Gun Rights News Roundup

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

[South Carolina] Obama stimulating the gun business:

President Barack Obama is the best friend gun dealers have had in a long time.

Thanks to widespread paranoia among Second Amendment fanatics, gun and ammo sales are booming. A story in Monday's Herald reported that local customers are loading up on all sorts of lethal hardware.

Firearms and ammunition are flying off the shelves at area gun shops, hunting supply stores and pawn shops. Shooting instruction classes are filling up fast, and some now have waiting lists. The number of area residents getting concealed weapons permits also has risen sharply.

The price of ammo has skyrocketed, but so have sales, as gun owners stockpile bullets. Even the York County Sheriff's Office, which buys ammunition in bulk, is feeling the pinch. ...

Comment: Note the op-ed writer's anti-gun bias, using terms like "widespread paranoia" and "Second Amendment fanatics". Prior news reports, however, indicate that many of the recent purchasers are evidently first time gun buyers, who are unlikely to fit this description.


[Illinois] Gun rights rally planned for June 26th in Chicago (details available at link):

A gun rights rally in Chicago, of all places? A bit counterintuitive, perhaps, but it's one more sign that the gun rights advocacy movement in Illinois is tired of playing defense--that now, it's the citizen disarmament advocates who are going to have to try to stop us, rather than the other way around.

If you live anywhere near Chicago, this is where you need to be on Friday, June 26th, from 11 AM to 1 PM. ...

[Illinois] Many Chicagoans (gasp!) packing guns despite gun ban:

... Mayor Daley and the National Rifle Association are headed to the U.S. Supreme Court for a showdown over Chicago's ban on handguns. There are powerful, compelling arguments on both sides. CBS 2 talked to a shop owner who said that if he had obeyed the city's ban, he'd be dead.

"We were actually broken into, you know, during the day," he said.

He owns a small business on the South Side. He doesn't want us to reveal his identity. Although it's illegal in Chicago, he often packs a .25 caliber pistol. He claims it saved his life twice, most notably when a robber hit him from behind with a hammer.

"As he reached to hit me again, I drew my pistol," he said. "He saw the pistol, and I shot and missed him totally 'cause I was half-knocked. He took off running."

Chicago police who responded did what officers often do in the city's toughest neighborhoods. They pretended that the victim had not broken the law by defending himself with an illegal handgun.

"Nothing was said about the gun going off," he said. "The police come over to make a report. The guy said to me, 'Well, you're lucky you weren't killed. You should've had a gun with you. If you had killed the guy, then you would have had to say you took the gun off him.'" ...

Pro-gun gay rights groups support national reciprocity provision in hate crimes bill:

One month after successfully tucking an amendment into the credit card reform bill that expanded gun rights, a small number of Senate Republicans are looking at the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act as another chance to score a victory for the Second Amendment. The possible plan — to add an amendment that would allow gun owners to carry their weapons from one state to another in accordance with concealed carry laws. The possible rationale — to defend gay rights.

“It makes sense for a group of people who would be protected by hate crime legislation to support something that would let them defend themselves before or after the crime,” said one Republican Senate aid familiar with the discussions. “It’s relevant, and we want to work together with gay groups to get the message out.”

While the aide described the discussions over a gun rights amendment to the hate crimes bill as “very fluid,” conservative and pro-gun rights gay groups outside of the Senate are ready to make a real push for it. GOProud, a new gay rights group that broke away from the Log Cabin Republicans in April, has talked with top staffers for Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) about how to make the civil rights case for conceal and carry reciprocity.

“We support this because we think it’s advantageous to make it legal and relatively easy for gay people to arm themselves so they can protect themselves,” said Jimmy LaSilva, who became the executive director of GOProud after three years working on policy for the Log Cabin Republicans. “In the next few weeks we want to start highlighting some of those stories. There are people who have averted gay bashings because of their ability to use guns.” ...

Another op-ed on the gay rights support:

Twenty-five years ago, Tom Palmer and a male companion were threatened by a group of 20 or so young males on an empty street in San Jose, California. The group shouted anti-gay epithets and made death threats.

Palmer and his companion ran, and the attackers gave chase. Moments later, Palmer pulled out a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol, one he owned legally, and pointed it at the group. Palmer was positive they intended to seriously harm or even kill him and his companion.

The gun stopped the group in their tracks. Palmer told them that if they got any closer to him, he would use the gun and shoot. The young men didn't take that chance, and Palmer credits that pistol for saving his life.

Tom, who currently works as a scholar at the libertarian Cato Institute, knows first hand that a gun can save your life. ...

[Washington] Seattle mayor wants to disarm gays at PrideFest:

Does the City of Seattle under Mayor Greg Nickels believe that one civil right is more important than another, perhaps at the peril of the city’s gay residents who will participate in PrideFest at the Seattle Center?

It’s beginning to appear that way, as gay gun rights activists note with chagrin that, while the city will allow anti-gay demonstrators at the Seattle Center in recognition of their First Amendment rights of free speech and assembly, the city is requiring PrideFest organizers to prohibit firearms at the Center as part of its lease agreement.

It is also beginning to appear that Nickels lacks the guts to actually issue his long-threatened executive order banning guns, probably because he knows he will be immediately sued, and that he will lose. So, instead he plays this little game of forcing lease holders to enforce a ban, which they have no authority under law to do, and should not be put into such a position in the first place. Only cowards force others to do their dirty work.
...
Anti-gay protests at the Center in past years have, according to one gay gun owner, speaking on condition of anonymity, left many gays and lesbians feeling threatened and intimidated, and worried about their safety. Yet the city dismisses their concerns. This is yet another manifestation of the social bigotry against firearms owners being practiced in Nickels' Seattle. He's all for gay rights, until that gay person decides to exercise his or her rights under the Second Amendment and Article 1, Section 24 of the state constitution. At that point, the gay person's rights suddenly become far inferior to the First Amendment rights of anti-gay protesters, or even the illegal activities of gay bashers who may be attracted to the Seattle Center to commit a violent hate crime. ...

Holocaust Museum shooting another example of the fallacy of "gun-free" zones:

Predictably, within hours of yesterdays assault on the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC, gun control advocates began citing it as an example of why more gun control is needed. Actually, this attack proves the opposite.

According to the Washington Times, gun control groups "said it highlights the need for lawmakers to reconsider efforts to ease the District's tough gun laws and allowing firearms into national parks."
...
The fallacy is that no law, no policy, no posted sign can truly create a "gun-free zone." Only a victim disarmament zone can be created as only those who are inclined to follow the law in the first place will abide by such rules or laws. Does anyone truly believe that a "no guns allowed" sign could have stopped Brunn from pulling the trigger? Especially since it is already illegal for private citizens to be armed on the streets of DC. Those laws and policies are currently in place, and there very well may be a sign already posted on the Museum prohibiting firearms, yet Brunn still attacked. There certainly are strict security measures including security checkpoints, all failed. It was another man with a gun who stopped the violence. ...

[Pennsylvania] Another town passes gun control ordinance, despite state preemption law:

Wilkinsburg has joined the growing number of municipalities to require gun owners to report lost or stolen firearms or face stiff fines and criminal charges.

The June 3 unanimous 6-0 vote sent the measure to Mayor John Thompson, who said he would sign it.

“Homicides are rising in the Pittsburgh area, and illegal handguns are fueling the problem,” said Council Vice President Jason Cohn. “This ordinance is a reasonable step to help police identify illegal traffickers and keep handguns out of the hands of criminals. It’s our job to protect the citizens of Wilkinsburg, and I believe this law helps us do that.”

Under the ordinance, failure to report missing handguns within 24 hours could result in a fine of up to $500, court costs and mandatory gun safety training. A second offense could mean fines up to $1,000 per violation plus court costs or up to 30 days imprisonment, for additional offenses. Anyone who fails to pay the fines will face up to 30 days in jail.
...
Whether or not it violates the U.S. Constitution’s Second, Fourth or Fifth amendments, the ordinance, like those passed in Philadelphia, Allentown, Pottsville, Reading, Harrisburg, and Pittsburgh, clearly violates state law.

Commonwealth Court ruled Philadelphia’s gun laws violated the 1996 Supreme Court ruling that “the General Assembly, not city councils,” is responsible for writing gun legislation. The city has appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court. Under federal law, only licensed firearm dealers must report loss or theft within 48 hours. ...

[New York] Senate change may have scuttled gun control bills:

The NRA and other pro-gun lobbyists are still maintaining their guard, but Senator Dale Volker's office has advised sportsmen's groups that the Senate has pretty much declared the Assembly's 13 anti-gun bills as dead for this term.

You can thank the political coup that occurred on Monday, redistributing the power in the Senate from a two-vote Democrat majority to a Republican majority.

The parliamentary maneuver, piloted by our Senator Tom Libous, has produced a coalition majority that includes all 30 Republicans and two Democrats. The two Democrat defectors have chosen to "caucus" with the Republican Conference, but have not changed their party affiliation.

Senate Bill 4397A (micro-stamping legislation outlined in this space last week) was placed on the Senate calendar before this chaos ensued, so it will remain on the calendar and still has the potential to be acted upon by the Senate- hence the NRA sentinels.

Efforts are being made move S 4397A from the floor calendar to the Rules Committee or to seek some other means by which the bill may be tabled.

The new Senate majority was still locked out of the chamber last I heard, so it's anyone's guess how things will transpire. But for now it looks like anti-gun legislation is stalled if not dead. ...

[Tennessee] Rep. says governor has cut deal on park carry bill:

Rep. Frank Niceley said today he has "cut a deal" with Gov. Phil Bredesen on the so-called "guns in parks" that he sponsored to passage earlier this session.

Under the arrangement, as explained by the Strawberry Plains Republican, the House will recall the HB716 from the governor's desk and amend it to delete the section that allows handgun permit holders to carry their weapons in parks operated by city and county governments.

The governor then, would agree not to veto the bill, which would still have provisions allowing guns in state and national parks, said Niceley, who sponsored the measure. He said Senate sponsor, Sen. Mae Beavers, R-Mount Juliet, had also agreed to the plan.

Further, Bredesen agreed not to veto any other bills expanding gun owner rights. That explicitly will include an amendment to be added to legislation sponsored by Rep. Eric Watson, Niceley said. That amendment will prohibit local governments from trying to "opt out" of legislation that allows guns in restaurants that serve alcoholic beverages. ...

Gun Rights News Roundup

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

Georgia Rep. Paul Broun on Sotomayor and the Second Amendment:

... If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Judge Sotomayor will likely be on the Supreme Court while a potentially groundbreaking Second Amendment case is decided. Constitutional scholars, gun owners and freedom loving Americans will once again find themselves on pins and needles.

For months now, the rights of gun owners all across this country have been in limbo as they experienced the fluid ups and downs of federal court opinions. At times they saw their individual rights eroding away under the weight of anti-gun activists who would impose personal views in place of the plain language of the 2nd Amendment. At other moments, it seemed the activists would be defeated by cases like District of Columbia v. Heller and individual rights would prevail.

In fact, over two hundred years ago – the author of the Declaration of Independence - President Thomas Jefferson, had many of the same concerns as he sat down to write a letter to his friend Wilson Cary Nicholas. Jefferson wrote, “Our peculiar security is in possession of a written Constitution. Let us not make it a blank paper by construction." ...

Another article on Chicago gun ban case:

Citing not the Constitution but judicial supremacy through legal precedent, the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld strict gun control ordinances in Chicago and suburban Oak Park, Ill., stating the 2nd Amendment applies only to federal laws.

This is one of the rare times you will see the federal government deciding in favor of states. Except in this case, it’s misapplied and incorrect, because the Bill of Rights, wherein the Second Amendment is contained, takes precedence over any states’ infringement or cancellation of specific rights granted thereof. The Bill of Rights was meant to prohibit states from trampling on the rights of the people, just as much as it was meant to rein in such attacks from the federal level; it was meant to be a limitation on any government power.

Three Republican appointees — Judge Frank H. Easterbrook, Judge Richard A. Posner and Judge William J. Bauer — saw fit to hail their peers as the interpreters, deciders, and ignorers of the Constitution. Now the case will head for the Supreme Court in fall. And possibly by that time, Sonia Sotomayer will most likely have been approved by the Senate and sitting on the bench.

Sotomayer was part of a three-judge panel in New York that had already concluded that the 2nd Amendment and its protection does not apply to state and municipal laws. So the outcome of such a Supreme Court case leaves little to the imagination, as the justices will most likely try to squeeze out of the Second Amendment their own interpretation. ...

An open letter to liberals:

It’s time we talk. The debate over gun control is not about guns, it’s about culture, and here is how it works: You point to school shootings and other violence and say that it’s my fault because I support the right to keep and bear arms. I point to violent video games and sociopathic teenagers, and I say the problem is your fault, thanks to inadequately internalized values and morals.

But here’s the thing: Between guns and culture, only one thing has changed. Weapons have been in the hands of man since time immemorial. There is nothing special about semi-automatic “assault weapons.” In fact, until 1934 people could go out and buy fully automatic Thompson submachine guns, hand grenades or just about any other implement of destruction they could afford.
...
Now, we could go the way of the Brits who, after the Dunblane massacre, banned everything in sight. Unfortunately, in this most perfect of gun control laboratories – an island nation with strict laws and tight borders – the result has been an explosion in crime…and yes, that especially includes gun crime.

It has also led their inadequately socialized post-60s kiddies to stab each other with such alarming regularity that the British have now begun to ban knives, leading us to the sad but inescapable conclusion that Brits can no longer be trusted with sharp objects. ...

[Tennessee] Senate passes Firearms Freedom Act:

The State Senate approved legislation today "that seeks to combat the destruction of the 10th Amendment of the Constitution by the Federal government in their attempt to infringe upon states’ rights."

Senate Bill 1610, known as the “Tennessee Firearms Freedom Act,” sponsored by Senator Mae Beavers, "takes a step in the right direction to restore to the states control of intra-state commerce and the regulation of firearms manufactured and sold within Tennessee," she said.

“Be it the federal government mandating changes in order for states to receive federal funds or the federal government telling us how to regulate commerce contained completely within this state – enough is enough,” urged Judiciary Chairman Beavers.
...
The state House of Representatives passed the companion bill (HB 1796 by Ben West and Henry Fincher) last week and the bill will now head to the governor’s office.

There were 87 representatives and 21 senators who voted in favor of the bill.

[New York] Anti-gun politicians opine on the need for more infringements:

... Microstamping allows police officers to identify the buyer and seller of a gun used in a crime -- even if the gun is not recovered at the crime scene. Tracing shell casings found at the scene is no different than tracing a crime gun.

Here's how microstamping works:

Gun manufacturers already print a serial number on all guns, often on the barrel. If they also begin inserting a serial number on the firing pin inside the barrel, every time a gun is fired, a tiny stamp would be left on the shell casings, which police officers routinely recover at crime scenes.

Microstamping gives law enforcement a new link in the evidence chain.

With the serial number from the casing, police can identify the gun and trace it back to the original sale in a gun store to find out who bought the gun. Even if the first retail purchaser has nothing to do with the crime -- for example, in cases where the gun was stolen from a legal gun owner -- determining the chain of custody of a gun is a critically important lead that can break a case open.

Suddenly, a stolen gun becomes the key to finding the shooter.

This technology fills a critical information gap between crime scenes, crime guns and the criminals who pulled the trigger.

Microstamping is fully consistent with the Second Amendment, and it is supported by more than 60 New York police departments, the New York Association of Chiefs of Police, the New York State Fraternal Order of Police and 19 New York mayors who are part of the bipartisan coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. [emphasis added] ...

Comment: The idea that locating the rightful owner of a stolen gun is "the key to finding the shooter" is almost too stupid for words. Notwithstanding the fact that microstamping can be easily defeated with, e.g., a five dollar file or a new firing pin, even if it works it only points to the person who legally purchased the gun that was stolen. And of course it only works if you can recover a spent cartridge from the gun in question. Of course, all the anti-gunners support this latest infringement, with the typical list of police agencies and their support organizations, led by would-be tyrants masquerading as elected servants.


[California] Santa Clarita resident details his first gun purchase in anti-gun California:

The ".22" I bought is actually considered a small-bore rifle. Gun sizes or "calibers" actually refer to the inside diameter of the gun barrel. "Caliber" is interchangeable with the word "inch." So, a 0.22 caliber gun fires a bullet that is 0.22" across.

I would think that a gun that fires such a little bullet would not worry the anti-gun folks so much. Boy, was I wrong.

I have never purchased a gun in the state of California. I had been through a gun class recently, so I was aware that there was a 10-day waiting period. I guess that helps stop "crimes of passion" where people rashly go out and buy a gun to do someone in.

I'm really glad we have that law. Now, instead of guns, all these angry people can use knives, baseball bats, rat poison and any one of myriad other methods to kill someone. That's much more humane.

I had shopped around and knew guns were very hard to find these days.

All the latest moves by the Obama administration have convinced the gun community that guns will soon be very hard to acquire.
...
After checking out the goods, I decided to get it. Little did I know I was going to fall into Gun-Control Hell.

The pimply-faced, 18-year-old employee told me that there were a few formalities to take care of before our transaction was complete.

After fingerprinting me, verifying my driver's license, doing the laser eye retina scan and testing my DNA, he presented me with a small form to fill out.

"Small" is a relative term, of course. The extensive list of questions included queries about my criminal record, my relative mental stability, and whether I was a fugitive from the law.
...
After half an hour of fun and games, I was allowed to pay for the gun and leave the store- without the gun. I was now in my "waiting period."

This was fine with me because I now had to go find ammunition since a gun without ammo is like a Democrat without union money. Impotent. ...

[D.C.] Norton pulls D.C. Voting Rights Act, citing amendments to remove D.C.'s gun controls:

D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton on Tuesday pulled the D.C. Voting Rights Act from consideration by the House of Representatives, as it became clear supporters did not have the votes to reject a pro-gun amendment attached in the Senate.

Norton, a Democrat, made the decision to withdraw the measure after meeting with key players over the weekend, including House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, according to an e-mail she sent to key voting rights backers. The bill would have expanded the House by two seats, one for the District and the other, temporarily at least, for Utah.

“All agreed that there were good reasons to wait — for now,” wrote Norton, D.C.’s non-voting delegate. “Please understand that we are holding the bill for now, not giving up on voting rights.”

The bill, which had suffered defeat twice before, is unlikely to return before the next congressional session. ...

Comment: D.C. pols are so wedded to the idea of defenseless citizens that they would rather continue their draconian gun controls than have a vote in Congress, although without amending the Constitution, such a vote would likely be unconstitutional. Not that the Constitution appears to be much of an impediment to Washington politicians.


Press Release: Remington acquires Dakota Arms:

Remington Arms Company, Inc. through its fully owned subsidiary DA Acquisitions LLC has entered into a purchase agreement to acquire certain assets of Dakota Arms, LLC including the Dakota, Miller Arms, Dan Walter and Nesika Bay Precision brands. The transaction closed on June 5, 2009.Established in 1982 and headquartered in Sturgis, South Dakota, Dakota Arms is the leading manufacturer of custom and semi-custom rifles for the sporting markets.

The Dakota product lines are universally recognized for outstanding quality, design, accuracy and aesthetic appeal. The Dakota brands include Nesika, Miller Arms and Dan Walter. Nesika Bay Precision actions and rifles renowned for their exceptional accuracy; Miller Arms is known for the reliability and performance of its single-shot actions and custom rifles; and Dan Walter Cases are regarded as the premier travel and display cases for shotguns and rifles. Dakota Arms is strongly anchored in the Black Hills of South Dakota and currently employs 35 people. ...

John Lott on Sotomayor and guns:

... Whatever Mr. Obama's true conviction, Judge Sonia Sotomayor, his pick for the Supreme Court, does not view the Second Amendment as guaranteeing an individual right. Yet media from the Los Angeles Times to The Washington Post think they have the proof she is not an "anti-gun radical."

Their logic goes something like this: Last week, a three-judge panel of Republican-appointed judges on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals found that the Second Amendment limits only federal gun laws, not state laws. Because Judge Sotomayor was being criticized for sitting on a panel that reached a similar decision and these Republicans can't be "anti-gun," neither can Judge Sotomayor.

But the media are either unable or unwilling to read beyond who won the 2nd and 7th circuit cases and the most basic parts of the decisions. Both panels said it really was up to the Supreme Court to apply the Second Amendment to the states. Yet Judge Sotomayor's panel tried to eviscerate the recent Supreme Court decision that had struck down the District's gun ban even for federal laws.

To her panel, the Second Amendment would not block any gun-control laws as long as the politicians passing the laws thought the weapon was "designed primarily as a weapon and has no purpose other than to maim or, in some instances, kill." With that interpretation, the Supreme Court never could have struck down the D.C. gun ban, let alone any other gun-control law.

That Judge Sotomayor would make such an argument less than a year after the Supreme Court's decision in the District of Columbia v. Heller means she would vote to return the D.C. gun ban the first chance she got. For those who have any remaining doubts, in a 2004 decision, U.S. v. Sanchez-Villar, Judge Sotomayor ruled "that the right to possess a gun is clearly not a fundamental right." ...

South Carolina's Sen. DeMint says Sotomayor still troubles him:

... Though Sotomayor was "very personable and engaging," "I didn't hear anything today that eased my concerns," DeMint said in a statement.

"She was unwilling to say the Second Amendment protects a fundamental right that applies to all Americans, which raises serious questions about her view of the Bill of Rights. When I asked if an unborn child has any rights whatsoever, I was surprised that she said she had never thought about it. This is not just a question about abortion, but about the respect due to human life at all stages, and I hope this is cleared up in her hearings," DeMint said. [emphasis added] ...

[Arizona] Senate panel OKs restaurant carry bill:

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Monday to let some gun owners bring their weapons into places where alcohol is served after the Arizona Restaurant Association dropped its objection to the proposal.

Monday's 4-3 vote came after assurances from the National Rifle Association that the provisions of SB 1113 are limited to restaurants. Todd Rathner, a member of NRA's board, said that goes along with his organization's belief that gun owners should not be required to leave their weapons in their vehicles simply because they want something to eat and the restaurant also happens to serve alcohol.

But Rathner acknowledged that the wording of the bill, which now goes to the full Senate, actually could let guns into more than just what are usually seen as restaurants.

SB 1113 allows someone who has a state-issued permit to carry a concealed weapon to bring it into a place that has a liquor license and "offers for sale food for on-site consumption prepared in a kitchen located on the premises."
...
Sen. Jack Harper, R-Surprise, said he sharpened this year's version to apply only to those individuals who have state-issued licenses to carry concealed weapons. That not only screens out those who haven't been through the training and background checks, but it also ensures no one has a visible gun strapped to a hip.

It also preserves language from prior years spelling out that anyone who is armed cannot drink. And it says any restaurant owner who doesn't want patrons carrying guns can keep the weapons out by posting signs to that effect at all entrances.
Steve Chucri, president of the Arizona Restaurant Association, said his members still aren't supporting the plan. But they're no longer trying to kill it, either.

And Gov. Jan Brewer already has said that unlike her predecessor, who vetoed a similar bill in 2005, she's inclined to sign it. ...

Gun Rights News Roundup

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

[Texas] Sales of guns, ammo shoot up:

SAN ANGELO, Texas — The recession has hit a lot of people hard with job layoffs and home foreclosures across the country, but times are good in West Texas for sales of guns and ammunition.

“In the nine years I’ve been here, we’ve had special orders, now we have waiting lists,” said Gary Hicks, a salesman at the Outdoorsman sporting goods shop in San Angelo.

Prices have gone up and, in the case of ammunition, shortages are occurring, say people in law enforcement and firearm sales.
...
The election of President Barack Obama and a Democrat-controlled Congress triggered that boom in demand for firearms and ammo, said Daryl Presley, another Outdoorsman salesman.

“It has nothing to do with hunting or sport. It has to do with rights. They keep nibbling at the rights. A lot of the concern is the termite effect, or how does a man eat an elephant? One bite at a time,” he said. ...

[Arizona] Guns sales soaring:

AT THE National Rifle Association’s 138th annual convention, held this year in Phoenix, Arizona, 65,000 people poured through the doors. They admired the fancy firearms, snacked on grilled buffalo and were happily recruited by shooting associations. Tom Power, of the Texas Gun Collectors Association, says membership has been soaring since Barack Obama took office. Bill Bachenberg, the owner of a shooting range near Allentown, Pennsylvania, has been registering 400 new members a month. “American gun-owners don’t trust this administration,” he says.

American gun sales surged after Mr Obama was elected president. He had a voting record of raising the tax on guns and ammunition by 500%, and, on top of that, he hinted during the campaign that he might restrict gun sales and create a national registry of gun-owners. The election was seven months ago, and the buying spree has not flagged since. Data released by the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which serve as a gauge of actual sales, reported 1,255,980 checks in April 2009: a sixth monthly increase, and a 30.3% increase from the 940,961 reported last April.

Concealed-weapon permits are up, too. Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina and Montana all report a rise in licences issued; Ohio saw a 139% increase in the first quarter of this year over last. Meanwhile, classes on gun rules in Phoenix are booked solid for months, ammunition is sold out, and gunmakers and dealers alike are scrambling to keep up with demand. ...

[New Hampshire] Sig Sauer to resume shipping handguns with two magazines:

SIG SAUER, the leading manufacturer of military, law enforcement, government agency and commercial firearms, will resume shipping all standard commercial pistols with two magazines.

SIG SAUER suppliers increased production to meet the heightened consumer demand, thus allowing SIG SAUER to resume shipping two magazines with every commercial handgun.

Previously, SIG SAUER had announced effective March 20, 2009, that all standard commercial pistols would ship with a single magazine.

Models that included more than two magazines were not affected. Shipments to distributors and dealers with the two magazines in each pistol will commence immediately.

Op-ed: Sotomayor has decided Bill of Rights doesn't apply to states:

If you thought the Bill of Rights gives you constitutional protection for freedom of speech, of religion and a free press; you are wrong according to Obama Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor. The likely newest member of the high Court decided that all these rights guaranteed by the first Ten Amendments which make up the Bill of Rights can now all be taken away from us at the whim of our state legislatures - who would have imagined.

Sotomayor has been criticized for racist statements and a belief that courts set "policy" not just issue decisions based on the law, and it has been noted that she meets the Obama intention of appointing a Supreme Court judge with "empathy," but her credentials as judge have been accepted without question – this is a big mistake.

Sotomayor was on a panel of the Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit which issued an unsigned opinion dismissing a challenge to a New York law that banned a martial arts weapon despite the earlier Supreme Court ruling in Heller v District of Columbia which struck down a ban on handguns and said individuals have the right to keep arms at home for self defense.

But the panel on which Sotomayor served said in the case of Maloney v. Cuomo that it was clear from the Supreme Court precedent that the Second Amendment could be applied only to the federal government, or in a federal enclave such as Washington. It said the Supreme Court has "the prerogative of overruling its own decisions."

The issue raises the question of whether the Bill of Rights applies to state and local governments. Lawyers challenging gun restrictions and legal scholars contend that they do, through the due-process clause of the 14th Amendment. And that was the finding of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit earlier this year. The Supreme Court's 5 to 4 decision last year in the Heller case decided for the first time that the Second Amendment provided an individual right to bear arms.

If the 2nd can be said to not apply to the states and local governments, then why should the other rights spelled out in the Bill of Rights apply? ...

[Ohio] Attorney General moves to intervene in BFA lawsuit against Cleveland:

Buckeye Firearms Association is pleased to report that Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray's office has filed a Motion to Intervene in a lawsuit filed by Buckeye Firearms Foundation, Inc. against the City of Cleveland.

The lawsuit was filed by the Ohio not-for profit foundation, to stop the City of Cleveland from prosecuting law-abiding gun owners under local ordinances that restrict gun ownership and concealed carry (CCW). The lawsuit also asks the Court to declare 20 different local ordinances unconstitutional on the grounds of state preemption of firearm laws, on the grounds that the ordinances are in conflict with R.C. 9.68.

In response to the Foundation's complaint, the City filed an Answer alleging that R.C. 9.68 is unconstitutional. The City further argues that R.C. 9.68 is not a general law of the State of Ohio and is therefore an unconstitutional attempt by the General Assembly to preempt local ordinances in violation of the Home Rule Amendment of the Ohio Constitution.

The Attorney General's response was quick and decisive.

On May 29, Cordray filed a Motion to Intervene in this case, in order to "defend this state law." ...

[Tennessee] Legislators explain veto override vote on restaurant carry bill:

... The veto was also overridden in the state Senate on Thursday, but state Sen. Steve Southerland, R-1st, of Morristown, was absent, on a trip long planned on the assumption that the legislative session would end in May.

In a telephone interview this morning Southerland said he voted for the original bill and would have voted to override if needed, "but we had plenty of votes to override the governor's veto."

Southerland added, "All we were doing was upholding the Constitution," which he noted "guarantees citizens the right to bear arms."

Southerland said guns are already present in bars and restaurants when people who are carrying weapons without a permit bring them in. "This allows law-abiding citizens to carry their guns with them instead of leaving them in the car, where (the gun) may be stolen."

The House of Representatives overrode the veto on Wednesday.

"It's important to make sure that the issue is clear," Hawk said in a telephone interview this morning. "It's not about guns in bars. The issue is about citizens who have a legal permit to carry their guns in places where permit holders across the country are able to carry their guns."

Hawk said the bill "brings Tennessee in line with 36 other states" that allow weapons in places where alcohol is served. ...

[South Carolina] New gun law sparks debate:

... The state has long allowed any legal gun owner to keep a firearm locked in their vehicle, in a glove compartment, closed console, closed trunk or secured container in the vehicle. Just not on school grounds.

But after Gov. Mark Sanford signed a bill into law this week, CWP holders are now allowed to take guns onto school property. However, guns must remain secured and in the vehicle. And non-CWP holders still are banned from taking firearms onto school property.

Sen. Jake Knotts, R-West Columbia, worked on the committee that considered the bill. He said it will not have any effect on gun violence on campuses.

"It's not in any way going to increase any type of shootings on campuses," Knotts said. "The people who do the shootings on campus are not law-abiding citizens." ...

[Illinois] Elderly couple wants concealed carry option:

I don't know if there's such a thing as a typical supporter of Mayor Jim Ardis' concealed-carry proposal.

But my last guess might be Wanda and Ron Swenson, a pair of gray-haired retirees who live in a nice condominium in northwest Peoria.

Their dwelling and station in life seem far removed from the gangs, shootings and mayhem that regularly plague certain slices of the city. Still, they feel the creep of crime, so much so they often feel like prisoners in their own home. They'd feel much safer if they could pack a firearm when about town.

"I would not think twice about using it if my life was bring threatened," says Wanda, who describes herself as a "gun-toting granny."

She doesn't carry one now, but she used to. Wanda, 69, grew up on a farm in Tennessee, where she learned to use a gun from her father and brothers, avid hunters all. ...

[California] Bill restricting ammo sales back:

After being placed in the suspense file, and everyone thinking it was dead, Assembly Bill 962 is moving through the state legislature again.

It passed the state Assembly Wednesday and now moves to the state Senate. How it got this far is a mystery.

In case you've forgotten, Los Angeles Assemblyman Kevin DeLeon's bill would:

1. Stop the sale of more than 50 rounds of handgun ammunition per month to individuals.
...
2. It would license and tax anyone selling handgun ammunition commercially and force these stores to get background checks on anyone selling that ammunition.
...
3. It would require ammunition sellers to get a thumbprint from anyone buying handgun ammunition, and mandate store owners to keep these records for five years.
...
4. It would ban all ammunition sales that don't take place face-to-face, effectively banning all mail-order sales. ...

Comment: If you live in California, you'd better contact your elected servants and have them stop this bill.

Gun Rights News Roundup

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

[Louisiana] House nixes campus carry bill:

The Louisiana House on Thursday voted down a proposal to allow concealed handguns on university campuses, overwhelmingly rejecting the argument that licensed gun owners would make colleges less prone to bloodshed.

Lawmakers voted 86-18 to reject the bill, which drew heavy opposition from university and police officials. The legislation, by Rep. Ernest Wooton, would have forced colleges in the state to allow people with concealed handgun permits to carry those weapons on the campuses - which are now so-called "gun-free" zones.

Wooton argued that his proposal would make college grounds safer. School administrators and police chiefs from around Louisiana lobbied against it, saying guns would make college campuses more likely to suffer from shootings, both purposeful and accidental. The National Rifle Association has pushed for similar legislation in numerous states, with limited success. ...

Gun advocates wary of Sotomayor nomination:

Gun-rights advocates are using Judge Sonia Sotomayor's involvement in two Second Amendment cases as ammunition to challenge her nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, threatening to draw the Obama administration into a debate over firearms laws that it has tried hard to avoid.

The Gun Owners of America, an organization based in Springfield, Va., is telling its 300,000 members to let senators know they oppose Judge Sotomayor's appointment. "Our message will be to the senators [that] it doesn't matter how you voted" on other gun issues, said executive director Larry Pratt. The nomination "is the big one."

The clash between gun-control laws and the breadth of the constitutional right to bear arms is one of several social issues being scoured by people on both sides of the ideological spectrum for clues to Judge Sotomayor's leanings. Her record on the bench provides few hints of her views on such hot-button issues as abortion or gay marriage. ...

Guns, ammo sales still brisk:

No one really expects business to increase 60 percent in a worldwide economic crisis. Unless, of course, you own a firearms store, online ammo shop, or lease a booth at the regional gun show, in which case business is exploding.

Brad DeSaye’s family has been selling guns and ammo since 1946, when his father Joe opened J&G Rifle Ranch in Montana. The business moved in 1977 to Prescott, Arizona, renaming itself J&G Sales. Specializing in guns and ammo for “sportsmen, law enforcement and firearms enthusiasts,” J&G has thrived through multiple wars, recessions, and national panics. But sales have never been as high as they are at the moment, DeSaye says. “Business is probably triple more than normal,” he tells TAC. “It’s unprecedented.”

He’s hardly the exception. Boxes of ammunition of all calibers are reportedly flying off the shelves at double, even triple the normal price in neighborhood mom-and-pops, Wal-Marts, and at gun shows across the country. Big online dealers like Texas-based Cheaper Than Dirt are ordering millions of rounds at a time and slamming up against backorders of six to eight months.

Meanwhile, Dave Hardy, who blogs at armsandthelaw.com, reports that gun shows are becoming surreal. “The last gun show I went to, ammo prices were close to double what they were six months ago,” he says. “I saw three or four people enter with moving dollies, using them to haul out a load of ammo too heavy to carry. I have never seen that before, and I’ve been attending gun shows since the mid-1970s.”

Firearms, especially semi-automatics and handguns, are in high demand. Longtime gun owners are said to be “stockpiling,” while another demographic, the rookie, is beginning to make his mark. Ted Novin, spokesman for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, said the organization’s introductory gun-safety classes are seeing “an unprecedented level” of attendance. “One of our courses is called ‘First Shots’—it’s jam-packed,” he says. ...

[Connecticut] Gun sales skyrocket:

With its sleek lines and light weight, an AR-15-style weapon is considered desirable as a home protection tool because it’s maneuverable.

It looks like a machine gun. But with models as light as six pounds, it can be leveled at an assailant without tiring the carrier. In the hands of an experienced marksmen, it’s highly reliable at hitting a target.

Local firearms dealers said they haven’t been able to keep that type of firearm on the shelves for months. Scott Hoffman said that since November he hasn’t been able to immediately fill orders for items considered personal weapons. He’s back-ordered in certain kinds of ammunition, too.

“Gun sales have at least doubled,” said the longtime owner of Hoffman’s Gun Center on the Berlin Turnpike. “Business is up at least 50 percent and that’s in a bad economy. It shows you how scared people are.” ...

[South Carolina] Gun, ammo sales see sharp rise:

April was turkey hunting season, but instead of buying hunting gear, gun shoppers at Nichols Store in Rock Hill were loading up on home-safety pistols and self-defense rounds.

Sales at York County gun stores and pawn shops have as much as doubled since November's election of a Democrat for president, local gun merchants report, as customers fear tighter gun control measures could be on the horizon. And since then, the number of federal firearm background checks required to own a gun have surpassed previous years by 25 percent to 50 percent a month, FBI statistics show.

Many gun owners at Nichols Store recently said they were concerned the Obama administration would make it more difficult to own a gun. The hunters, hobbyists and self-defenders said they frequent the store several times a month to buy supplies.

Shannon Gunn, the gun department manager at Nichols Store, said ammunition is tough to keep on the shelves behind his counter. Gunn's most popular rounds are the .380 ACP and .9-millimeter [sic] cartridges, both standard ammo for self-defense pistols. Some customers buy them by the case. ...

[Ohio] More people arming, seeking carry permits:

President Barack Obama's mantra of change meant something positive to a majority of voters, but some local gun owners are afraid that change could threaten their Second Amendment rights and are applying in droves for concealed-carry permits.

Almost four people came in every business day through the first three months of the year, 252 in all, to either renew or seek a new permit to arm themselves discretely in public, according to figures from the Licking County Sheriff's Office.

During the same period in 2008, 107 people sought concealed-carry licenses, or CCLs.

"I'm expecting this year's renewals and original licenses to exceed 1,200," said Ken Richardson, who runs the sheriff's office concealed-carry licensure program. ...

[Utah] Meanwhile, in Utah, permits applications up as well:

Amid an avalanche of new interest in Utah's widely recognized concealed-carry firearm permit, two of the state's best-known gun-rights advocates hosted a no-cost class to acquire the permit for Salt Lake media members on Sunday.

Applications for Utah concealed-carry permits have skyrocketed this spring according to the Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification, the agency tasked with issuing and administrating concealed weapon carry permits. Last February's 2,548 applicants jumped to 8,142 this year and March permit seekers more than doubled from 4,412 in 2008 to 10,878 in 2009. ...

[Illinois] Peoria mayor wants his city as test case for concealed carry:

PEORIA — Mayor Jim Ardis wants to see a push for Peoria to become a pilot city for statewide concealed-carry legislation that would allow people to carry guns in a responsible manner, he said Thursday.

Ardis wants to see legislation passed in Springfield allowing Peoria to enact an ordinance permitting citizens the right to carry a concealed weapon.

His comments come one day after a gas station attendant was shot and killed in the East Bluff and a shot was discharged on Newman Golf Course during a botched robbery.

"I'm trying to see if there is an opportunity for (the General Assembly) to enact a concealed-carry ordinance in the city of Peoria for a three to four year test to see (if there is) a reduction in these types of crimes," Ardis said.

Getting concealed-carry legislation passed in Illinois, however, is another matter, because the politically charged issue in Springfield has often met resistance by state lawmakers, particularly those from the Chicago area. ...

Gun Rights News Roundup

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

[South Carolina] Gun, ammo sales booming:

Gun sales are surging and ammunition is difficult to find across the Grand Strand, following a national trend that began in November when Barack Obama was elected president and was stoked by a fear that the recession will spur a rise in crime.

Sales at local gun shops have soared as much as 65 percent since the election. And since November, federal firearm background checks — required to become a gun owner — have outpaced previous years by 25 percent to 50 percent a month, FBI statistics show.

Many gun buyers are concerned that President Obama’s administration will attempt to push legislation that would make it more difficult to buy guns.

And some people say they are stocking up on weapons and buying guns to protect themselves in the event of a home invasion.

“What are you going to do? Throw a pillow at them in your house ... at 3 in the morning ... with your wife and kids there?” asked Tony Maloney of Myrtle Beach. “This guy wants to ban guns? They’re destroying the honest citizen of their Second Amendment right (to bear arms) ... or at least trying to.” ...

[D.C.] Support waning for more gun control laws:

WASHINGTON — Amid a wave of publicity about drug-related gun violence along the Mexican border and police killings in U.S. cities, more Americans than ever oppose new government efforts to regulate guns.

Recent polls show shrinking support for new gun control measures and strong public sentiment for enforcing existing laws instead. So strong is the shift in public opinion that a proposed assault-weapons ban — once backed by three in four Americans — now rates barely one in two.

Frank Newport, editor in chief of the Gallup Poll, told reporters Tuesday that “every bit of data is showing us that Americans are getting more conservative about gun control.”

A CNN poll conducted in April found that 39 percent of Americans wanted stricter gun control laws, down from 50 percent in 2000. Another 46 percent said the gun laws should stay as they are, while 15 percent said they should be loosened — up from 9 percent in 2000. ...

[New York] Op-ed: Assembly dodges bullet by changing day of gun control vote:

What do you do when a bunch of gun advocates are coming to town by the busload and you're about to pass a bunch of anti-gun legislation?

You do what the state Assembly did this week. You run and hide. Or more specifically, you reschedule the votes to the day before they're scheduled to arrive, basically eliminating any chance that the lobbyists will have a chance to influence the outcome.

We shouldn't be surprised. This is how the state government works. They do things in secret so the public doesn't have a chance to give them grief for it. They prepare the state budget behind closed doors every year, then pass budget bills literally in the middle of the night. This year, they were even more secretive about the budget than ever. They do it with pay raises for appointed staffers. They're doing it with the federal stimulus money.

And this week, they did it to the gun lobby.

There's a word for that kind of governing. It's called "cowardice." ...

[Tennessee] House passes permit privacy bill:

NASHVILLE — The House voted 83-12 with no debate Monday night to make secret the names of all 220,000 Tennesseans who have state issued handgun-carry permits.

“This would make information contained in your handgun carry permit private and not open to the public,” Rep. Eddie Bass, D-Prospect, told colleagues, who passed the bill seconds later.

Meanwhile, House negotiators earlier in the day backpedaled on another permit-related bill and voted 3-2 to adopt a Senate version allowing permit holders to bring loaded pistols into bars and nightclubs.

Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, R-Collierville, the Senate sponsor of the measure shutting down public access to permit holders’ records, said he may bring the bill to the Senate floor next week. ...

[Tennessee] Committee removes restaurant carry curfew from bill:

A joint committee on a bill to allow handgun carry permit holders to take their weapons into restaurants that serve alcohol decided to remove restrictions passed in the House that would not have allowed the guns in age-restricted restaurants and would have barred the weapons from any restaurant from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The House panel in the committee voted 3-2 to recommend a Senate amendment that contained neither of the stipulations that passed the House. Rep. Curry Todd, R-Collierville and the sponsor of the bill, indicated to the AP that the restrictions he fought for in the House didn’t matter once the bill went to a conference committee. ...

[South Carolina] High court kills gun tax holiday:

South Carolina’s top court Monday shot down the state’s gun sales tax holiday, ruling lawmakers violated the state constitution by including an unrelated matter in the law, passed last year.

State Rep. Mike Pitts, R-Laurens, who pushed for the gun sales tax holiday — held for the first time the weekend after Thanksgiving — disagreed with the ruling.

“What they did was legislate from the bench, which is absolutely what they’re not designed to do,” he said Monday.

The S.C. Supreme Court unanimously reversed its earlier stance on the General Assembly’s practice of “log rolling” or “bobtailing,” which involves adding unrelated items — usually at the last minute — to a bill on a separate subject.

In recent years, the court removed the unrelated section of a challenged “bobtailing” law while upholding the rest of it. With Monday’s ruling, the justices said they would strike down an entire law if they found one part to be unconstitutional.

“The ‘bright-line’ rule announced today will deter log rolling, provide certainty and avoid arbitrary judicial enforcement of the one-subject rule,” Justice Costa Pleicones wrote for the court.

In striking down the 2008 law, the court said a provision dealing with the blending of ethanol in gasoline didn’t relate to the gun sales tax holiday or another provision creating a sales tax exemption for certain noncommercial, energy-efficient products. ...

Four states consider open carry laws

From USA Today:

Four Southern states — Texas, South Carolina, Oklahoma and Arkansas — are considering legislation that would allow people to carry handguns openly in a holster.

These generally Second Amendment-friendly states are among the last six holdouts against open carrying of guns. Openly carrying handguns is legal in most states, even those that ban concealed firearms. New York and Florida also bar openly carrying handguns.

The four other states that ban so-called open carry "are extremely gun-friendly. They understand the individual-rights aspect. Yet for whatever reason, the carry laws in these states are restrictive," says John Pierce, a co-founder of OpenCarry.org, which promotes gun rights.

Most states have strict laws governing concealed weapons. Illinois and Wisconsin ban carrying them entirely, according to the National Rifle Association. Concealing a weapon "was seen in the early days of our nation as something of an unwholesome act. People would bear arms openly," Pierce says.

Says Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, which opposes open-carry laws: "We don't want more people carrying guns either openly or concealed because the more guns you have in a situation, the more likely you are to get gun violence."

Grass-roots movements supporting open carry have emerged via Internet and e-mail campaigns, Pierce says. The online Texas petition now has more than 55,000 signatures. OpenCarry.org raised $25,000 through online donations to pay for advertising in Texas, says OpenCarry.org co-founder Mike Stollenwerk. ...

Article here.

South Carolina lawmaker's bill would allow guns in schools and restaurants

From the Palmetto State:

Holders of concealed-carry permits could bring their weapons onto school grounds and into restaurants that sell alcoholic beverages under a bill introduced by state Sen. Shane Martin.

On school property, a gun would have to remain in a locked vehicle. In a restaurant, a person carrying a gun could not sit at the bar.

Sens. Harvey Peeler, R-Gaffney, and Glenn Reese, D-Boiling Springs, have signed on as co-sponsors.

Martin said the bill would keep "a good, law-abiding citizen out of trouble just from pulling onto campus," and would allow teachers and administrators who hold concealed-carry permits to keep their weapons in their vehicles while at work. ...

Article here.

South Carolina to consider Vermont-style carry

From the Palmetto State:

COLUMBIA, SC (AP) - A South Carolina House member is filing a bill to allow residents to carry weapons without a permit.

Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dan Cooper of Piedmont said Tuesday he has filed legislation to allow any law-abiding citizen to carry a weapon.

The Republican says concealed weapons permit laws and other restrictions make it less likely people who obey the law will be armed and does nothing to disarm people willing to break the law.

Article here. The article doesn't specify, but Alaska-style carry -- no permit needed, but the state will still issue permits for those who desire one for reciprocity and/or permit recognition purposes when visiting other states -- would probably be preferable to Vermont-style carry. No permit is needed in Vermont, but the state doesn't issue permits for reciprocity and/or permit recognition purposes, so Vermont residents are out of luck unless they obtain, say, a Florida or Utah permit (which are recognized by a substantial number of states).