Interview on Gun Laws in CA

Well done interview:



In the interview CA State Assemblyman Anthony Portantino mentioned that he wanted to remove the "loophole" in California that does not yet deny American Citizens the ability to bear unloaded firearms who have not yet been granted a piece of paper by a mighty Sheriff, yet he failed to mention the fact that Thousands of California Residents are DENIED said piece of paper every single year because they write down on their application that the reason they wish to apply is simply because they wish to be able to defend their own life or the life of their loved ones while they are away from their own homes. Not to mention those of us who visit from out of State who are not even eligible to apply for a permit, nor are our own permits recognized.

That's right, apparently in California in the mind of many lawmakers your life is worth LESS than diamonds or dollars. If you are protecting cash being deposited at the bank you can get a permit. If you are defending life and limb, forget it.

My message to Anthony Portantino and any lawmakers who agree with him: It is time to Go HOME!

H/T to Sebastian

So much for the city of Brotherly Love

Perhaps they should rename Philadelphia the city of we hate law abiding gun owners. It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, but it does fit the stated policy of the Philadelphia PD.

They plan to assume that all people who carry openly are common criminals until proven otherwise rather than the other way around. Why not take the current activity or demeanor of the law abiding citizen into consideration? How many common criminals have you ever heard of that even bother to use holsters much less carry a gun openly? Why not use common sense? It is evident to me that there is not much common sense nor brotherly love coming from the Top Brass of the Philadelphia PD.

Listen to the full details on what happened to Mark Fiorino. Here is part two of the story. Here is the audio of the full incident - be aware that the officer uses a lot of inappropriate language, so do not listen to this with any children in the room. Instead of an apology, the Philadelphia PD says to expect more of the same. Reprehensible. Disgusting. The top Brass at the Philadelphia PD should be ashamed of themselves.

H/T to Mark Walters who will be discussing this story this afternoon on Armed American Radio - don't miss it, always a great program.

Some Democrats in AZ Lump Magazines with RPGs

20 Democrats in Arizona have signed on as Sponsors for HB 2711 which if passed and signed into law would lump people caught with unauthorized Rocket Propelled Grenades in the same boat as those caught holding magazines with capacities greater than 10 rounds of ammunition! Unbelievable.

Essentially, this group of sponsors wish to add so-called "large capacity ammunition feeding device" to a list of items that are called "prohibited weapons" which in Arizona currently includes bombs, RPGs, grenades, and other items. They wish to define their so-called "large capacity ammunition feeding device" essentially as any magazine, drum, or strip which either can handle or could be modified to handle more than ten rounds of ammunition. Perhaps someone should explain to them that magazines are not weapons? Or is that simply beyond their ability to grasp?

If this particular group of Democrats can't grasp the simple fact that a crazy terrorist who is willing to break laws that prohibit shooting people would probably not hesitate to break a ban against so-called "large capacity ammunition feeding devices," how in the world could we expect them to grasp something as difficult to comprehend as what the definition of a weapon is? For any of the twenty who happen to know how to read, here is the definition of what a weapon is just for you. Let me know if you would like me to read it for you, I can read it slowly if you would like:

Weapon: "any instrument or device for use in attack or defense in combat, fighting, or war, as a sword, rifle, or cannon." - so essentially, the only way a magazine by itself could really be used as a weapon, would be if I beat someone over the head with it. Somewhat effective at close range, but not optimal in most situations. A baseball bat would be more effective as a weapon than a so-called large capacity ammunition feeding device, but I certainly hope they don't plan to ban those next!

If signed into law this bad legislation could surprise any average law abiding citizen with a Class 4 Felony simply because they happen to be caught carrying a standard Glock 17 and a few standard capacity 17 round magazines on their person - the very same magazine used by many Police departments all around the US.

I am SO VERY GLAD that our legislature is not in the hands of the 20 Democrats who signed onto this bill, and I am going to e-mail each and every one of them to tell them exactly what I think about the legislation they so happily signed their names to.

AZ AG Responds to Bloomberg

As you have probably heard by now, Mayor Bloomberg is once again out and about trying to close up the so-called "gun show loophole" which doesn't yet prevent individual Americans from buying and selling their own personal property without conducting the criminal background check that is required of commercial gun dealers. If it isn't odd enough that Mayor Bloomberg isn't even asking the right questions, it should certainly be odd that he is asking them 2,400 miles away from the town he was hired to be the Mayor of.

Arizona Attorney General Tom Horn Agrees:

“I would suggest that Mayor Bloomberg consider the skyrocketing crime rate in New York City before he asks any more of his city’s police to leave town on these p.r. missions. According to the most recent FBI statistics, violent crime in New York City increased significantly in 2010 compared to data from 2009. Robbery went up 3.9 percent, forcible rape rose 13.9 percent, aggravated assault increased 8.8 percent and murder rose 12.3 percent. Clearly, the good men and women of the New York City Police Department have more pressing crimes to investigate than alleged violations at a gun show 2,400 miles away.”

Sheriff Joe had something to say about it as well.

Update 1: More from John R. Lott Jr.

NRA Opposes Nomination of Traver to head ATF

As if we didn't already have enough problems from the ATF/BATFE - Obama has nominated anti-gun Traver to head it.

From the NRA-ILA:

Statement from Chris W. Cox, executive director, NRA Institute for Legislative Action

The National Rifle Association of America strongly opposes President Obama's nomination of Andrew Traver as director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE). Traver has been deeply aligned with gun control advocates and anti-gun activities. This makes him the wrong choice to lead an enforcement agency that has almost exclusive oversight and control over the firearms industry, its retailers and consumers. Further, an important nomination such as BATFE director should not be made as a "recess appointment," in order to circumvent consent by the American people through their duly-elected U.S. Senators.

Traver served as an advisor to the International Association for Chiefs of Police's (IACP) "Gun Violence Reduction Project," a "partnership" with the Joyce Foundation. Both IACP and the Joyce Foundation are names synonymous with promoting a variety of gun control schemes at the federal and state levels. Most of the individuals involved in this project were prominent gun control activists and lobbyists.

The IACP report, generated with Traver's help, called on Congress to ban thousands of commonly owned firearms by misrepresenting them as “assault weapons,” as well as calling for bans on .50 caliber rifles and widely used types of ammunition. The report also suggests that Congress should regulate gun shows out of existence and should repeal the privacy protections of the Tiahrt Amendment -- all efforts strongly opposed by the NRA and its members.

Traver also participated in an extremely deceptive NBC Chicago report in which he referred to "the growing frequency of gang members and drug dealers using heavy caliber military-type weapons" and described them as if they were machine guns: "Pull the trigger and you can mow people down." Traver and his agents provided the reporter with a fully automatic AK-47, with which she was unable to hit the target. He then said that stray bullets are "one of the main problems with having stuff like this available to the gangs."

As the Agent-in-Charge of Chicago’s BATFE office, Traver knows that fully automatic firearms are not available through normal retail channels -- the opposite of what was implied in the report.

An agency involved in the regulation of a fundamental, individual right guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution should not be led by an individual with a demonstrated hostility to that freedom. For that reason, the NRA strongly opposes Andrew Traver to head the BATFE and urges President Obama to withdraw this ill-advised nomination.

--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.

John R Lott Jr: Gun Control Advocates Make Stuff up?

John R Lott Jr wrote an excellent article titled "Gun Control Advocates Make up Facts about Concealed Handgun Laws"

AB 1934: Open Carry Ban in CA

California Assemblywoman Lori Saldaña claims that she introduced California AB 1934 to ban Open Carry of unloaded firearms because she believes Police Resources are being wasted due to "man with a gun" phone calls to the Police. Even if that were true, you can't infringe a constitutionally protected right just to save Police Resources. Imagine a ban on free speech on public sidewalks to prevent wasting the Police Resources often utilized for crowd control or traffic redirection.

Even so, one Californian decided to test Saldaña's theory by calling the Police on himself:

JPFO: No Guns for Negroes

Excellent documentary by the Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership about the racist roots of gun control titled No Guns for Negroes:



Part 2

It is also available for free download or online viewing in other formats.

NRA-ILA: Brady Campaign Continues Slide Into Irrelevancy

I could not agree more!

From the NRA-ILA:

The notion that lemmings deliberately hasten their demise by rushing into the sea may be a myth, but the anti-Second Amendment group and its spokesmen really are scurrying through a series of blunders that may hasten their steady march to irrelevancy.

In 2008, in District of Columbia v. Heller, the group's two theories about the Second Amendment were rejected by the Supreme Court, one of them by five justices and the other by all nine. In 2009, they tried, with no success, to frighten America about tourists carrying guns for protection in national parks.

This year, they've insulted their most powerful ally, President Obama, for not setting aside the economy, the war, and his social agenda to push for gun control legislation Congress does not support. They've given the states their worst "Brady grades" ever, even though violent crime continues to decrease. And, they've badgered the Starbucks coffee company for allowing customers to legally carry firearms in its stores.

This week, though, Brady lawyer Dennis Henigan—the world's most prolific advocate of the legal theories the Supreme Court sent to the shredder two years ago—further diminished the group's credibility by claiming "The evidence is overwhelming that the 'shall-issue' concealed carry laws have been a disaster for public safety. . . . [T]he scholarly research shows that the laws generally have been 'associated with uniform increases in crime.'"

If he had just pushed himself away from the computer after his first four words, he would have been much better off. There's "evidence," all right, and it's certainly "overwhelming." Today, there are 36 states with "shall issue" laws—an all-time high. Sixty-three percent of Americans live in "shall issue" states, five million Americans have carry permits, and two states don't even require a permit to carry concealed.

"Uniform increases in crime"? The nation's violent crime rate is at a 35-year low.

Since adopting "shall issue" laws, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Virginia have had decreases in violent crime ranging from 26 to 53 percent.

Henigan also claimed to have 33,000 signatures on his anti-Starbucks online petition, which can be signed by anyone with a computer anywhere in the world. But in a country of five million carry permit holders, up to 80 million gun owners, and 300 million people, Brady's petition and $1.70 will get you …

Copyright 2010, 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

Cheuvront Sabotage in the Senate

Yesterday afternoon Sabotage of the Senate Version of Constitutional Carry was conducted by Senator Cheuvront and those who voted in support of his hostile amendment. You can witness the horror of their attack on our freedoms for yourself here (currently not available but it should show up within a few days) Details from AZCDL:

[On the afternoon of Thursday February 18, 2010], the Senate debated SB 1102 in the Committee of the Whole (COW). The COW debate is the last chance for a bill to get amended before a formal (Third Read) floor vote by the full Senate. During the COW debate, Democrat Senator Ken Cheuvront (http://azcdl.capwiz.com/bio/id/1881) submitted a hostile amendment, right out of the Brady Center playbook, which would make it a class 4 felony to not verify citizenship on any private sale conducted at a gun show. This is the same amendment that was defeated during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on SB 1102. The text of Senator Cheuvront's amendment is here: http://www.azleg.gov/legtext/49leg/2r/adopted/s.1102cheuvront1027.pdf .

Initially, Senator Cheuvront’s amendment was defeated by voice vote during the debate on SB 1102. However, parliamentary procedures allowed him to reintroduce his amendment during the process of “closing” the COW calendar containing SB 1102 and a number of other bills. At that point, Senator Cheuvront asked for a recorded vote. As expected, all 12 Democrats in the Senate voted for the Cheuvront amendment. Of the 18 Republicans, Senator Jonathan Paton was not present for the vote, and the following 3 Republicans “crossed the aisle” to limit your freedoms, voting to PASS the Cheuvront amendment by a 15-14 vote.

Senator Carolyn S. Allen: http://azcdl.capwiz.com/bio/id/1886 .
Senator Steve Pierce: http://azcdl.capwiz.com/bio/id/24366 .
Senator Jay Tibshraeny: http://azcdl.capwiz.com/bio/id/48998 .

If any one of this “turncoat trio” had voted against the Cheuvront amendment, it would have failed by 14-15. Joining in the vote of their fellow Democrats to damage your rights were two Democrats who have received favorable NRA ratings because of their prior support of pro-rights firearms legislation:

Senator “Manny” Alvarez: http://azcdl.capwiz.com/bio/id/136029 .
Senator Rebecca Rios: http://azcdl.capwiz.com/bio/id/148303 .

It is imperative that we let these 5 senators know, in no uncertain terms, what a grave mistake they have made. We strongly encourage everyone receiving this Alert to go to our Action Center and send the letter that is waiting there. We urge you to express your feelings and feel free to modify the language we have provided:
http://azcdl.capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=14703956 .

This is NOT the end of our attempt to get Constitutional Carry passed this session. There are several opportunities that we can take advantage of. However, at this point SB 1102 will not be calendared for a Senate Third Read (final vote before being sent to the House) until we have determined the optimum strategy.

Bottom-line: We will not sacrifice your right to privately sell firearms in order to achieve Constitutional Carry!

Stay tuned! When critical legislation moves, we will notify you via these Alerts.

If you want to get legislative news as it happens, follow AzCDL on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AzCDL_Alerts .
AzCDL “tweets” from the Capitol with committee votes and breaking news as it happens.

You can also follow AzCDL on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/FacebookAzCDL .

AzCDL’s Political Action Committee (PAC) is also on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/FacebookAzCDLPAC .

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

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

Copyright © 2010 Arizona Citizens Defense League, Inc., all rights reserved.

Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police Hysteria

John Thomas, lobbyist for the Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police is worried that removing some of the current infringements on the right to keep & bear arms (Constitutional Carry) could somehow make Police Officers less safe. Someone should let John Thomas know that the Police only get attacked by criminal thugs, people who generally don't obey the thou shalt not murder law, much less the existing laws requiring a CCW permit.

JD & David responded to John's fears with excellent information. Hopefully JohnThomas will read up. I also recommend that John Thomas see a shrink soon about his Hoplophobia. An irrational fear of guns is something that the Lobbyist of the Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police should get addressed ASAP.

NRA Debunks Bloomberg Poll

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

AZ: Senator Ken Cheuvront is Worried

District 15 Arizona Senator Ken Cheuvront is worried that he may soon unknowingly sit next to someone with a concealed weapon in a bar or restaurant that serves alcohol thanks to SB 1113 Restaurant Carry. I listened to Senator Cheuvront complain about SB 1113 on the Senate Floor during the Senate Committee of the Whole floor debate, but that was nothing compared to his recent rantings during a Phoenix Fox 10 News interview that aired last night:

"Now there's going to be a fear that you don't know if the person next to you is carrying a concealed weapon or not," said Senator Ken Cheuvront, a Phoenix Democrat who owns a wine bar and restaurant downtown.

Someone should let Senator Cheuvront know that he could be walking or sitting near people with concealed weapons most any time that he is walking or sitting near other people. That is the very nature of a concealed weapon - nobody knows it is there other than the person carrying it.

Even before this law change there were plenty of armed people sitting near him in restaurants or bars that serve alcohol. I guess he didn't know that even criminals eat out, and they certainly don't bother to disarm just because they're going out to eat. The only thing that will change on September 30th is that the criminals won't be the only people with weapons.

Watch the video to listen to all of his worries:

AZ AG Terry Goddard Opposes Constitutional Carry!

Standing in Opposition to Arizona Constitutional Carry SB 1270 which will be heard today by the Senate Judiciary Committee, Arizona AG Terry Goddard and a group of Police Chiefs have announced that they don't support the Arizona Constitution. At least not Article 2, Section 26 of the Arizona Constitution which says “The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself or the state shall not be impaired . . ."

What part of impaired does Goddard fail to understand? Isn't Terry Goddard supposed to support the law? If so, perhaps he should READ IT.

I can understand the Police Chiefs who are political appointees who answer only to the anti-gun Mayors or University Presidents who appointed them, but Terry Goddard was elected by we the citizens to enforce our Constitution. Give AG Terry Goddard a call & ask him to support the human right of Self Defense and our Arizona State Constitution which PROTECTS IT!


Be sure to submit your testimony in favor of SB1270 via the Arizona Request to Speak system: http://alistrack.azleg.state.az.us/rts/login.asp

You can watch today's hearing on Constitutional Carry SB 1270 live today in Senate Hearing Room 1 (scheduled to take place this afternoon, Friday June 19th, whenever the Senate Committee of the Whole is Adjourned), or you can watch it sometime next week after the video becomes available in the video archive.

Update 1: I've been watching the live video feed of the Senate Hearing & SB 1270 Constitutional Carry along with a couple of proposed amendments were passed out of committee with a do pass recommendation in a 4 to 3 vote. Next steps for the bill will be Senate COW floor debate & the Senate 3rd Read floor vote.

Debate: Wayne LaPierre Vs. Ed Rendell

Wayne LaPierre & PA Governor Ed Rendell debate Gun Control on CBS "Face the Nation".  Rendell calls for Gun Bans & 1 gun a month laws:



Related Washington Times story.

One question for my friends in PA: Where did you dig this guy up?  Hopefully you can get rid of him during the next election.  Consider replacing him with someone who understands the restraints on government powers built into the Constitution & the Bill of Rights.  For the slower minds like Ed it is even called the Bill of Rights, not the Bill of Needs.

As far as his lame comparison to how much trouble you can get into for shouting "Fire!" in a crowded theater when no fire exists - we already have the same restraint on guns.  I can carry my gun into a crowded theater but I can't wave it around or threaten people with it, much less fire it.  Unless I'm using my gun to defend human life and all of the legal requirements for the self defense justification are fully met.  Even then I'd be fully liable for any innocent life affected by my actions.

CIFTA: Inter American Arms Treaty

Sebastian has a nice writeup on what is wrong with the old CIFTA (Inter American Arms Treaty) that Obama wants the Senate to Ratify.  Obama also wants to re-instate the expired gun ban but he admits he doesn't think he has the votes for it.

Obama is using lies in an attempt to garner suspport for CIFTA.  It would be a good idea to contact your Senator & let him or her know you are against it.

The NRA has come out against CIFTA.

Update 1: Lou Dobbs:

Obama: Liar or Idiot?

The title may offend past or present Obama Supporters but I've racked my brain & I can't come up with any other explanation for Obama to repeat the already clearly refuted FALSE claim that "More than 90 percent of the guns recovered in Mexico come from the United States"

There is no way for him to not know that he is being a deceitful liar.  No, in my opinion Obama probably isn't an Idiot, which only leaves the option of Liar.  What do I think of liars?  Well for one, they are an abomination Proverbs 12:22 (Old Testament, King James Version):

^"aLying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal ^btruly are his ^cdelight."

This isn't his first lie, and probably won't be his last.

Right Wing Extremists

I've always considered myself to be an American.  However, I recently found out from Napolitano and the Department of Homeland Security that instead I'm probably a Right Wing Extremist.  Why is that you might ask?  Simply due to the fact that I support constitutionally protected freedoms & liberties such as the right to keep & bear arms.  Napolitano even attacked our honored veterans.

Napolitano, your efforts to divide our Country into squabbling groups you can rule over will only lead to Americans Uniting under the common cause of freedom & common sense.  The firmer you tighten your Fascist grip, the more resolute you'll find We the People become, slipping out of your slimy power hungry fingers.  You will get a small glimpse of our resolution tomorrow during the Tea Party Protests.  I'll be there, as will many of my friends accross the Country, standing in defense of our Freedoms and our American Way of Life.

Guns Recovered From Mexico Crime Scenes Traced to US - around 17%

It turns out that the now infamous 90% stat we've been hearing about lately from the likes of Clinton, Feinstein, and Hoover is actually closer to 17%.  About 17% of guns recovered from crime scenes in Mexico are ultimately traced by the ATF as coming from the US.  

There's just one problem with the 90 percent "statistic" and it's a big one:

It's just not true.

In fact, it's not even close. The fact is, only 17 percent of guns found at Mexican crime scenes have been traced to the U.S.

So exactly where did the misleading 90% stat come from?

What's true, an ATF spokeswoman told FOXNews.com, in a clarification of the statistic used by her own agency's assistant director, "is that over 90 percent of the traced firearms originate from the U.S."

But a large percentage of the guns recovered in Mexico do not get sent back to the U.S. for tracing, because it is obvious from their markings that they do not come from the U.S.

"Not every weapon seized in Mexico has a serial number on it that would make it traceable, and the U.S. effort to trace weapons really only extends to weapons that have been in the U.S. market," Matt Allen, special agent of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), told FOX News.

Yet another example of anti-gun Politicians distorting the truth in an attempt to gain support for their desired gun bans.

Watch the Fox news report here.

Update 1: Obama is also quoting the lie.

SAF Sues Holder for Rights Violations

From SAF:

SAF SUES ERIC HOLDER OVER GUN RIGHTS OF NON-RESIDENT AMERICAN CITIZENS

For Immediate Release:   3/30/2009

BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against Attorney General Eric Holder, seeking an injunction against enforcement of a federal law that makes it impossible for American citizens who reside outside the United States to purchase firearms while they are in this country.

SAF is joined by two natural-born citizens, Maxwell Hodgkins and Stephen Dearth, who have been denied the opportunity to buy firearms because they do not currently reside in the United States. Hodgkins currently lives in the United Kingdom, and Dearth is a resident of Canada.

The lawsuit alleges that Holder, as attorney general, is enforcing unconstitutional laws that prevent citizens like Hodgkins and Dearth from exercising their Second Amendment rights. The complaint also asserts that enforcement of the federal gun laws that prevent such citizens from purchasing firearms when they visit the U.S. violates their right of equal protection under the Fifth Amendment. The plaintiffs are represented by Virginia attorney Alan Gura, who successfully argued the Heller case before the U.S. Supreme Court.

“This is what happens when anti-gunners rush to pass a restrictive gun law that ignores the constitutional rights of law-abiding American citizens who happen to be living abroad,” said SAF founder Alan Gottlieb. “Honest Americans who live in other countries for a variety of reasons should not be denied their Second or Fifth Amendment rights when they return to American soil. Hodgkins and Dearth, and many others just like them, are victims of anti-gun rights zeal.

“Such citizens have every right to obtain and own firearms for a variety of reasons, whether to hunt, or for personal protection, target shooting or competition,” he continued. “Hodgkins, Dearth and other non-resident citizens want to keep their firearms here for use when the come home. However, current federal law makes it impossible for them to exercise their rights like any other citizen. It is fundamentally wrong to penalize American citizens for living overseas.”

The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nations oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 600,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control. SAF has previously funded successful firearms-related suits against the cities of Los Angeles; New Haven, CT; and San Francisco on behalf of American gun owners, a lawsuit against the cities suing gun makers and an amicus brief and fund for the Emerson case holding the Second Amendment as an individual right.