2008 GRPC Conference

It's coming soon, less than 2 months to go! The 2008 Gun Rights Policy Conference (GRPC) is being held in Phoenix Arizona this year on the weekend of Friday Sep 26th. Save the date on your calendar & make plans to be there!

HR 6691 Would Repeal DC Gun Ban

This is only a wild guess, but I'm thinking that the House Democrat leadership saw the writing on the wall & decided to compromise. Better for them to allow the vote because they are willing to let the voice of the people be heard rather than because they were forced to by a petition process. Just a guess.

From the NRA-ILA:

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Fairfax, VA -- Today, in a bi-partisan effort, Congressman Travis Childers, Congressmen John Dingell, John Tanner, Mike Ross and Mark Souder, along with 47 of their colleagues, introduced the Second Amendment Enforcement Act (H.R. 6691). This critical legislation overturns D.C.'s recently enacted emergency laws that continue to defy the recent Supreme Court ruling by continuing to restrict District of Columbia residents' right to self-defense. This National Rifle Association-backed bill is needed to enforce the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in District of Columbia v. Heller.

On June 26, the U. S. Supreme Court held in District of Columbia v. Heller that "the District's ban on handgun possession in the home violates the Second Amendment, as does its prohibition against rendering any lawful firearm in the home operable for the purpose of immediate self-defense." The Supreme Court clearly stated that handguns are constitutionally-protected arms because they are commonly used, are typically possessed by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes, are considered by the American people to be the quintessential self-defense weapon, are the most popular weapon chosen by Americans for self-defense in the home and are the most preferred firearm in the nation to keep and use for protection of home and family.

The Second Amendment Enforcement Act will:

* Repeal the District's ban on semi-automatic handguns. Semi-automatic pistols have been the most commonly purchased handguns in the United States over the last 20 years, and therefore a ban on those firearms is unconstitutional as decided by Heller;

* Restore the right of self-defense by repealing the requirement that firearms be disassembled or secured with a trigger lock in the home;

* Repeal the current D.C. registration system that requires multiple visits to police headquarters; ballistics testing; passing a written test on D.C. gun laws; fingerprinting; and limiting registration to one handgun per 90 days. The current system is unduly burdensome and serves as a vehicle for even more onerous restrictions; and

* Create a limited exemption to the federal ban on interstate handgun sales by allowing D.C. residents to purchase handguns in Virginia and Maryland. Currently there are no firearms dealers in the District of Columbia, and the federal ban prohibits residents from purchasing handguns outside of the District; therefore, District residents have no means of purchasing handguns.

Copyright 2008, National Rifle Association of America, Institute for Legislative Action.
This may be reproduced. It may not be reproduced for commercial purposes.
Contact Us | Privacy & Security Policy

More from the NRA-ILA here.

Best BBQ Grill Ever

Received this photo in my e-mail today as an attachment. I wish I had one for of these for my backyard. It looks like it is for sale based on the hanging flier in the photo, so if anyone knows who is selling these let me know & I'll link to their site.

We are the NRA, and We are Watching!

Sebastian has the scoop on an NRA member who was allegedly a secret super spy gaining access to the highest levels of multiple anti gun groups allowing her to obtain super secret details about their anti-gun methodology & trickery.

This should be a warning to the Brady group & other anti gun organizations with benign sounding sly names such as the Violence Policy Center that purport to be against violence but actually seek to take away our guns. As is widely reported even by our enemies, the NRA really is a huge powerful lobby made powerful because of its grass roots support by millions of individual NRA members throughout America who share the single minded goal of protecting our right to keep & bear arms. You never know when one of us is secretly listening in on one of your super secret meetings where you make your plans on how best to lie to & confuse the general public. Trying to convince people that a 3 shot bird gun is a super scary weapon comes to mind as a recent example of your trickery. We are the NRA, we are WATCHING, we are LISTENING. Beware, and behave.

More from Uncle.

Register To Vote

I know that if you're reading this blog you are probably already registered, but if you are not the NRA has made it easy to register to vote in whatever State you live in by filling out an online form & printing out the required paperwork which you can then place in the mail.

If you live in Arizona you can complete the entire registration process online - no stamp required.

In Arizona the deadline to register to vote in the upcoming Primary election is this coming Monday Aug 4th so don't delay, register today!

Also for Arizonans in Maricopa County you can:

• Request online to have your ballot mailed to you for the upcoming election.
• Print out, sign, & mail in a form to sign up permanently to have ballots mailed to you for all future elections.

I imagine these same early ballot options are available for all Counties in Arizona, although they may not all be online. If you're aware of the links for your Arizona County, please post them as a comment or drop me an e-mail.

House Bill Would Repeal DC Gun Ban

The Second Amendment Enforcement Act HR 1331 - contact your representative & ask that they sign the HR 1331 discharge petition to bring the Second Amendment Enforcement Act to the floor for a vote.

HR 1331 would force the vote on a modified version of HR 1399 which if passed would repeal the DC semiautomatic handgun ban & remove all requirements for registration & keeping guns disassembled. It is in the process of gathering required signatures to over-ride the House Democrat Majority that had blocked HR 1399 in a move to prevent a vote. HR 1331 is co-sponsored by Reps. Mike Ross (D-Ark.) and Mark Souder (R-Ind.)

. . . Souder is seeking to bring the bill to the floor through a "discharge petition," which requires the signatures of 218 House members. The move allows the measure to bypass House committees, and forces the Democratic majority to allow the full chamber to vote on it.

Since filing the petition last week, Souder has collected 109 signatures. He is confident of picking up sufficient support since 247 legislators had previously co-sponsored the gun bill, including 56 Democrats . . .

More here.

Update 1: House Democrat Leadership decided to allow the vote on bill HR 6691.

The Brady Bunch: Scared of a 3 Shot Birdgun

If this wasn't so pathetic it would be funny. Just when you think the Brady folks can't prove themselves to be either bigger liars or even more dumb, they open their mouth to speak again.

More from Uncle & Sebastian.

Heller vs DC part II

Heller vs DC part II.

More from Sebastian.

FL: Federal Judge Rules Parking Lot Law Constitutional

Good news for gun owners in Florida & everywhere else for that matter yesterday when Federal Judge Robert Hinkle ruled that the Florida Parking Lot Law is constitutional:

A federal judge handed down a decisive victory for gun owners in Florida yesterday. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle ruled that state law allowing employees with Right-to-Carry permits to keep a firearm in their private vehicles while at work is constitutional. The “Guns at Work” law, as it is known, has been part of a three-year effort by the National Rifle Association (NRA) to expand the self-defense rights of law-abiding gun owners . . .

Judge Hinkle rejected the argument by Florida’s Chamber of Commerce that the law is an unconstitutional taking of private property without just compensation. He also rejected the chamber’s argument that the law violates OSHA standards.

More from the NRA:

“This ruling is a significant victory for Florida gun owners,” said Chris W. Cox, NRA’s chief lobbyist. “NRA wanted to reinforce that it is wrong for corporations to arbitrarily demand that every man and woman on their payroll give up their right to defend themselves and their loved ones or give up their jobs. We are thankful the judge found Florida’s law to be constitutional and we hope the ruling will bring an end to a pattern of corporate disregard for gun owners’ civil rights.”

Editorial on Racist Origin of Gun Control

Editorial by Doug Huggins describing the racist origins of gun control.

If you look at the real history of gun control, its original thrust was to an attempt to deny free blacks the ability to defend themselves. That thrust has now broadened to include all people of any color who are not wealthy or influential enough to obtain permits or have bodyguards . . .

AZ: Yet another School Shooting in a Gun Free Zone

Opponents to "allowing" law abiding citizens to exercise their constitutionally protected but preexisting right to bear arms for self protection on campus (just like they already do while off campus) often make the baseless claim that "Gun Free Zones" make everyone feel safe from violence. Tell that to the 3 law abiding unarmed students at Phoenix Community College who were shot yesterday by a violent killer seeking to murder 1 (or more) defenseless victims while they were in just such a gun free zone. The killer didn't have to disarm his victims, the useless gun free zone policy did that for him.

This is yet more proof that although the law abiding citizens are disarmed by so-called "gun free zones" such silly rules are ignored by criminals who are willing to murder. Why would such a vile person worry about violating a gun free zone when they're willing to take the life of innocent victims? It is long past time that we end this tragic social experiment called "gun free zones" that was implemented without merit less than 20 years ago - has there not already been enough bloodshed using the bodies of our children as the mice for this failed experiment?

More from AZCDL:

As most of you have probably heard by now, Arizona has become the scene of yet another campus shooting. On Thursday, July 24, a 22 year old opened fire on the campus of South Mountain Community College in Phoenix, in what police are describing as a continuation of an argument with another person in a classroom on the campus. Thankfully, none were killed, although three people were wounded. Though firearms are banned on campuses throughout the state in accordance with the policies of the Arizona Board of Regents, in yet another stunning example of the obvious, only the law-abiding are adhering to these rules.

During the last session of the legislature, AzCDL attempted to get SB 1214 to the Senate floor for a debate and vote. As you may recall, this was Sen. Karen Johnson's bill that would have allowed law-abiding citizens with CCW permits to carry concealed weapons on college and university campuses. Unfortunately, due to staunch opposition from anti-rights groups, certain law enforcement associations, and the administrative officers of several of the universities, all of the Democratic Senators, and several of the so-called "moderate" Republicans, lined up against the bill, so the Senate leadership refused to bring it to a vote.

Had this bill successfully passed the legislature, and somehow avoided the veto pen of our Governor, perhaps there might have been some deterrent effect in place for a young man whose only apparent desire was to continue an argument. Unfortunately, given the existing situation, he was able to escalate that argument to an extreme level, largely because he knew that no one would be around who was able to properly resist him. Even had he not been deterred by the likelihood of armed resistance, at least someone with proper training might have been able fight back and subdue him. As it was, he escaped long before police arrived on the scene, and was only apprehended later.

We believe that it's far past time to take our schools back. We wholeheartedly agree with the opponents of SB 1214 that our schools and universities should be safe havens, free from the scourge of violence and lawlessness. Where our views diverge is how to get there from here. Putting up a sign that says "Gun Free Zone" has had the perverse effect of increasing school shootings, which should surprise no one. After all, criminals don't obey laws. That's why we call them criminals. The sign may as well read "Disarmed Victim Zone". If the opponents of SB 1214 truly believe that removing guns from the hands of the law-abiding makes people safer, than we'll expect them to promote a bill that takes guns away from policemen. We won't be holding our breaths.

Given these realities, we ask you to please stand ready to support our "school carry" initiative during the next legislative session. We told them last year that we weren't going away, and we meant it!

These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots organization. Join today!

AzCDL – Protecting Your Freedom
http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html

Copyright © 2008 Arizona Citizens Defense League, Inc., all rights reserved.

AZ: Phoenix Ranked 14th For Level of Freedom in Largest US Cities

Phoenix Arizona was ranked in 14th place - we beat Sebastian's home town of Philadelphia which was ranked in 26th place in the ranking of freedom in the largest 35 cities which were ranked 1st place to 35th place in order of large cities which had the the most freedoms to the large cities that had the least freedoms. 1st place went to Las Vegas for being the city with the most freedom. 35th place went to Chicago for being the top "Nanny Police State" where Freedom has been all but eliminated with everything from handgun bans to goose liver prohibitions.

H/T to Sebastian.

Another Terrorist Bulldozer Attack Stopped by Armed Civilian

Yet another terrorist bulldozer attack that took place yesterday (Tuesday) in Jerusalem (the 2nd bulldozer attack in the last 3 weeks) was stopped by an armed civilian who happened to be in the right place at the right time. The quick action of hero Yaki Asa-El prevented this attack from becoming deadly by stopping it well before Police could arrive. The terrorist had a criminal record a mile long but it was the bulldozer he used to work his evil that some blame. Perhaps the BATFE (ATF) could start regulating bulldozer sales, we could rename it the BATFEB - Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, & Bulldozers. We could place serial numbers on the bulldozer blades so that it would imprint the serial number on the cars & buses that it rams into.

On second thought, that would be a waste of government resources & our tax dollars, just like the rest of the existing BATFE responsibilities.

IL: Handgun Ban Repealed as Unconstitutional

In Wilmette IL, in reaction to the Heller decision, Wilmette council members unanimously repealed their handgun ban in recognition that it was not constitutional. They didn't amend it, they repealed it. Well done. The DC Council should take notes, if they still know how to write.

DC Council: Blind, Batty or Both?

I don't know about you, but I have a pretty good idea of what a machine gun looks like & how it functions. Even my 6 year old son could easily tell you that a machine gun keeps on firing once you pull back the trigger until you let go or run out of ammunition, whichever comes first. Apparently DC leaders are a bit confused because they think most semiautomatic pistols qualify as "machine guns":

2. MPD will allow the registration of previously possessed handguns other than those that qualify as “machine guns” under District law (that is, all automatics and most semiautomatic pistols) for the next six months . . .

I have no idea where they get their semi automatic handguns that function like fully automatic machine guns but I wish they'd tell me because I'd like to get one for myself if it will fit within my budget. I always thought the folks running DC were quite a few cards short of a full deck but now they have removed all doubt. I guess when God was handing out the full decks they must have been away in a meeting trying to decide how best to infringe upon our natural born rights.

H/T to Uncle.

Wayne LaPierre Responds

Wayne LaPierre Responded to a pathetic article by James Carroll in the Boston Globe where James Carroll essentially claimed that the early use of weapons to hunt for food caused guilt which then led to religion. Maybe it's just me, but I personally believe that the use of weapons to hunt for food most likely led to the satisfaction of eating a tasty meal, and God led us to religion. After such bizarre reasoning by James Carroll I at first thought perhaps James Carroll had spent too much time talking to Obama, but then I remembered that Obama thinks we cling to guns & religion because we're bitter.

Steve Chapman: Why Buying a Gun is Not a Suicidal Act

Steve Chapman wrote a great article: Why Buying a Gun is Not a Suicidal act debunking the popular myth that having a gun in the home increases the odds of suicide.

AZCDL Alert: Debate on National Park Carry Extended

AZCDL Alert: Debate on National Park Carry Extended

The Department of the Interior (DOI) has extended the comment period on allowing lawful carry of firearms in National Parks until August 8, 2008. It was supposed to end on June 30, 2008. However pro-rights comments dwarfed the anti-liberty crowd and there are some, including some Congressmen, who don't like that. Here's a link to the letter from Arizona Representative Raul Grijalva and Senator Kahikana Akaka (Hawaii) that generated the delay:
http://www.npca.org/keep_parks_safe/pdf/Akaka-Grijalva-Extension_Letter-6_27_08.pdf

The delay was meant to allow the opponents of your liberty to organize against your right to keep and bear arms in National Parks. Instead we will use the delay to continue pounding for carry in National Parks.

Spread this alert item on the Internet far and wide so we can get more and more gun owners to send in their comments. If we do that and drive our numbers up, we can continue to bury the other side with pro-liberty comments! If you have already contacted the Department of the Interior to allow carry in parks, please do it again!

To comment on the proposed rule, go here: http://tinyurl.com/5juwn3

For "Submitter's Representative," type in your Federal Representative's name. If you don't know who your Congressperson is go here: http://www.gunowners.org/cci.htm .

For "Agency Type," select: FEDERAL

For "Government Agency," select: DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

The following is suggested "General Comment" text provided by our friends in the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL):

Pursuant to the US Supreme Court decision in District of Columbia vs. Dick Heller, both the existing and proposed National Park Service & National Wildlife Refuge weapons regulations are invalid, unconstitutional and void. The Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) and over 4 dozen co-petitioning organizations advised the Parks service of this as long ago as 2004. Since the holding in Heller is that their total ban on handguns infringes the Second Amendment, the Department of Interior and the National Park Service should accept the VCDL petition language as follows and implement the regulation immediately after the comment period closing.

Under existing legal doctrine, once a law is held unconstitutional, it is stricken; in the case of the park service CFR 36, regulation 2.4, it is almost exactly the same as the District of Columbia, and therefore void. Further, the Department of Interior proposed regulation with it's flawed "analogous state lands" language and is thereby also in violation since any state level bans on bearing arms in analogous state lands would also be implicated under Heller. The Department of the Interior is hereby instructed to immediately amend the current regulations pursuant to the VCDL petition language, copied below and the decision of the US Supreme Court rendered in Heller. The Supreme Court held that the Second Amendment is an individual right protecting the rights to keep arms and bear arms which supersedes CFR 36 regulation 2.4.

While I support the proposed change to permit loaded firearms / weapons in National Parks and Wildlife refuges, the proposed regulation should be amended as follows:

"A person may possess, carry, and transport loaded, and operable firearms or other weapons within a national park area in the same manner, and to the same extent, that a person may lawfully possess, carry, and transport loaded and operable firearms or other weapons in the state in which the federal park, or that portion thereof, is located, provided that such possession, carrying and transporting otherwise complies with applicable federal and state law."

And for National Wildlife Refuges:

"A person may possess, carry, and transport loaded, and operable firearms or other weapons within a national wildlife refuge area in the same manner, and to the same extent, that a person may lawfully possess, carry, and transport loaded and operable firearms or other weapons in the state in which the federal wildlife refuge, or that portion thereof, is located, provided that such possession, carrying and transporting otherwise complies with applicable federal and state law."

Information on legislation in Arizona can be found at the AzCDL website: http://www.azcdl.org/html/legislation.html

These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots organization. Join today!

AzCDL – Protecting Your Freedom
http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html

Copyright © 2008 Arizona Citizens Defense League, Inc., all rights reserved.

Nevada ACLU Notices the 2nd Amendment

Amazingly, the Nevada chapter of the ACLU has discovered that the Bill of Rights contains a 2nd Amendment on that document they pride themselves on defending, commonly known as the Bill of Rights.

Larry Elder: Why We Keep & Bear Arms

Great articles by Larry Elder on why we Keep & Bear Arms: Part 1 & Part 2

He also recently wrote a very good article on Why a Black Republican can Oppose Obama.

AZ: AZCDL Update: Napolitano Vetoed 2 More Bills

AZCDL Legislative Update: Governor Napolitano Vetoed 2 more bills yesterday, bringing the total to 5 pro gun bills overwhelmingly passed by our legislators representing the will of we the people that she has used her veto stamp on this session.

When the Legislature adjourned, they sent HB 2389 & HB 2626 to the Governor. On Monday, July 7, 2008, Governor Napolitano vetoed both bills.

HB 2389 was the AzCDL-requested bill that clarified that it is permissible to carry a weapon, with or without a CCW permit, visibly or concealed, anywhere within a means of transportation, excluding public transit. Current law states that, without a concealed weapons (CCW) permit, it is permissible to carry a weapon or weapons "in a case, holster, scabbard, pack or luggage that is carried within a means of transportation or within a storage compartment, map pocket, trunk or glove compartment of a means of transportation." Unfortunately, in 1994 an Arizona Appellate court decision determined that "within a means of transportation" meant it must be obvious under ordinary observation to someone outside the vehicle that there is a weapon inside the vehicle. This created conflicts interpreting the statute. As a result:

Wearing a holstered firearm within a vehicle = concealed carry, requiring a CCW permit. But, that same holstered firearm in a map pocket, trunk or glove compartment, equally accessible by a vehicle's occupants, does not require a CCW permit.

Possessing a concealed weapons permit and being armed may put other occupants in the vehicle, who do not possess a CCW permit, at risk of arrest because of their proximity to your firearm. Yet, if that same weapon were in a map pocket, trunk or glove compartment accessible by all the vehicle's occupants, no crime is committed.

HB 2389 would have benefited law enforcement and the law-abiding, making the law clear and rational, and not subject to confusing roadside interpretations. In her veto letter, Governor Napolitano cited the concerns of a few law enforcement lobbyists as her excuse for ignoring the rights of law-abiding citizens. You can read her veto letter here: http://www.governor.state.az.us/dms/upload/070708_HB2389%20Veto%20Letter.pdf

Also vetoed was HB 2626, Representative Pearce's bill that allowed a sheriff to authorize posse volunteers and reserve officers with firearms training to carry a deadly weapon without a CCW permit. It also excluded individuals who have completed peace officer training from the CCW permit training requirements. Representative Pearce included AzCDL-requested language in HB 2626 that clarified Arizona's "open carry" statute. Due to 1994 Appellate court interpretations, whether a person is legally carrying openly is completely subjective, based largely on the location of the observer. Governor Napolitano cited the open carry reform language as her reason for vetoing HB 2626. Her veto letter is here: http://www.governor.state.az.us/dms/upload/070708_HB2626%20Veto%20Letter.pdf

This session, Governor Napolitano vetoed 5 reasonable bills related to your right to keep and bear arms:

HB 2389 – Restored Vehicle carry.
HB 2626 – Restored open carry.
HB 2629 – Permitted less than lethal "defensive display."
HB 2630 – Reduced the penalty for carrying concealed without a permit for those not involved in a crime.
SB 1106 – Allowed for an alternative lifetime CCW permit.

In her last term in office, the Governor no longer needs to maintain any façade of being pro-rights that she might have needed for reelection, and is now showing her true feelings towards firearms owners. We expect next year, the last year of her term in office, to be even more revealing.

Stay tuned! Information on this and other bills can be found at the AzCDL website: http://www.azcdl.org/html/legislation.html

These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots organization. Join today!

AzCDL – Protecting Your Freedom
http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html

Copyright © 2008 Arizona Citizens Defense League, Inc., all rights reserved.

Here is a related starnet article.

AZ: City of Phoenix Wasted $10,000.00 on Gun Buyback

Yet another example of wasted taxpayer dollars to fund a Phoenix Arizona gun buyback this past Saturday. $10,000.00 wasted to give away $100 grocery cards for 100 turned in guns. I bet a lot of folks turned in broken guns worth only $5 as scrap metal to get the $100 grocery card. They then could use the $100 they didn't have to spend on groceries to go towards purchasing a brand new gun.

"Ralph Dominguez turned in a rifle so old that officers questioned whether it still (functioned) anymore."

CNN Blunder

CNN Attempted to report the fact that on average 55% of gun deaths every year are actually suicides of people who decided to use a gun to end their own life rather than any of the other methods available to them.

Mitchell Blatt has the video of their blunder when they incorrectly stated that 55% of gun owners commit suicide with their gun. If it had been true that would have been very bad news indeed as that would have meant roughly 49.5 Million suicides by gun owners alone if you go off the estimate of 90 Million gun owners in the US (the number of gun owners could actually be much higher than 90 Million because the BATFE estimates that roughly half of US households have at least one gun, which would mean there are roughly 147 Million people who live in households that have guns). Ten minutes later they corrected their mistake, probably after their incoming phone lines were swamped with incoming calls from irate gun owners.

John Lott: Reaction to D.C. Gun Ban Decision

John Lott debunks false claims of Obama, Daley, & Fenty in their reaction to the recent DC v Heller Supreme Court Decision.

Ted Nugent: DC Gun Ban Blown Away

Excellent Ted Nugent article: DC Gun Ban Blown Away.

Barf Link: Jesse Jackson Garbage

Follow this link to an article written by Jesse Jackson only if you do not have a full stomach, as it could easily lead to sickness & vomiting due to all of the innumerable lies & propaganda. Just to give you an idea of the content, Jesse claims that by upholding the constitution & the Bill of Rights, 5 of the Supreme Court Justices showed they were "right wing activist judges." The article goes off the cliff from there & accelerates downward in a death spiral of lies.

Since when exactly did upholding the Bill of Rights become a "Right Wing" thing? I thought even Jesse Jackson supported the Bill of Rights, or does he only support free speech? From his article it looks like he'd be happy to use a black marker to blot out the 2nd Amendment.

A bit ironic isn't it. Our right to keep & bear the guns that he wants to ban in the end support his right to vomit lies onto paper & call it an article. I call it garbage, but that is my right as well.

H/T to Duane Lester of All American Blogger.