Dustin's Gun Blog: 2009

ARMSLIST.COM - the free classifieds "craigslist" of the firearms community, minus the hoplophobia.

David Griffith wrote an article in Policemag with the title: Unarmed Victim Zones - When the only person in the room with a gun is the bad guy, lots of good people are going to die.

I agree 100%

While a couple was walking from their driveway to their home, three thugs attacked them in a surprise ambush. One of the intended victims was armed and prepared to defend himself, which he did, bringing an early halt to the attack. One of the thugs passed away shortly after arriving at the hospital, the other two ran away. I love happy endings!

The NRA-ILA debunked an anti-gun Bloomberg Poll.

Colorado State University has decided to end a 6 year policy of not prohibiting concealed carry on campus by 21 and older adult students for their personal defense, becoming yet another so-called "Gun Free Zone" where nut jobs are able to rack up high body counts as easily as shooting fish in a barrel, where rapists easily find defenseless women, and thugs mug with impunity.

Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden said his office would "not hold or detain a valid permit holder who violates that policy, nor would his department have anything to do with enforcing that policy."

Update 1: NRA-ILA response.

My friend Duane Lester at All American Blogger is running a Christmas Contest with over $200 in prizes.

From the Arizona Citizens Defense League:

The Arizona Citizens Defense League has joined with other pro-rights individuals, groups and several district attorneys in the filing of an “amicus (friend of the court) brief” with the United State Supreme Court in the case of McDonald v. Chicago, the most critical Second Amendment case since the Heller decision upheld our individual right to keep and bear arms.

In April 2009, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled in Nordyke v. King that the Second Amendment is “incorporated” through the Fourteenth Amendment and applicable to all state and local governments. However in McDonald v. Chicago, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled that the Second Amendment is NOT incorporated through the Fourteenth Amendment and that state and local government laws regarding firearms are not affected by the Second Amendment.

In September, the Supreme Court agreed to consider the McDonald case. We are asking the Supreme Court to hold that the Second Amendment applies to state and local governments through the Fourteenth Amendment. You can find a copy of the amicus brief at: http://tinyurl.com/McdonaldAmicus.

Alan Korwin, AzCDL Member and prolific author, whose books include The Arizona Gun Owner’s Guide, is following the McDonald case closely and has posted a plain English summary of the issues at stake at his website: http://www.gunlaws.com/McDonald_v_Chicago_BP_Amicus.htm . Alan’s extensive research and material were used in crafting our amicus brief, which was submitted by California attorney Chuck Michel (http://www.michelandassociates.com/).

You can also read more about the McDonald case at the Second Amendment Foundation’s website: http://www.chicagoguncase.com/

These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots organization. Join today! http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html

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

Copyright © 2009 Arizona Citizens Defense League, Inc., all rights reserved.

Since I last mentioned the ASRPA list of CCW friendly restaurants, two new lists are now available. A lot of progress is being made through cordial conversations with restaurant owners who had placed gun free zone signs by explaining the benefits of taking them down along with the drawbacks of leaving them up. As a result, the list of restaurants supporting our right to defend our families is steadily growing. My family & friends are going out of our way to support the businesses who are supporting our rights, and I request that you do as well. Checking the list of supporters is an excellent way to find new restaurants to try out. You never know, you may find new restaurants to add to your list of favorites, I know that we have. I'll continue to add to this list as I discover additional resources and databases.

CCW Friendly Restaurant Lists:

A nice addition to the online CCW travel tools that I've mentioned in the past is the new iPhone/iTouch application: Legal Heat. The Legal Heat application is a State by State CCW travel guide to Concealed Carry gun laws, including critical information such as prohibited areas & reciprocity.

I just placed the app on my iPhone today and it is rather handy to have at my fingertips. You can learn more about the app on iTunes, facebook, or the Legal Heat website.

Update: Now includes Open Carry Laws in addition to Concealed Carry Laws.

Defenseless Oil Tanker Maran Centaurus carrying 275,000 metric tons of crude oil has been captured by pirates. Why was it defenseless? Roger Middleton, a London-based piracy expert said:

"You're sitting on a huge ship filled with flammable liquid. You don't want somebody with a gun on top of that"

I guess Roger Middleton would rather have a group of pirates with guns & rocket propelled grenades be free to do whatever they wish with the oil, the oil tanker, and the 28 helpless crew members on board. I say it would be far better to answer the pirate attack with return fire, that is the only way to protect the crew and the volatile cargo. Bullets speak louder than the empty words of "please don't attack our ship, we're defenseless and flammable." The crew members of the Maersk Alabama and the MSC Melody probably agree.

The Not Without a Fight Documentary that I mentioned earlier is complete and available for purchase. I ordered a copy for myself but had issues with the automated download link after I completed the purchase. I sent an e-mail to the documentary author requesting assistance & received an e-mail the next day with a single use download link that worked. It's a good documentary with interviews with many great gun rights activists working to restore freedom. You can see some snippets of the documentary on the Not Without a Fight youtube channel.

I want to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. May you all enjoy this time of giving thanks with those whom we are most thankful for: family and friends. I'm also thankful for our great Country and the freedoms we enjoy.

Read the NRA's friend of the court brief. Related Press Release from the NRA-ILA:

On November 16, the NRA filed its brief with the U.S. Supreme Court as Respondent in Support of Petitioner in McDonald v. City of Chicago. The NRA brief asks the U.S. Supreme Court to hold that the Second Amendment applies to state and local governments through the Fourteenth Amendment.

The McDonald case is one of several that were filed immediately after last year's decision in District of Columbia v. Heller, in which the Court upheld the Second Amendment as an individual right and struck down Washington, D.C.'s ban on handgun possession, as well as the capital city's ban on keeping loaded, operable firearms for self-defense in the home.

The follow-up cases were filed by NRA and other organizations against Chicago and several of its suburbs. Each of these suits was aimed at the same goal: establishing that the Second Amendment applies to state and local governments as well as the federal government.

In September, the Supreme Court agreed to consider the McDonald case, on appeal from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. That court incorrectly claimed that prior Supreme Court precedent prevented it from holding in favor of incorporation of the Second Amendment. As we argued at the time, the Seventh Circuit should have followed the lead of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Nordyke v. King, which found that Supreme Court precedent does not prevent the Second Amendment from applying to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause.

As a party in McDonald, the NRA is actively involved in this case and we believe our brief makes a clear and strong case in favor of incorporation of the Second Amendment (to read the brief, please click here).

The McDonald case will be argued in February 2010. NRA members should be proud of our efforts to bring this issue to the court's attention through the many lawsuits we brought to overturn local bans on gun ownership and self-defense immediately after Heller. We are hopeful that McDonald v. Chicago will achieve another major victory for gun owners' rights.

Timothy Kraft, Ph.D. is testing out an interesting iron sight system at the University of Alabama. I'm curious to find out how the test results end up turning out. It's always fun to try out new sighting concepts.

For the second time in seven months, pirates attacked the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama. This time, they fired back and thwarted the assault!

I love happy endings!

I've called both of my Senators & my Representative. If you don't know who yours are you can look them up.

From the NRA-ILA:

Friday, November 13, 2009

As a critical Second Amendment case goes before the United States Supreme Court, U.S. Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) and Jon Tester (D-MT), and Congressmen Mike Ross (D-AR) and Mark Souder (R-IN) are gathering signatures for an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief by Members of Congress. And we need your support for this important effort next week.

The case is McDonald v. City of Chicago, and it will answer the question of whether the Second Amendment applies to the states as the Congress clearly intended in the 1860s, when it adopted the Fourteenth Amendment to protect constitutional rights against abuse by state and local governments. This brief is an opportunity for today’s Congress to show just as clearly that it respects the Second Amendment’s importance to all Americans not just residents of the District of Columbia and other federal territories.

The brief describes Congress’s debates on the Fourteenth Amendment, and points out the many occasions from 1866 to 2005 when the Congress has spoken in favor of the Second Amendment as protecting a right of all Americans, and taken action to protect that right against actions such as gun confiscation and predatory lawsuits. It also makes the case for Congress’s interest (under its constitutional war powers) in preserving an armed citizenry as part of America’s national defense.

When Congress speaks, the Supreme Court listens. And it did in the historic Heller case last year when 55 Senators and 250 Representatives signed an amicus brief supporting the Second Amendment as an individual right. Now every Senator and Congressman who supports the rights of all Americans should step forward to be heard by signing this brief in the McDonald case.

The brief must be filed within the week, so we need your immediate help! On Monday through Thursday, please call your U.S. Senators and Representative, and urge them to sign on to this critically important brief, which will be a key part of the legal battle to protect the Second Amendment in the U.S. Supreme Court.

You can call your U.S. Senators at (202) 224-3121, and your U.S. Representative at (202) 225-3121.

Copyright 2009, National Rifle Association of America, Institute for Legislative Action.
This may be reproduced. It may not be reproduced for commercial purposes.
11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030 800-392-8683

As many of you know, I carry a Glock 19 for the defense of myself & my family. There are many excellent handguns available to choose from, but that's the one I ended up selecting for myself after I had completed my research & compared how it felt in my hands while shooting it next to the other top guns I had looked at. Eric Shelton of the Handgun Podcast recently put out a video going over some of the Glock safety features:

In case you missed them, be sure to check out his Glock vs Wolf Ammo, Glock trigger torture test, and his follow-up Glock videos as well. Also see what nutnfancy has to say about the Glock: part 1, part2, part 3, and part 4.

Thank you for your service!

Music by Toby Keith: American Soldier

Today is the first day of Defense Education Week (running November 9 – 14) by Students for Concealed Carry on Campus (SCCC). Ken Stanton wrote an article with further details. Below is the related SCCC press release:

SCCC Announces Defense Education Week!

Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, the leading advocate for self-defense rights on college campuses, announced Defense Education Week on Monday, the latest in a series of events designed to draw attention to their goal.

The event is intended to educate participants about weapons and self-defense, and includes Empty Holster Protests, free educational courses at shooting ranges, guest speakers, petition drives, legislative lobbying and a new website called Armed or Not? which invites visitors to observe and be quizzed on concealed carry. The group expects participation from college groups across the nation

Our goal has always been to educate the public about who we are and what we’re about, said David Burnett, a spokesman for the group. There are gross misconceptions about what we advocate, and what self-defense on campus is for. People think we want to hand out guns to 18-year-olds, or sacrifice student safety, and that’s not at all the case. We don’t want to change who can carry, we want to change where.

One of the event’s planners, Ken Stanton, is a graduate student at Virginia Tech who lost a friend in the Virginia Tech shooting and who now advocates letting citizens carry guns on campus. It’s about more than just carrying a gun, he said. It’s about protecting your life. No school should ever have to be remembered for what Virginia Tech is.

The group, which has over 41,000 supporters online and affiliated campus groups in nearly every state, has successfully prompted legislation to be considered in more than 20 states in the past two years. Colleges in Arizona, South Carolina and Michigan have loosened restrictions regarding weapons on campus as a result, and some states have already pre-filed similar bills for 2010.

The reality is that this could make campuses a lot safer, said Burnett. The only people we want carrying weapons are the ones who have gone through the rigorous procedures required by state law to get a permit. If you’re a criminal looking for an easy victim, are you really going to pick a spot where you know citizens are empowered to fight back?

Campuses aren’t immune from crime, and if a student faces that kind of situation, we want them to have a fighting chance.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT
Students for Concealed Carry on Campus
David Burnett Director of Public Relations
David.Burnett@concealedcampus.org
http://www.ConcealedCampus.com

My sincere condolences to the victims and family members impacted by Yesterday's Fort Hood mass shooting. I'm sure I stand with many when I say thank you to brave hero Police Sergeant Kimberly Munley (and her partner) who confronted the killer, shooting him 4 times and bringing an early halt to his attack. Luckily she was close to the incident directing traffic and was able to respond within 3 minutes of the first 911 call.

I believe 3 minutes is the fastest Police response I've ever heard of to a mass shooting incident. Once she arrived she went straight in and confronted the shooter. She didn't waste any time waiting around for a swat team to arrive, which I believe saved many lives.

There remains however an urgent question in my mind: Why does Military policy disarm our trained military men and women while they are on base? I'm sure many of the 13 dead and 30 wounded would have wanted to fight back and defend themselves had they not all been disarmed by bad military base policy.

Did the gun free zone created by base regulations which ban weapon carry by anyone other than on duty Military Police prevent the madman from bringing both of his handguns to his attack? Of course not. Anybody willing to break the law in such a gruesome attack is not going to worry about a gun free zone policy. I imagine that the three minutes, while very fast for a Police response, seemed like an eternity to the defenseless victims who were stuck in the gun free zone while being shot at by the mad man.

I believe that the military gun free zone policy was probably created by a group of brain dead bureaucrats without any basis in fact. It is high time such idiotic policies be stricken down, as it is immoral to victimize the very men and women who have fought and died off shore protecting our freedoms by denying them the fundamental right of self protection while on US soil on our US military bases.

Update 1: Stephanie Gutmann, The Armorer, Dave Workman, Daniel White, Kurt Hofmann, and Howard Nemerov ask the same question. It is also being discussed on defensivecarry.com and glocktalk.com.

Ron and Kay Rivoli of Rivoli Revue have a number of great music videos. This one is called USS of A. One of the lines in the song is "we better stand together one & all or our constitution is gonna fall" - I couldn't agree more!

David Codrea & Eric Puryear explain a few of the fatal errors in a flawed Study on guns. Another gaping hole in the study that occurs to me is that it only looked at incidents where a gun was fired - often by one criminal at another criminal in gang related incidents. Legitimate Studies have shown that 98% of self defense uses of a gun by law abiding citizens take place where the gun owner doesn't have to fire a single shot - simply aiming their weapon at the thug was enough to stop the attack. By leaving out the single largest portion of self defense uses of a gun the study shot itself in the foot.

Have a fun & safe Halloween!

After being attacked while defenseless some University of Washington students decided to get concealed carry permits and take responsibility for their own safety. I commend them for taking responsibility for their own safety, but I have a few safety tips for them:

I can't really recommend "walking around as bait, fishing for robbers," although if a thug is unlucky enough to attack a student prepared to defend him or herself, too bad for the thug, I'm not going to cry for him or her.
Don't sweep your friend (or anything else you'd prefer not to destroy) with the muzzle of your gun.
Buy a holster, stashing your gun in the front of your pants fails to protect the trigger & is not a secure way to carry it.

Just for Obama, here's the definition of a tax: "a charge, usually of money, imposed by legislative or other public authority upon persons or property for public purposes."

So yes, forcing everyone to buy insurance for the "public good" is a tax. So much for his promise not to increase any taxes on anyone making less than $250,000.00, although to be honest, I can't say that I ever believed him.

While I'm on the topic of Obama, you should definitely check out this documentary when you have a free moment.

Congressman Mike Rogers of Michigan lays out a few of the issues with the various versions of Health Care Reform Legislation being considered:

A group named Minnesota Carry Permit Holders found an excellent way to spread good will while removing trash from the roadside via the Adopt a Highway Program. In addition to promoting good will & beautifying the roadway during their cleanup event yesterday their adopted section of the highway was probably the safest stretch of the road in the entire State.

Arizona has an Adopt a Highway Program as well, I'd love to see my local gun rights groups adopt a section of Arizona Highways.

In Columbus Ohio A burglar entered a motel room, brandished a gun & began to rob a group of people. One of the women in the group (70 years old but not helpless) pulled out her handgun & shot him in self defense. The suspect fled, but was found dead in the parking lot when the Police arrived five minutes later. Police identified the robbery suspect as 25 year old Wayne M. Winston, and stated that the woman probably saved the lives of those in the room with her. Another happy ending once again proving that when seconds count, the Police are minutes away. We are each responsible for the safety of ourselves & those we love.

I've discussed May Issue Problems in the past. Here is another viewpoint on the issues of May Issue by David Rittgers.

May Issue Concealed Carry statutes were originally set up to allow a Sheriff or Police Chief to deny permit applications without being required to specify a reason, allowing the Sheriff to discriminate against applicants however he or she sees fit based on ethnicity, income, or place of residence. It is high time we complete the ongoing process of getting rid of such discriminatory and abusive may issue laws in the few remaining States that have them.

View the History of States that have upgarded their laws from discriminatory May Issue laws to Shall Issue laws.

Our Legislators: Burying our children under more US Debt every second of every day.

Related: National Debt Road Trip @ 174 MPH.

The AZCDL 2009 Issue 4 Newsletter is available online. It includes a summary of the new firearms related legislation that was signed into law this year as well as the voting records of your Arizona representatives & Senator. Check to see how yours did, I know all 3 of mine from District 4 passed this test with perfect scores.

You may also be interested in viewing the complete newsletter archive. If you live in Arizona & are not yet a member of AZCDL you should join in.

The only person who will experience a health effect from my gun ownership would be a thug attacking my family. Congress told the CDC "No" to such studies a decade ago. Now the NIH is taking it up once again wasting our tax dollars. Glenn Beck recently discussed this issue on his program:

Ammo Sphere has contacted me to offer my blog readers a 5% discount on any ammunition orders from their online store. When checking out use the promotional coupon code: dustin

After you receive your order be sure to post a comment here to share your experience with their customer service.

It appears to me that the Second Amendment TEA Party in Hudson, Wisconsin went well. I wish I could have been there myself but it's a rather lengthy drive from my front door.

Related: Hope for gun owners in Illinois and Wisconsin.

In another case of Zero Tolerance=Zero Thought, Zachary Christie, a 6 year old cub scout excited to bring his mess kit fork/spoon/knife tool to school to utilize while eating his lunch was suspended for having brought a weapon. I'm guessing a teen with a board would be more of a danger than this 6 year old with his mess kit eating utensil, but many school administrators don't like to use reasoned thought these days.

Eric Puryear shares some examples of self defense by people caught by surprise by attackers. One free piece of advice I have for anyone interested: don't open your door to anyone if you're not armed. I put my gun on in the morning when I put my pants on, and I never open the door without my pants. Additionally, don't open your door at all to a stranger - communicate through the door & tell him or her to leave the package on the doorstep. If you end up being attacked at the door it is much quicker to retrieve your handgun from the holster you're already wearing than it is to run to your bedroom.

I don't mean any disrespect to the Police who are just performing their job to gather information. Nevertheless, Profess0r James Duane, Regent Law School Professor, and former defense attorney, explains quite succinctly why you should never agree to give any Statement to the Police before working with your lawyer for your own protection. Nothing you say to the Police can be used to protect you (it would be thrown out in court as hearsay), but everything you say can & will be used against you.

Officer George Bruch agrees:

H/T to my friend George Dean at TacTrain.

(See map in full size)

Has anyone ever wondered why we trust young adults 18 and older to get married, sign legal contracts, go to battle on behalf of our Country utilizing powerful weapons and tools such as helicopters, tanks, & rocket launchers, yet in all but 13 States we don't trust the very same young adults to defend themselves with a concealed handgun while conducting their business here at home? I have. I certainly would like my daughter to not be denied the right to fight off a rapist with a concealed weapon if she were to be attacked while walking home or to her car after her college class is dismissed or while she walks down any sidewalk.

Before I go on, can I just ask my friends in Missouri, TWENTY THREE? Really? Are you kidding me? OK, I just had to get that off my chest.

Don't even get me started on all of the so-called "Gun Free Zones" that our legislators have created in many of our States, but for anyone interested there is a map of States that attempt to create gun free zones at colleges (more at concealedcampus.org) as well as a map of States that attempt to create gun free zones in restaurants that happen to serve alcohol. I say "attempt to create" because there are no metal detectors or armed guards so the only folks disarmed in such target rich victim zones are the law abiding victims.

I mentioned my thoughts on the subject of the current minimum age to defend oneself with a concealed weapon here in Arizona to Senator Harper & he asked me how Arizona compares with the rest of our Country. I did a search on the Internet for such a map, and although I did find a map for minimum age to carry openly on opencarry.org, I didn't manage to find a map for minimum age to carry concealed. As a result I decided to make one myself by going through the details for all of the States on handgunlaw.us. Please take a look at your State to compare with my map & let me know if I've made any errors so that I can make any required corrections.

As far as future legislative changes I'd like to see made here in Arizona, I'd like to see the minimum age to defend oneself with a concealed weapon lowered to a minimum of 18, and I'd like to see defenseless victim school & restaurant zones go away altogether. I'd also like to see restaurant carry in Arizona expanded to include all law abiding citizens, not just those with a CCW permit. Arizona is currently the only State in the Union to require us to carry concealed while in such restaurants (although to be fair there are eight States that forbid open carry altogether, some of which do not forbid carry in restaurants). Last but not least, I'd LOVE to get Constitutional Carry here in Arizona.

To Summarize my map, one State, Missouri sets the minimum age at 23 years old to carry concealed, thirty-four States plus DC set the minimum age at 21, eleven States set the minimum age at 18, two States set the minimum age at 16, and two States forbid concealed carry altogether.

Minimum age to carry concealed:

23: MO
21: AL, AZ, AR, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, HI, ID, KS, KY, LA, MA, MI, MN, MS, NC, NE, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WV
18: CA, DE, IA, IN, MD, ME, MT, ND, SD, VT, WY
16: AK, NH
No concealed carry at all: IL, WI

Note: None of this information or map is to be construed as legal advice. You are responsible to verify the laws in your own State.

H/T to the Map Maker Utility, opencarry.org, & handgunlaw.us. Be sure to check out my link to travel tools useful when you need to plan your carry methods while traveling.

Babes with Bullets runs shooting sports training camps for women. They also have a free introductory training video on handgun terminology & general gun safety rules. You can watch some of the fun on the Babes with Bullets youtube channel, or just sign up to have your own fun.

Update 1: Here's a Babes with Bullets photo album as well as the Babes with Bullets pilot video that you might enjoy.

From the NRA-ILA:

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Fairfax, Va. -- The National Rifle Association applauds the Supreme Court's decision, announced today, to hear the landmark Second Amendment case of McDonald v. Chicago. The case will address the application of the Second Amendment to the states through either the Due Process clause or the Privileges or Immunities clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The case has major implications for the legality of restrictive gun laws not only in Chicago, but also in other cities across the United States. The decision to hear the case, which will be argued later this year or early next year, gives Second Amendment advocates across America hope that this fundamental freedom will not be infringed by unreasonable state and local laws.

"The Second Amendment applies to every citizen, not just to those living in federal enclaves like Washington D.C. In the historic Heller decision, the Supreme Court reaffirmed what most Americans have known all along -- that the Second Amendment protects an individual right and that it applies to all Americans. The government should respect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens throughout our country, regardless of where they live, and NRA is determined to make sure that happens," said Wayne LaPierre, NRA executive vice president.

In the June ruling that the Supreme Court will now review, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit held that the Second Amendment does not apply to state and local governments. That opinion left in place the current ban on the possession of handguns in Chicago.

However, the Seventh Circuit incorrectly claimed it was bound by precedent from 19th century Supreme Court decisions in failing to incorporate the Second Amendment. Many legal scholars believe that the Seventh Circuit should have followed the lead of the earlier Ninth Circuit panel decision in Nordyke v. Alameda County, which found that those cases don't prevent the Second Amendment from applying to the states through the Due Process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. To the contrary, a proper incorporation analysis supports application of the Second Amendment to the States.

"It is an injustice that the residents of Chicago continue to have their Second Amendment rights denied," said Chris W. Cox, NRA’s chief lobbyist. "It’s time that the fundamental right of self-defense is respected by every jurisdiction throughout the country. It is our hope that the Supreme Court will find, once and for all, that all law-abiding Americans have the God-given, constitutionally-protected right of self-defense, no matter what city, county or state they call home."

-nra-

Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen's group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation's leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military.

More from the SAF, SCOTUSBLOG, Washington Post, and Ammoland.

Update 1: Glenn Beck interviews Alan Gura.

Today's the day that the new Arizona gun laws take effect. My wife & I are looking forward to enjoying meals in an expanded list of approximately 5,900 restaurants and bars in Arizona that happen to serve alcohol, minus the few who don't want our business.

If you find any "gun free zone" signs or hear from restaurant or bar owners who plan to respect our right to defend ourselves be sure to send an e-mail to wewelcomeccw@asrpa.com so that the ASRPA webmaster can update the list. Be sure to go out of your way to patronize businesses on the right hand side of the list under the "Thanks so much for your business" image while avoiding the businesses on the left hand side under the "No CCW allowed" image.

I've been reading through Glenn Beck's new book Arguing with Idiots: How to Stop Small Minds and Big Government, and I have to say I'm Loving it! My favorite chapter of course is on the topic of the Second Amendment. Glenn Beck tackles many of the gun grabber arguments against the right to keep & bear arms and does a great job of debunking them, backing up the facts with links to the data & reports in the back of the book. There are many other great topics as well, so definitely check it out.

PS: If you have not yet read Glenn Beck's Common Sense: The Case Against an Out-of-Control Government, Inspired by Thomas Paine you're missing a great read.

Max Lemus is working on a documentary titled "Not Without a Fight" - you can watch pieces of the documentary as he captures & uploads interviews to the Not Without a Fight youtube channel. The most recent upload is his interview of Kenn Blanchard:

Update 1: It's available now for purchase.

My friend Mick McCart of the Armed Citizen Podcast recently published his new Christian Short Stories book "Tales of Wordishure." I ordered & received my copy of it last week, and have been reading the stories to my children at bedtime. I can tell my children are loving the tales of adventure because they've been asking for me to read from the book every night since I began reading from it last week, and they have plenty of books to choose from in our collection. Great book Mick!

My friends in California may soon be prohibited from buying inexpensive ammunition via mail order from retailers throughout our Country if Governor Schwarzenegger fails to veto California Assembly Bill 962 by Oct 11th.

Do the politicians in California despise their law abiding constituents so much that they want them to loose the option of buying inexpensive ammunition via mail order? Do they really think these new ammunition regulations could hinder drug gangs entrenched in the drug war from getting ammunition when they already get all the illicit drugs across the border that they care to transport?

Give Governor Schwarzenegger a call at 916-445-2841 & tell him to Veto California Assembly Bill 962, or he won't be able to say "I'll be back" as a Politician after California term limits boot him out of the Governor's Seat in 2010. If the number gives you a busy signal like it is for me as I write this, you can also use the contact form. While you're leaving him a message, you should also mention a few other bills worthy of termination.

Update 1: Bad news, he signed the bill.

Update 2: The NRA and the CRPA have filed a Lawsuit requesting an injunction before this legislation is scheduled to take effect (Feb 1, 2011).

The NSSF has launched an educational campaign to demystify the Modern Sporting Rifle, commonly referred to as an AR-15. The lamestream media has colorful names for it designed to cause confusion among those who are not familiar with the details, such as "assault weapon" or "military style weapon." Assault is a verb, not a noun (an action, not a name).

Assault can be performed utilizing a vast array of tools, utilizing any number of common items like a kitchen knife, knuckles, or a baseball bat. Nevertheless I don't hear anyone calling my baseball bat an assault bat, and there is not any reason to call my modern sporting rifle an assault weapon. If I were to add any words to the name of my modern sporting rifle, I'd say Self Defense would be more appropriate than assault. Self Defense Rifle is a fitting name, and it applies well.

I'm glad to see the NSSF running a Modern Sporting Rifle educational campaign, it is definitely helpful.

From Present Day Paul Revere:

Patricia Thiel was being mauled by a 100 Lb Pit bull in her own back yard & screaming for help - a neighbor who heard her screams called 911 & ran from house to house looking for assistance. Luckily she found Joseph Wharton a few doors down the street, who had a Ruger 9mm handgun & knew how to use it. Joseph Wharton put the Pit bull down before Police could arrive, and Patricia Thiel was then taken to the Hospital for treatment of her injuries.

Once again we see that while the Police may be minutes away when seconds count, our handgun can be a critical defensive tool immediately. If Joseph Wharton had not been prepared for the defense of his own home & family, he probably would not have been prepared to defend his neighbor either. I love happy endings!

H/T to David R.

Lloyd Marcus is a talented singer, songwriter, and entertainer. He proudly states "I am NOT an African-American! I am Lloyd Marcus, American!" I'm proud to stand tall next to Lloyd Marcus as a fellow American!

Like we did on September 12th 2001 let us forget about Political Parties and come together once again as Americans. May we put aside past bickering about whether Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, or Independents caused the largest portion of the problems we currently face. If we can all just remember that we are Americans First maybe we will see clearly enough to slam the breaks on the direction some of the members of both parties have been taking us over the last number of decades. Let us all work together to restore our Freedoms while we still can. Let us speak our minds freely before the newly appointed regulatory Czar bans free speech.

I will be at the Arizona Capitol this morning letting our Federal Government know what direction I think we should turn. Hopefully you'll be there with me, even if not physically, at least in spirit. United we stand, divided we fall, may God Bless your efforts, and may we never give up!

Update 1: I spent this morning with fellow Americans at the Arizona Capitol. It was wonderful to be with like minded individuals demanding an end to the out of control government spending. I counted about 3 dozen folks open carrying, and another dozen or so who were conceal carrying lifted up their shirt to show me their gun when they saw me open carrying mine. Freedom is wonderful, it's great to be an American!

Tim Hawkins: Uncle Sam Theatre:

Last night a man killed his ex-girlfriend with a screwdriver, which makes it perfectly clear to me why she dumped the looser in the first place. I just wish she would have had a gun to defend herself from the screwdriver wielding man so that the headline could have been that she shot her screwdriver wielding ex-boyfriend in self defense.

In light of this tragic use of the common screwdriver, is the Brady Campaign going to demand that the BATFE get involved with licensing screwdriver dealers in order to monitor screwdriver sales? Shall we rename the BATFE to BATFES for Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, and Screwdrivers?

Hardware stores used to sell firearms before the BATFE began regulating gun sales which made many of the hardware stores decide to pull out of the gun sale business to avoid the hassle. Could we soon have to make a separate stop at screwdriver stores licensed by the BATFES when looking for the common screwdriver? Would regulating screwdriver sales prevent ANY senseless screwdriver deaths by screwdriver wielding thugs?

No? I don't think so either. It wouldn't work any better than regulating nail guns.

Small Business Owner Speaks her Mind at a Town Hall Meeting. I couldn't have said it better myself.

Let your voice be heard: look for a September 12th event near you.

Tim Evans (London, United Kingdom) from BigGovHealth on Vimeo.

In response to question: "This used to be America!" a Police Officer says: "It ain't no more" and threatens: "I can charge you with whatever I want to charge you with"

Like most people, my wife & I enjoy eating out from time to time. We personally don't even choose to drink alcohol, but there are many good restaurants in Arizona that happen to serve it to those who do. Starting September 30th 2009 the law in Arizona will no longer prohibit my wife & I from eating at restaurants that happen to serve alcohol while we carry concealed weapons for defense of ourselves & our family, so long as we don't drink.

Unfortunately some businesses are already making the decision that they don't want our dollars. That is their right as a business owner, as it will be ours to choose not to do business with them. About 138,000 active CCW Permit Holders in Arizona as of Sep 1st 2009 is nothing to sneeze at in this economy, and that doesn't even take into consideration the 2.5 Million Arizona residents who live in households that have at least one gun, many of whom are likely to support restaurants that support our rights irregardless of their own decision to not apply for a CCW permit for themselves.

The Arizona State Rifle & Pistol Association has created a web page to list Arizona businesses that have come out on one side or the other on this issue - either deciding to openly support the right to bear arms in self defense or deciding to ban our patronage. Businesses that ban entry to Conceal Carry permit holders carrying concealed will be advising criminals that they'll find easy targets inside the restaurant as well as walking about in the parking lot. The ASRPA has a PDF you can print out to share with the restaurants you wish to patronize. Restaurants can choose either to simply not ban our patronage or to go an extra step and have their logo listed as a self defense supporter on the ASRPA website to attract our business.

As required by the law, our weapons will remain concealed so patrons who are scared of guns will not even know we're there, the same way they don't know that we're sitting next to them in a Movie Theater or in an ice cream shop. The signs banning our patronage will begin shipping out later this week to the 100 or so restaurants that have already requested them. With about 5,900 bars & restaurants that serve alcohol in Arizona that will still leave us with 5,800 places we can patronize.

Thai Rama is the first restaurant to be listed as supporting our rights which as a result is now on my must visit list. As for those who don't want our dollars, the first to be listed are George & Dragon as well as Chipotle. Based on this article, I'm guessing the Chevraunt Restaurant & Wine Bar will soon be added to the list of restaurants who don't want our dollars as well. Be sure to contact these businesses with a friendly note or phone call to let them know your thoughts. If you know of other restaurants that should be added to one side or the other of the list send the details to ASRPA via: wewelcomeccw@asrpa.com

For any businesses thinking about creating their own gun free zone, please check out this video first:

Update 1: Other restaurants like Thai Rama that have indicated that they plan to respect our right to defend ourselves (based on reader feedback & the list - below listing is not comprehensive):
Black Angus, Olive Garden, NYPD Pizza, Parson's Restaurant, Dickey's Barbecue Pit, Babaloos, Eat at Joe's Barbecue, Maloney's, Santisi Brothers Sports Grill, Silver Spur Saloon, Chuy's Mesquite Broiler, & Valle Luna.

Update 2: More news on the subject: azcentral, azdailysun.

Update 3: Additional lists of CCW friendly restaurants are now available.

On September 12th Citizens from all over the Country will march on Washington DC in protest of out of control spending in an effort to unite our Country the way we united on September 12th 2001. Check out the Tea Party Express to see if there will be a lead up event near you. Those who can't make it to Washington DC on the 12th of September can join in on the protest at their local State Capitol. If you're in Arizona you can indicate that you plan to participate at the Arizona Tea Party, the Greater Phoenix Tea Party Patriots, or via Facebook. If you prefer you may simply show up at the Capitol on the morning of Saturday September 12th. Let your voice be heard!

Update 1: If you're on facebook you can also invite your facebook friends to attend with us!

Update 2: Find an event near you.

Update 3: I spent the morning with fellow Americans at the Arizona Capitol Today. It was wonderful to be with like minded individuals demanding an end to the out of control government spending. I counted about 3 dozen folks open carrying, and another dozen or so who were conceal carrying lifted up their shirt to show me their gun when they saw me open carrying mine. Freedom is wonderful, it's great to be an American!

I have met many people who have moved to Arizona or other Free States in our Nation to escape the monkeys that have been running the California Legislature. Nevada has launched an add campaign inviting California small businesses to move there to get the monkeys off their back and to escape State income taxes that are among the highest in the Nation. I'd only add that by moving to any of the remaining Free States Californians would also escape a plethora of Nanny State personal freedom infringements as well, the right to keep and BEAR arms being high on the list.

In California you can keep some arms if they're the right color, have only approved features, and are on a State Approved Arms List, but are you allowed to BEAR them? Only if you carry your gun openly while leaving it unloaded, or you carry openly while in a rural area. Unless you are among the California residents lucky enough to have received permission from the local Sheriff in the form of a permit to carry concealed which only happens if you can prove to him or her that your life is worth protecting:

If the CCW license is desired for . . . the protection of large sums of money or valuable property, you are required to explain and provide good cause for issuance of the license . . .

Do the Monkeys running the California Legislature not know that the guns the criminals carry are always loaded, and that criminals do victimize law abiding citizens within populated areas? Why have the criminals been given the upper hand by California legislators?

In Free States, all citizens are deemed worthy to bear openly carried loaded arms for self defense, so long as you are not a prohibited possessor. There is no discrimination here based on how much money you carry to the bank or how populated the area is that you happen to be standing in.

Update 1: Whether or not you are in a position to move or are in a position to need or want to stay in California, be sure to support the efforts of gun rights organizations like the SAF, Calguns and the NRA to train or preferably replace the monkeys who treat your rights like discarded banana peels.

I have a security alarm, but unlike the purpose alluded to in the current lineup of Brinks Home Security commercials, I don't have a security alarm to scare away intruders but rather to wake me up so I can grab my gun. If the security alarm ends up being enough to scare an intruder away that would be icing on the cake, but I'm not willing to bet the lives of my children on that alone.

Speaking of Security Systems, what do you think of this yard sign?

Greg Brush disappointed the dinner plans of a 900 Lb starving Brown Bear in Alaska thanks to the fact that he was prepared to defend himself with his Ruger .454 casull revolver stashed in his side holster. Tom Gresham of Gun Talk Radio interviewed Greg Brush yesterday on the 8/23 show. You can also read the survival story in the Anchorage Daily News. I'm glad that this story was a self defense story rather than a story of a defenseless victim killed by a starving bear.

I'm not a Bear expert but from what I heard Greg Brush say in the interview in addition to what I read in the article it sounds to me like Alaska needs to beef up its bear hunting program at least a wee little bit. If the bears are starving to the point that they are driven to attack humans there are likely too many bears for that local environment to support.

Yes, in Arizona we still enjoy the right to keep & BEAR arms without a piece of paper from the Government granting us permission, so long as you do so openly. This apparently freaks out some of those who are scared of guns. I guess it is a bit jarring when they finally come to the realization that people besides the Criminals & Police officers are carrying weapons. Perhaps it is time that they also realize it is far easier to carry a gun for your protection than it is to carry a Police Officer. If you dial 911, it will likely take minutes for the Police to arrive, but your trusty sidearm will always be at your side immediately. Besides that, I have a number of friends who are Police Officers, and I can't think of a single one of them that would consent to being carried around.

Full Audio of Ernest Hancock's interview of Chris: Part 1, Part 2. Earnest Hancock Interview on CNN.

What GOA had to say.

What the press had to say: KTAR, ABC 15.

For once I can agree with something Robert Gibbs said:

Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, said people are entitled to carry weapons outside such events if local laws allow it. “There are laws that govern firearms that are done state or locally,” he said. “Those laws don’t change when the president comes to your state or locality.”

Sebastian has the scoop on what some of the bloggers are saying. More at Arizonashooting.com.

Update 1: Listen to Alan Korwin discuss this topic with Chicago radio host Greg Jarrett: part 1, part 2.

I'm a long time member of the United States Concealed Carry Association so I have no idea how I've been missing out on this since it first began airing a few months ago on April 26th. USCCA has a new nationally syndicated weekly radio program that is also available as a podcast: AAR Armed American Radio with host Mark Walters author of The Ordinary Guy columns in USCCA magazine. It currently airs on Sunday evenings 8 PM-9 PM EDT (5PM-6PM Pacific) although it will soon be a 2 hour program starting September 13th. Former Congressman Bob Barr & Florida CCW Instructor Eric Williams will be guests on the upcoming program this Sunday Aug 23rd.

You can listen via live Internet Streaming on 920 AM WGKA, WLBB, KNZZ, KSCB, WLCM, KJMT, KGTK, KITZ, or KKFT Nevada 99.1 FM TalkRadio and call in to participate by dialing 877-956-9566. I subscribed via iTunes yesterday & downloaded all of the old episodes to catch up with what I've missed. From what I've heard so far I'm impressed, I've found it informative as well as enjoyable to listen to which makes for a great combination. If you enjoy the program as much as I do be sure to contact your favorite local talk radio program & ask them to syndicate the show.

I am glad that we have another voice on the air waves spreading the truth about our rights adding to the voices of other great freedom defenders like Tom Gresham of Guntalk Radio, Cam Edwards of NRA News, & Charles Heller of Liberty Watch Radio, not to mention the voices of many other great podcasts such as those currently participating in the Gun Rights Radio Network. All of my favorite gun rights podcasts are listed on the right hand side of my blog under the title "Gun Rights Podcasts" so check it out and see if there are any listed that you don't already know about.

I've been ordering my bulk ammo from Aim Surplus for quite a while and have always been happy with their service. They run out of stock from time to time due to the high demand but they currently have 5.56 M193 brass case non-corrosive ammo in stock again. I just made an order to replenish my supply. It's the same brand I'm already using (Prvi Partizan) and I've been very happy with it. Right now you can order 1000 rounds for just under $360 plus shipping.

Note that if your AR15 or other rifle is chambered for 5.56 ammo you can shoot this M193 5.56 ammo in addition to .223 ammo, but not the other way around. If your rifle is chambered specifically for .223 you should only shoot .223. Your chamber type will probably be stamped somewhere on the receiver or barrel depending on what type of rifle you have.

The Scholastic Clay Target Program is introducing youth all over the Country to the Shotgun Shooting Sports. It is run by volunteers & is open to youth aged 9 on up until they graduate from High School (After High School they can continue on to the Collegiate ACUI Clay Target fun). Think of SCTP as your local little league for the Shotgun Shooting Sports. Find a Club near you!

Here in Arizona there are currently 17 clubs State wide and the season runs from Oct 1st through May 1st so there is still plenty of time to register your children in the program for the 2009-2010 school year. For info on an Arizona SCTP club near you contact Ashley Lynch at 602-942-3000 or alynch@azgfd.gov

Readit News did a nice write up on the of the 2008-2009 Arizona SCTP Commissioners’ Cup that was held at Ben Avery this past spring. The 2008-2009 SCTP National Championship was held in Sparta IL in July. As I've discussed earlier, Ben Avery has a world class Clay Target Range including Trap, Skeet, & Sporting Clays, so if you haven't been there, be sure to check it out.

MSNBC Hardball host Chris Matthews was schooled on the Freedoms we enjoy in America by William Kostric (William Kostric open carried his firearm on private property near the location of Obama's Healthcare Town Hall in Portsmouth, NH):

Update 1: William Kostric is shown support by over a dozen patriots in Arizona!

Alan Gura & the Second Amendment Foundation are confronting the Washington DC ban on bearing arms (what part of keep & BEAR arms do DC Politicians not understand?). Hopefully it will be at least as successful as the Heller case.

Related SAF News Release.

The Harrold Texas School District made it through its first year with the partial removal of the gun ban without any incidents to report. There were not any accidental shootings, none of the guns carried by teachers were used in crime, and no mass shooters were dumb enough to attack. None of the dire predictions of blood running in the streets came to pass.

Related SAF News Release.

There is a new Dis Information Czar (Linda Douglass) in the White House, so Glenn Beck has introduced the Dis-dis Information Czar (Stu):

Unfortunately, he is not yet a US Representative, but if he runs, he's got my vote! This guy actually READ the Health Care Bill, and due to the fact that Obama hasn't even read it yet, perhaps he should give this guy a call:

I recently got caught up with my podcast subscriptions & Tony of the Firearms Cafe had an excellent podcast episode titled I Survived (episode 21). In it he discussed a few episodes from the I Survived TV Series on the Bio Channel. If you missed it go back & listen. It offers excellent insight into the fact that you are your own immediate responder. You are the only person immediately on the scene during any given attack or emergency, and it will be up to you to make sure your family survives. Prior planning & preparation will go a long way towards ensuring you are able to achieve that goal.

Another great resource along these lines is Michael Bane's The Best Defense available on the Outdoor Channel.

The Firearms Cafe is one of many great podcasts available on the Gun Rights Radio Network.

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