.

The same Mike DeWine who consistently cast his votes on the side of the most rabid anti-gun Democrats in the Senate. ...

[Arizona] No retrial for Hal Fish:

There will be no new trial for Harold Fish says Coconino County Attorney David W. Rozema.

Rozema said today, July 16, that his office will not conduct a second trial in the Fish case, in the event that the recent decision to vacate Fish’s initial trial conviction is upheld by the Arizona Supreme Court.

Rozema says they are working with Fish’s attorneys to have him released from custody.

The Arizona Court of Appeals had ordered a new trial for the 62-year-old retired schoolteacher who shot and killed a Payson man four years ago at a trailhead north of Strawberry. The state legislature just passed new self-defense rules and made those new rules retroactive so they would apply to any new trial for Fish.

The court said the original trial judge — Mark Moran of Flagstaff — erred in not allowing the victim’s past behavior to be introduced into evidence. The court also ruled that the three dogs the victim, Grant Kuenzli, had with him could have been classified as “dangerous instruments” as defense attorney Melvin McDonald asked.

“There have been two recent, significant developments in the case involving Mr. Fish,” said Rozema. “First, the Court of Appeals reversed the conviction. Second, the legislature passed a bill requiring retroactive application of the new self-defense law.”

“The attorney general’s office has the decision-making authority with respect to the appeals process in this case. It is our understanding that they will be appealing the Court of Appeals decision through the filing of a petition with the Arizona Supreme Court. We will respect whatever decision is ultimately made by the Supreme Court regarding Mr. Fish’s jury trial conviction.” ...

[New Mexico] Gun sales still booming:

The confluence of the recession and the election of Barack Obama have made for boom times in the firearms business. New Mexicans have always had a love affair with weaponry, but fear has driven them to add to their collections. It’s not fear of crime but fear that big government is going to amend their Second Amendment rights by taking their guns away.

Gun buyers are not afraid to spend big bucks for the big bang. Truisms about the gun business – guns don’t wear out and their prices don’t go down. Many are buying guns as collector’s items.

Some gun shops are running sales increases in the 50 percent range since last November’s presidential election of Barack Obama and subsequent appointment of Attorney General Eric Holder.

“We are doing very well, strictly because of Obama and the anti-gun stance of his attorney general, Holder. Our customers are buying now in advance of anti-gun legislation,” says Ron Peterson, who has operated a gun shop in the Duke City since 1963.

His Ron Peterson Firearms LLC is located at 4418 Central Ave. SE and is generally acknowledged as the place to purchase high-end vintage guns. The Duke City metro area has around six gun shops, where everything, from the less expensive handguns to machine guns, is available.

“Our sales are ahead 50 percent as of June 1 and we could not get merchandise because the wholesale distribution has not been set up for this demand. We are still rationing ammo,” adds Peterson. ...

[New Jersey] David Codrea takes on Jersey City police chief's anti-gun nonsense:

Jersey City Police Chief Thomas Comey could not make it more clear. Pump action shotguns are "assault weapons."

"This weapon is manufactured for nothing other than to hunt man."

...
Left unsaid is why he considers weapons "manufactured for nothing other than to hunt man" suitable for police work:

"It's used as part of a tactical equipment for law enforcement agencies in this country."

Translation: We're the "Only Ones" who should have pump-action shotguns. You cannot. ...

[Louisiana] Ten year old uses gun to save himself and his sister from home invaders:

... Deputies say Dean Favron and Roderick Porter knocked several times on the apartment door. The two young children, a ten-year-old boy and eight-year-old girl, stood on the other side, terrified. "He told his sister to be quiet and seconds later, they started kicking on the door and finally kicked the door in," said Sheriff Mike Cazes. The two children ran to their mother's bedroom closet.

In a panic, the ten-year-old grabbed his mother's gun for protection. "He did what I told him to do. I never told him to get the gun, but thank God he did," she said. Once the two suspects opened the door, threatening the kids, deputies say the boy fired a bullet into the lip of Roderick Porter. The two men were taken to the hospital by a third suspect, who is a 15-year-old juvenile. Once they got to the hospital, they were later arrested. "It's just hard. I don't understand why they would do that. I know they have little brothers and sisters and they wouldn't want anyone to break into their house," said the mother. ...

[Illinois] Ninety percent of sheriffs support concealed carry:

BARTONVILLE, Ill. - National Rifle Association firearms instructor Lee Merriman says a lot of people fear the criminal elements around them.

That is keeping Merriman busy these days as he trains people from all walks of life to use a firearm safely.

“I have a lot of older people who live in bad areas of Peoria who are scared,” said Merriman.

“Most people are here because the crime rate is so high.

“I just had a guy and his wife who had never fired a gun in their lives. They live in the country and are on the road a lot. The wife wants to be able to protect her two young daughters. We’re seeing a lot of that. I recently has a contractor, his wife and 13-year-old daughter go through the class; two ministers; a private class for judges, doctors and so forth; and nine nurses together. You wouldn’t believe the people taking gun courses now.”

Merriman said the number of people requesting tutoring in gun usage is increasing. His August class is full. Merriman’s class may get fuller as more and more the push for concealed carry comes to the forefront in Illinois.

In recent weeks the city of Peoria volunteered to be a test city for a concealed carry law. Bartonville promptly followed suit, requesting to be a part of any pilot program agreed to by the state.

The Bartonville City Council and the Bartonville Police Department passed a resolution on July 9 supporting concealed carry in the state of Illinois and delivered it to the Illinois General Assembly. The resolution comes in response to an Illinois Sheriff’s Association survey of all sheriffs in the state which showed that 90 percent support concealed carry of weapons, the resolution said. [emphasis added] ...

Comment: Don't expect any concealed carry bill to pass as long as Chicago's King Daley opposes it. Which probably means don't expect a concealed carry law while Daley remains in office.

New Jersey "one gun a month" law would end handgun sales

From Ammoland.com, on the latest from the anti-gun Peoples Republic of New Jersey:

Handgun sales and purchases by New Jersey Retail Dealers are going to virtually end after November 2009. This is because the New Jersey legislature hurriedly passed the so-called “One Gun a Month” bill (A339), which was known to be seriously flawed. The defective bill is absurd, as it address a non-existent problem. No self-respecting gun trafficker would obtain their handguns by first applying for New Jersey Handguns Permits, paying over $50 in fees, and insuring that any handgun he sells on the street was papered to him! Notwithstanding just how idiotic the law is, it awaits the Governor Corzine’s signature and there is no reason to believe he will veto it.
...
The law contains language exempting “transfers of handguns between licensed retail dealers.” The term “retail dealer” is defined by current law in 2C:39-1L, and essentially refers to persons engaged in the sale or repair of firearms for profit to ultimate consumers. The definition explicitly excludes “wholesale dealers,” which are defined elsewhere in 2C:39-1S (which essentially refers to persons who sell firearms to those who are not the ultimate consumers).

Because the law only exempts transfers between licensed retail dealers, the one gun per 30 days restriction still applies to transfers from all others, including wholesale dealers, manufacturers, distributors and individual sellers. Most firearms sold by Retail Dealers are obtained from wholesale dealers, distributors and manufacturers. Many Retail Dealers also buy used firearms from individuals and resell them. It is rare for a retail dealer to buy from other Retail Dealers, which is the only exempted class of transfer.

As a result, retail dealers would be cut off from their primary suppliers (wholesalers, manufacturers, distributors and individuals) and can only purchase one handgun every 30 days from these suppliers. New Jersey’s several hundred licensed retail dealers are destroyed by this law. ...

Article here. Naturally, there's a "law enforcement" exception.

Gun Rights News Roundup

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

More whimpering from the New York Times about restaurant carry:

Beyond farce in statehouse politics — think New York, Illinois and South Carolina — there can be danger. Think Tennessee, where the Legislature just overrode the governor’s veto and rescinded a law barring patrons from carrying handguns in bars and restaurants.

Once again, politicians caved to the gun lobby’s “right to carry” agenda which insists that there is no place — campuses, workplaces, churches — that should be off limits to guns.

We fear that Gov. Phil Bredesen, a gun owner and hunter, was right when he warned his state: “It’s an invitation to a disaster.”

The governor found no safety in provisions that ban the licensed gun toters from drinking alcohol — is it the honor system or will bartenders do a search? — and allow bar and restaurant owners to opt out by posting a notice prohibiting guns. Unfortunately, there is no requirement for owners to post warnings of the dangers inside at the doorways of gun-friendly places.

The pity is that more than 30 states have similar laws. Travelers might want to check for sensible places to eat, unless they really believe the gun lobby’s propaganda that an armed diner at the next table offers an extra comfort. ...

Comment: What a pathetic, fearful existence it must be to be a New York Times editorialist. Baaa, Baaa, little sheeple.


[Arizona] House OKs guns in parking lots bill:

After lengthy debate, the House passed a bill on Friday that would prohibit property and business owners from banning guns in their parking areas, if the guns are locked in privately owned vehicles.

Legislators also amended Senate Bill 1168 to exempt certain lots. Parking areas that are fenced or guarded, or which provide temporary and secure gun storage, would still be able to prohibit firearms.

[Arizona] Senate passes campus carry bill:

PHOENIX -- Saying it will make people safer, state senators voted Friday to let people with concealed weapons permits carry them onto college and university campuses where they are now forbidden.

The 15-6 vote on the provision in HB 2439 came after backers said they believe that having people who are licensed by the state to have weapons should cut down on the number of massacres that occur on campuses. And Sen. John Huppenthal, R-Chandler, said that has happened in Arizona. He did not refer by name to the 2002 incident at the University of Arizona where three instructors at the College of Nursing were slain by student Robert S. Flores Jr. who then turned the gun on himself.

But Huppenthal said the evidence shows that it makes sense, from a safety standpoint, to let people carry guns.

"The states that have concealed carry (laws) have statistically significant smaller mass shootings," he said. ...

[Tennessee] Murfreesboro defers vote on parks gun ban:

Concerned with how a blanket ban on guns in parks will affect the city, Murfreesboro City Council chose to defer voting on the issue Thursday night.

“I’d like to wait to hear from the TSSAA and see if this would affect Spring Fling,” Mayor Tommy Bragg said.

City Manager Roger Haley proposed a city-wide ban in municipal parks after Tennessee’s General Assembly passed a law that allows carrying guns in state and city parks legal, as along as the individual has a carry permit.

“It’s not our intention to interfere with the Second Amendment rights of the people … (but) to provide for a safe environment for the children and public use our park facilities,” Haley said last night.

Councilman Toby Gilley disagreed in full, saying he wholly supports the new state law. Gilley was the only councilman who voted against deferring the measure.

Haley’s suggestion to outlaw guns in city parks backed is by Murfreesboro Police Chief Glenn Chrisman, Parks and Recreation Department Director Lanny Goodwin and Old Fort Golf Director Tracy Wilkins. ...

[New Jersey] Senate passes "one gun a month" law:

After literally years of effort, the powerful anti-gun forces in New Jersey politics have finally succeeded in passing a "one handgun per month" bill, which now heads to Governor Corzine's desk for his inevitable signature.

A measure sponsored by Senators Sandra Bolden Cunningham and Teresa Ruiz, which would prohibit the sale and purchase of more than one handgun per person, within a 30-day period was approved today by the full Senate by a vote of 21 to 15.

Unless I'm missing a state or two somewhere, that makes New Jersey the fourth to pass this kind of law (or fifth, if you count South Carolina, which repealed its version of the law in 2004, after finding it to be ineffective at reducing violent crime). The others that still have such a law are California (no surprise there, with it's Brady Campaign Number One Tyranny Rating), Maryland (again, no surprise, with Maryland ranking almost as "high" as California), and Virginia. The fact that Virginia is one of only three (soon to be four) states with such a law is probably a surprise to some. Virginia, after all, is blamed for having "lax gun laws" that contribute toward it being part of the so-called "Iron Pipeline" of guns that end up illegally in places like New York City. ...

Gun Rights News Roundup

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

Columnist Paul Valone answers the question: What's the big deal about background checks?:

... While reasonable and well-intentioned, the argument contains a presumption which, unfortunately, rarely pertains in politics: It presumes the intentions of the bill are honest. Below are the main three reasons why legislation purporting to require “background checks” is unacceptable.

NOTHING IN THE POLITICAL PROCESS IS HONEST

After 15+ years of political action, I say with certainty that subterfuge is the rule rather than the exception: I have seen politicians claim undying support for a bill … just before firing an arrow through its heart. I have sat in the chamber as a legislator killed a bill by offering a “poison pill” amendment while assuring everyone: “This amendment is intended to make a good bill better.” I’ve been assured by a subcommittee chairman that a bill I opposed would never get a hearing, minutes before being told by the chairman of the full committee that it would be heard on Thursday.

In teaching legislative tactics seminars, I tell students: “Lest you think the political process is designed to exclude you, let me assure you that it is.” With few exceptions, politicians are weasels, and the few legislators with character I’ve met will never advance to higher office precisely because they are trustworthy.

Lessons of the Brady Act: In 1993, we were assured by Handgun Control, Inc. and the NRA alike that the National Instant Check System (NICS) would never be used to register guns. NICS transaction records, we were assured, were required to be expunged. Unfortunately, the fine print didn’t say when they had to be expunged, and the Clinton administration immediately instructed the FBI to retain them indefinitely, creating a de facto gun registration system in violation of federal law. Although the Bush administration ordered transaction records expunged in 24 hours, Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand have already proposed again retaining them.

Conclusions: You cannot create a “background check” system that manipulative politicians can’t turn into a gun registration system, as they already have. The goal of “gun show” legislation, in truth, is to not only decimate the gun culture which reinforces itself via gun shows, but to register private gun sales – in the case of S. 843 – with both the Attorney General and the FBI. [emphasis added]

“Perhaps,” you say, “but what’s wrong with registering guns? It isn’t as though somebody is taking them away from you.” ...

Comment: Go read the whole thing. The government can abuse background check databases for backdoor gun registration, and registration is a necessary prerequisite for effective confiscation.


Bill aims to protect veterans' Second Amendment rights:

A bill aimed at protecting the gun rights of some veterans is under Senate consideration.

The Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act, pending before the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, would limit the circumstances in which a veteran’s name could be added to a federal database used to do instant background checks for gun purchases.

By law, anyone “adjudicated as a mental defective,” such as people found to be a danger to themselves or others or who lack the mental capacity to manage their affairs, must be registered in the database.

The bill, S 669, which has 15 co-sponsors, would prohibit VA from submitting names to the National Instant Criminal Background Check database unless a judicial authority finds the individuals to be a danger to themselves or others. ...

[New Jersey] Supreme Court considers challenge to one-gun-a-month ordinance:

TRENTON - The New Jersey Supreme Court heard oral arguments yesterday in the legal battle over a Jersey City ordinance that would limit handgun purchases.

The discussion centered on whether the 2006 ordinance improperly preempts existing state gun laws by limiting handgun purchases to one per person each month.

At issue is the ability of urban communities such as Camden, Newark, and Jersey City to reduce gun-related crime by more closely regulating handgun purchases.

Supporters of the Jersey City ordinance say urban areas need tighter handgun sale standards to prevent surrogates from buying weapons for criminals. Opponents say that existing laws offer sufficient protection and that the ordinance punishes law-abiding citizens to advance a national gun-control agenda.

"There's no legitimate reason on earth why anyone needs to buy five handguns a month," said Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy. [emphasis added] ...

[New York] More infringements may be on the way:

Nine gun-control bills are slated to come before the state Assembly this week.

One of the bills would impose new requirements on firearm dealers, including more stringent record-keeping and employee training and prohibition of so-called straw purchases, when someone purchases a firearm on behalf of someone prohibited from carrying such a weapon. Dealers also would need to carry at least $1 million in liability insurance for criminal acts committed using weapons they sold.

"The additional requirements set forth in this bill will help to reduce the diversion of firearms to the illegal market and will also assist police departments, prosecutors and other law enforcement officials in their efforts to trace and recover illegal weapons," the bill summary says.

Another bill would require firearm license holders to renew them every five years and take safety courses.

"It is incumbent upon us to make sure that handguns are kept out of dangerous hands so that we may better protect our citizens and prevent further tragedies like the melee in Binghamton," the bill summary says. ...

Gun Rights News Roundup

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

U.S. gun owners bought enough guns in three months to outfit Chinese and Indian armies ... combined:

In just 3 months Americans bought enough guns to outfit the entire Chinese and Indian army’s [sic] combined.

You also bought 1,529,635,000 rounds of ammunition in just the month of December 2008. Yeah that is right, that is Billion with a “B”.

This is an evaluation of overall firearms and ammunition purchases based on low end numbers per Federal NIC instacheck data base Statistics. The numbers presented are only PART of the overall numbers of arms and ammunition that have been sold. The actual numbers are much higher.

[Mississippi] Gun, ammo sales booming:

At the Terry Road Pawn Shop in Jackson, military-style long guns don't stay in the cases long.

What's more, it has become increasingly difficult during the last few months for owner Kevin McDonald to stock his shop with auto-loading rifles such as AR-15s and SKSes.

"The demand has gotten so high, I don't think the manufacturers can make them fast enough to keep everybody supplied," McDonald said. "Often when we get them, we go ahead and sell them online because we can sell them at retail price or better." ...

[Massachusetts] Gun, ammo sales booming:

In the words of one Berkshire County gun shop owner, "gun sales have been through the roof" in recent months.

Indeed, sales of firearms in the United States began to rise in the lead-up to the November 2008 presidential election, including here in Democratic Massachusetts — long viewed as a bastion for liberal, anti-gun politics. And they continued to soar for the first three months of 2009, according to the FBI's National Criminal Investigative Service, which performs background checks on people seeking to carry firearms. ...

[New Jersey] Gun, ammo sales booming:

... Despite the economic downturn -- and because of it to some degree -- consumers are opening their wallets and stepping up to the firing line, according to government statistics. At the Bullet Hole, business has been bustling since the election, as customers are investing in firearms. Cerca says they're motivated by crime spikes and the fear that Obama will tighten gun laws.

A State Police spokesman estimates the number of applications to obtain firearms has doubled over the past five months. Nationwide, FBI background checks for permits totaled 1.5 million in November, the highest figure since they began tracking the stats in 1998. The number includes first-time buyers and owners expanding their collection. ...

[Tennessee] Percentage of carry permits revoked tiny:

In it's latest attempt to derail the concealing of permit holder information, the AP has come up with the worst that it could find about the Tennessee Handgun Carry permits. So far (unlike here in Arkansas) nothing has worked.

The latest is this, KTHV is only too happy to comply, "Nearly 1,200 Tennesseans have had their state-issued handgun carry permits revoked or suspended for running afoul of the law over the last four years.["]
...
Thats out of 339,000 permits by the way, which means the permits that were revoked were only a whopping .35 percent of permit holders. That's not even one half of one percent

The AP doesn't want to give you that piece of information because they don't want you to draw the obvious conclusion.

Clayton Cramer has some stats on the 4,000 self defense related incidents reported on his blog:

These entries are (with one or two exceptions, such as when my neighbor chased an intruder out of his daughter's room) all derived from published news sources. Of necessity, this means that these were incidents sufficiently high profile to receive the attention of both police and news media.
...
Along the way, we started adding labels by state and interesting characteristics of the incidents. Some interesting statistics from these 4000 incidents:
...
There were 212 incidents involving concealed carry permit holders.

Not every outcome was happy. There were 30 incidents in which the defender was killed (although often saving the life of another, or preventing the attacker from escaping). There were 191 incidents in which the defender was shot (although not necessarily killed).

For all the talk by gun control advocates that "a criminal will just take away your gun and use against you" there were only six incidents in which the defender's gun was taken away and used against the defender. By comparison, there were 183 incidents in which the criminal's gun was taken away and used against the criminal! More startling is that many of these involved victims that were unarmed at the start of the crime. [emphasis added]

There were 67 female defenders, and 15 defenders under the age of 18.

Sobering numbers: there were 90 criminals identified as being under 18, and 1009 of these incidents were home invasions--where the criminals intentionally broke into a dwelling that they knew was occupied.

For all the talk of inadequately trained civilians, we have one incident involving mistaken identity. ...

Gun Rights News Roundup

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

[Virginia] Gun, ammo sales rising:

Ammunition was running out so fast at a gun show late last year in Richmond that one man tried to grab a big can of .223-caliber bullets just as another guy was trying to pay for it.

There was an argument. “One guy’s coming over his shoulder trying to grab” his can of 500 rounds of ammo, recalled Josh Golden, a gun and ammo dealer who was selling items at the Richmond Gun Show that day on Nov. 15. “They were his, and he was going to let him know that they were his.“

In November, firearms transactions spiked about 60 percent over November ‘07 in Virginia, and they’re up so far this year, too, according to the number of state police background checks for firearm purchases.

Also, dealers in Virginia and elsewhere say ammunition sales are soaring and it is difficult to keep certain items in stock.

The reasons: worries about what President Barack Obama and a Democrat-controlled Congress might do with gun legislation, about the possible return of the assault-weapons ban and about increased crime during the recession.
...
Joe Cacciotti of Chesterfield said people have learned they can’t trust the government and they don’t feel like they are being represented, adding that criminals get only a slap on the wrist.

The first time a law-enforcement officer goes into someone’s home and confiscates his gun, he said, that will be "the first shot being fired for the second American Revolution to begin." [emphasis added]

Meanwhile, the gun business is thriving. Bob Moates, who owns three gun stores in Virginia, including one in Midlothian, says he hasn’t seen such brisk business since the mid-1960s, when there were race- and anti-war riots across the United States.

This will last longer, he believes, because there is a fundamental fear of what will happen to gun rights.

"People are very concerned about his allegiance to the Second Amendment," he said of Obama. The administration’s stance on guns is "very dubious."

Jerry Thompson, president of Dominion Shooting Range on Turner Road in Chesterfield, said he is seeing ammunition shortages in almost every caliber. That is hurting his shooting-range business, he said, but he is seeing increased interest in firearm-safety classes for people seeking concealed-weapon permits.

"We’re scheduled 60 days out," he said. "Before, every once in a blue moon, we would have an overflow class. Now we have three overflow classes going." ...

[New Hampshire] Op-ed: Gun, ammo sales rising, gun control debate continues:

Like it or not, gun sales are, well, booming. There are a number of reasons, but the most prevalent is people are afraid the Obama administration, sooner or later, will get around to creating more-restrictive gun ownership laws and taxes. And those are not unfounded fears.

So gun owners are stocking up on ammunition, handguns and semiautomatic rifles. Sales are up 50 percent since Barack Obama was elected.

And gun-control advocates have taken notice.
...
The debate over gun control has been a long one, and it will continue.

More laws placing restrictions and bans on some types of weapons are possible. More laws regulating the sales of guns are also possible. Higher taxes on gun and ammunition are possible.

But there are plenty of proponents of gun ownership to challenge and argue against such regulations.

The Second Amendment still gives Americans the right to keep and bear arms. Gun ownership and possession are legal in this country.

People use them for hunting, for target shooting, for collections, for protection.

Sadly, some people use them in robberies and murders. But such people are breaking our laws when they do so. Such are not the actions of responsible gun owners. And no law can totally prevent such actions. ...

Comment: Like so many in the media (and some gun owners), the editorialist gets it wrong when he/she says that "[t]he Second Amendment still gives Americans the right to keep and bear arms." (emphasis mine) No, the Second Amendment merely protects a pre-existing fundamental human right.


[Florida] Gun, ammo sales rising, CCW permit applications up:

TAMPA - Fear has some people turning to guns for protection.

"We're on track to selling twice as many as we sold last year," said Andre Chiasson of A-1 Pawn Shop in Seminole Heights.

Some people are worried about the recession; others believe a new president will mean bans on weapons.

Chiasson's store sold about 600 guns in 2008. During the first three months of this year, customers have bought 300. It's a trend statewide and beyond.

Federal and local agencies don't track gun sales. One method of gauging the increase is by looking at new applications for concealed weapons permits. The Tampa Bay area is on pace this year to exceed permit applications from previous years, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
...
"People really want to protect what's theirs," said Bruce Kitzis, manager of Shoot Straight Guns & Range near the Florida State Fairgrounds.

He's seeing more first-time buyers and more customers interested in obtaining concealed weapons permits. Shoot Straight recently added a third weekly class to help new owners fill out the cumbersome state application and learn to use their guns – a permit requirement. ...

[Oklahoma] CCW permit applications up:

Concealed carry licensing is becoming more popular with Oklahoma residents.

According to reports from Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI), 8,799 self defense act licenses were approved in 2002. Five years later, OSBI issued 18,510 permits in 2008. Females licensed in the state last year numbered 4,237, while 14,273 men obtained their permits.

The bureau issued 16,426 permits in 2007, 9,591 in 2006 and 10,450 in 2005.

Sergeant Brent Crittenden of Pryor Police Department said he is getting a lot more calls from people interested in obtaining a concealed carry permit. He has been teaching the self-defense class for over five years. Crittenden said last year has been his busiest.

Crittenden, range master for the Pryor police, has trained police officers in firearm instruction for over 20 years. He trains new recruits at the state police academy.

Crittenden will be teaching a concealed carry class at Pryor Creek Community Church on Sunday, April 5.

Pryor Assistant Police Chief Derek Melton, pastor of Pryor Creek Community Church, said his church wants to open the class to the community.

“We want guns in the hands of the right people,” he said.

Melton, who has over 20 years’ experience in law enforcement, said statistics have shown that crime dropped in Oklahoma after the state passed a concealed carry law.

“We’re pro-Constitutional,” Melton said. “We’re guardians of the Constitution.” [emphasis added]...

Comment: Good to see an assistant police chief (and pastor!) support the right to keep and bear arms. Can you imagine a church in, say, New Jersey hosting any form of firearms-related class ("ordinary" citizens can't carry in New Jersey, so concealed carry classes would be out of the question)?


[Minnesota] Legal protections for self-defenders under consideration (item is about 2/3 of the way down the page):

... A bill awaiting Minnesota legislative action would legally protect people who use deadly force to defend themselves against criminals.

The proposal would rewrite laws regulating the use of deadly force in self-defense, extending protection to cars and businesses. Current law only protects victims while inside the home.

“Currently, you would have to wait for the person to step to you and attack you and put you in fear of great bodily harm or witness him commit a felony in your presence before you could use deadly force,” said the bill's author, Rep. Tony Cornish, R-Good Thunder.

If a person enters a home without permission, then “there is a presumption that he is there to do you at least substantial bodily harm,” Cornish said. “He ain't there to sell Girl Scout cookies.”

Sen. Pat Pariseau, R-Farmington, said some people get sued by criminals after they defend themselves. Pariseau said this is “not a license to go out and shoot people.”

“We have to enable people to not be placed in a position of legal risk,” Rep. Steve Drazkowski, R-Wabasha, said.

“You shouldn't have to back down,” Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen, R-Alexandria, said. ...

[Tennessee] Guns in restaurants bill stalls:

The guns-in-saloons bill has stalled in the state House tonight with lawmakers fighting over whether they should set a curfew for customers to surrender their weapons. The sponsor, Rep. Curry Todd, thinks handgun carriers should have to give up their guns at 11 p.m. "The NRA was OK with this," Todd told the House.

The House voted 62-29 to add the curfew to the bill. But many Republicans objected even to this restriction on Second Amendment rights, and Rep. Brian Kelsey then offered an amendment to strip the provision. After Todd could muster only 32 votes to table that amendment, he withdrew the bill from the floor. He said he'd try again next Monday.

The House had been expected to adopt the bill by a large margin. There are 46 sponsors, and a cocky Todd said at one point, "If I asked all the co-sponsors to come up here, there wouldn't be anybody in their seats." ...

[West Virginia] Permit privacy battle underway in state legislature:

CHARLESTON — A renewed battle over the public’s right to access permits to carry concealed weapons is playing out in both chambers of the West Virginia Legislature this week.

A vote is planned at mid-week in the Senate on SB378 that is designed basically as a reciprocity pact, one that allows West Virginia and other states to recognize each other’s concealed permits when residents travel to and from one another.

Attached to that proposal, however, is a controversial provision that says the public has no right to pry into government records through a Freedom of Information Act request to see just who is allowed to pack a hidden firearm in public.

Philip Reale, an attorney and lobbyist for the West Virginia Press Association, insists this is bad public policy.

“It is important for the public generally to have access to information about the actions of those who govern them,” Reale said Monday.
...
Leading the charge for SB378 and its privacy policy is the National Rifle Association, whose legislative liaison, Jordan Austin, says it is vital that an individual’s privacy be maintained when a gun permit is issued.

“When records like that are published, it puts people in danger and at risk,” he said.

When a name is identified in the news media as the holder of a concealed permit, Austin said, the criminal element knows immediately that a firearm is in the home, and when the individual is away at work, the home could be burglarized.

Moreover, Austin painted a dark scenario in which a woman might leave an abusive, threatening spouse, obtain a permit, and move to a new location, only to have her name and address published in a newspaper. ...

[Texas] Gun control at heart of Old West shootout:

LAMPASAS - Some might call it ironic that the most notorious, old west gunfight in Lampasas probably came about, indirectly at least, over an attempt at gun control in the Hill Country town.

According to local historian Jeff Jackson, the 1873 shooting in a Lampasas saloon resulted in the death of four state police officers at the hands of the Horrell family and possibly their gang members during a shootout.

At the time, Lampasas was a wild town and guns were commonplace.

“That shooting is really about gun control, something we still have going on today,” Jackson said.

He explained that the saloon shooting was triggered a few months earlier. At that time Lampasas Sheriff S.T. Denson was shot and injured while attempting to arrest brothers Wash and Mark Short in January 1873.

As a result of pleas from Lampasas city officials, Gov. Edmund J. Davis issued a proclamation prohibiting sidearms in Lampasas County. Jackson said the governor sent state police to town to post the new proclamation in February, but they left soon after. ...

[Tennessee] Senate to vote on permit privacy bill:

NASHVILLE - A proposal to close public access to the database of state-issued permits to carry loaded handguns is headed for vote in the Tennessee Senate.

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday advanced the measure sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, a Collierville Republican, a 6-2 vote. ...

[Nebraska] Lawmakers pass bill allowing lawful church carry:

LINCOLN - Guns and God would go hand-in-hand, at least for a majority of Nebraska legislators.

But clergy are either shouting hallelujah or heaping scorn on those who would let church security guards pack some heat.

"I don't like it," said the Rev. Harry Buse, pastor of St. Leo Catholic Church at 102nd and Blondo Streets in Omaha. "I would like to think that we wouldn't need guns in church, though I realize times have changed."

Across town at King of Kings Lutheran Church, an official said security guards have been a fixture at worship services there since the 2007 shootings at the Westroads' Von Maur store and at a Colorado Springs, Colo., church.

The guards include off-duty law enforcement officers who are already authorized to carry guns.

Comment: A good start, perhaps, but they need to also allow "ordinary" permit holders to lawfully carry in church as well.

New Jersey Gov. calls for more infringements

From the Garden State:

Gov. Corzine called yesterday for tougher gun laws at the state and national levels, citing the recent discovery of 259 firearms at a man's Gloucester County home as a reason to bring back a federal ban on assault weapons.

Corzine also called on the state Senate to give final legislative approval to a plan to limit New Jersey handgun buyers to one purchase every 30 days - putting public pressure on lawmakers to pass a bill that appears stalled.

"There is no reason why anyone needs more than one gun a month," Corzine said. "It is time for the Senate to take this bill up and pass it."

The Assembly has approved the measure.

Corzine made the calls for tougher laws before a roomful of gun-control advocates who had gathered as he signed a law increasing the penalties for illegally possessing machine guns or assault weapons in New Jersey.

He said a federal assault-weapons ban was needed to complement New Jersey's restrictions. A national ban "in theory" would have blocked Brian Hinkel from amassing such a large arsenal at his Franklin Township home, Corzine said.

Hinkel, whose 259 weapons were discovered in late January, faces numerous criminal charges, including five counts of possession of an assault rifle.

Bryan Miller, executive director of Ceasefire NJ, said that even though New Jersey bans assault weapons, they can be bought in other states and brought here illegally. A national ban would prevent buyers from obtaining assault weapons anywhere, he said.

"They're made to kill as many people as possible as quickly as possible, and as such they have no use in a society," Miller said. [emphasis added]

Article here.

New Jersey to consider further infringements

From the Garden State:

New Jersey could soon become the fourth state to limit handgun purchases to one a month, a move aimed at fighting "straw" gun buyers who purchase weapons legally and pass them to criminals.

The plan, backed by officials in Camden, Newark, Jersey City and other cities, follows calls from urban leaders across the nation, including Philadelphia, to crack down on gun trafficking that they say fuels violence.

There is much debate over whether such laws work, however, and opponents say a limit would infringe on a constitutional right in a state that already has rigorous screenings for gun buyers.

The proposal won approval in the Assembly but faces a tough final test in the more evenly divided Senate. Gov. Corzine, who sponsored a similar plan in the U.S. Senate, has said he will "absolutely" sign the bill into law if it reaches his desk.

"How many guns does somebody need to purchase in a month?" Corzine asked.

Article here.

NJ considers more infringements

From an NJ.com op-ed:

Now that the Supreme Court has confirmed that the Second Amendment protects the individual citizen's right to own handguns, it's time for public officials to start prescribing a new antidote for gun crime: target violent criminals who actually misuse handguns, instead of passing scattershot laws with toxic side-effects like disarming victims, bullying honest gun owners, and demonizing firearms themselves.

Unfortunately, a bill pending in the State Senate and up for committee vote 12/8 (S1774) is a bad dose of old medicine. It's a proposal to ration the Constitutional right of law-abiding citizens to own handguns beyond the existing regulatory thicket, which already slows exercise of those rights to a trickle. It ignores violent behavior and known sources of illegal trafficking, instead restricting only persons investigated and pre-certified as acceptable to own firearms. Even mainstream media recognize the ineffectiveness of this approach.

State handgun permits currently take months to receive, and can be further delayed or denied to anyone unsuitable. Applicants go to their local police, disclose personal and employment information under penalty of perjury, get fingerprinted, consent to criminal and mental health background checks, submit references, pay fees, and then wait, sometimes six months or longer.

Meanwhile, law enforcement conducts a 13-point background investigation. If a permit issues, it must be used within 90 days or the process repeats. A federal background check occurs at purchase, and transaction details are reported to police. If multiple permits are used within 5 days, another report is filed with BATFE.

S1774 criminalizes use of more than one permit per month, no matter how long the applicant waited for them or when they expire. It ignores the background checks and pre-certification, treating honest citizens like criminals and interfering with self defense and property transfer. If a gun recently bought for protection from a stalker or batterer malfunctions or is stolen, it cannot be rapidly replaced when needed most.

Article here. By the way, I believe the "permits" the author refers to in New Jersey are permits to merely purchase a gun.

Gun control, New Jersey edition

From a letter to the editor on NJ.com:

It seems most of our legislators have this unfounded fear that if Bill A1282 is enacted, everyone will rush to get their concealed carry permit and there will be millions of guns on our streets which will result in a bloodbath the likes we have never seen. History shows since concealed carry legislation was passed in Florida in 1987 only an estimated 3% of the Floridian population has chosen to obtain a concealed carry permit.

Now, let's return to New Jersey. The latest Census estimate the population of NJ is 8.7 million. If two percent of citizens are granted a concealed carry permit, that would be approximately 174,000 people. That also means there will only be 2 people per square mile who would have their permit to legally carry their weapon. There are 10 times more criminals and street gang members in our cities that are illegally carrying concealed right at this very moment! So what exactly are we afraid of???

Read it here.

More nonsense from New Jersey

Op-ed on more anti-gun legislation in New Jersey:

It seems that those intent on dismantling the Second Amendment brick by brick have found a new target of opportunity to demonize and ban: guns with a larger hole in the barrel than others.

On November 17, the New Jersey Assembly is set to consider A2116, which bans most firearms which shoot projectiles of 50 caliber or larger.

Many hunting and historical firearms fall into this category, so A2116 would ironically ban Revolutionary and Civil War flintlocks and muskets that won the very freedom that the legislation seeks to take away, not to mention popular hunting rifles. It could also ban a truly evil scourge of society that shoots 100+ caliber projectiles: marshmallow guns.

Apart from obvious absurdity, A2116 makes the fundamental mistake of banning hardware rather than punishing criminal behavior. It's a truly awful piece of legislation that will accomplish little to advance public safety, but plenty to erode the Constitutional rights of law abiding citizens.

Op-ed here.

Your tax dollars to help develop "smart-gun" technology

The New Jersey Institute of Technology has scored a quarter million dollar Department of Justice grant to continue developing "child-proof smart-gun" technology:

The Department of Justice has awarded a $254,889 federal grant to the New Jersey Institute of Technology so the Newark university can continue developing its child-proof "smart gun" technology, members of New Jersey's congressional delegation announced today.

(Prototype "smart-gun". Credit: Aristide Economopoulos/The Star-Ledger)

NJIT has spent the last nine years on a "dynamic grip recognition" technology that can identify gun owners based on how they squeeze the trigger. The technology uses sensors located in the gun to identify unconscious, reflexive actions unique to each person and then decides whether the gunman is authorized to fire the weapon.

University officials say it works 99 percent of the time when paired with an off-the-shelf handgun outfitted with green and red lights to indicate whether the embedded circuitry decided to fire or not. They have tested it successfully with shooters wearing gloves, under timed conditions to simulate stressful conditions and using alternate hands.

Article here.

Color me skeptical. First, the whole idea that you can identify a particular person based solely on their grip patterns under all combat conditions is nonsense. Second, how will you gain the necessary "training" inputs to program the gun for the particular authorized user, short of having the person, say, engage in multiple live-fire gunfights to generate the necessary realism, stress, and fear of dying under varying conditions to obtain accurate "grip profiles" (in which case, I suspect few users will survive the programming phase :))? Finally, how will the system have enough "leeway" under all conceivable conditions to avoid ALL false-negatives (where the gun fails to fire for an authorized person), while allowing the false-positive rate (where the gun fires for an unauthorized person) to remain low? What happens when the user is injured (shot / stabbed / slashed in the arm, has broken fingers, etc., etc.) and his/her grip no longer meets the programmed profile for an "authorized user". Those are the times when the gun is likely most needed.

If I recall correctly, New Jersey has a law on the books that will outlaw all sales of new conventional handguns in that state once a single manufacturer offers for sale anywhere in the country a handgun equipped with "smart-gun" technology. Of course, New Jersey law enforcement is exempted from this law, so the guinea pigs would be the public.

Hah! My memory works fine! Here's an article from 2002 on the NJ "smart-gun" law:

The New Jersey Institute of Technology is developing a smart gun prototype that would use sensors on the pistol grip to identify a user.

The owner would have his grip programmed at a gun shop or police range by practice-firing the weapon. A microchip in the weapon would remember the grip and determine in an instant whether the authorized user was holding the weapon. If not, the gun would not fire.

Under the New Jersey law, the technology will be required in all new handguns sold three years after the state attorney general determines a smart gun prototype is safe and commercially available. Weapons used by law enforcement officers would be exempt. [emphasis added]

Allow me to humbly suggest that until this (or any) sort of "smart-gun" technology is widely adopted by the vast majority of law enforcement agencies nationwide, and has been proven to work under real-life combat conditions and stress in, say, one hundred thousand real-life gunfights, then you, dear reader, don't "need" it, because it won't make you "safer", or seem so "smart" in your next gunfight.