Dave Kopel's Second Amendment Newsletter

April 12, 2007
Dave Kopel's Second Amendment Project is based at the Independence Institute,
a free-market think tank in Golden, Colorado.
http://www.independenceinstitute.org

The Independence Institute publishes several newsletters on other topics, plus a weekly newsletter containing our most recent op-eds and news of our activities. E-mail subscription to any of these newsletters is free.

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http://www.saf.org

Please visit Dave Kopel's website, containing articles on the Second Amendment and other freedom topics.
http://www.davekopel.org

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Table of Contents

1. New By Kopel, Articles: Ancient Israel's Wars; Dalai Lama's Army; D.C. Gun Ban Ruling; Romney
2. New by Kopel, Blogging: Quebecois Redneck
3. New by Kopel, Multimedia: Colorado Permit Restriction
4. International: Belgium; Canada; Kenya; Mexico; Namibia; Philippines; Switzerland; U.K.; U.N.
5. Culture: GLBT Gun Group; Remington sold; Heston biography; More Jim Zumbo; Female Gun Activists; Guns in Foster Homes; Guns in College; British Journal blasts its own Publisher; Illinois Rape Advice; Sanctuary Law and a Murder
6. Terrorism: Sudden Jihad Syndrome in Utah; Armed Teachers; 'Christian' Terrorists?; Yet More Armed Pilots; Cockpit Defense
7. Politics: Feinstein under Cloud; Giuliani; Huckabee's CCW Advocacy; Romney's Hunting
8. States: Arizona; Colorado; Illinois; Louisiania; Maryland; Massachusetts; Missouri; New York; Virginia; West Virginia; Federal Issues
9. Law: D.C. Gun Ban Ruling and Appeal; N.J. Court strikes down Ban; N.J. 'No Shooting' Injunction; Cleveland fights Ohio Pre-emption
10. Research: Texas Prosecutors; Pyle 'Assault Weapons' Video; Lott on Misused Statistics

I. New by Kopel

Articles

To Your Tents, O Israel!

Liberty
April 2007
http://davekopel.com/Religion/To-your-tents-o-israel.pdf
PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader or similar software.

The history of ancient kingdom of Israel, and how the people created a strong central government for national security, but then found that their own liberties were endangered by that government. The article also covers the lessons that the American colonists and Founders drew from Israel's experience.

 

The Dalai Lama's Army

National Review Online
April 5, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/2ku6rv

Can the Dalai Lama defend himself against al Qaeda? Tibetan Buddhism has a more martial tradition than is generally supposed.

 

Symposium: The D.C. Gun Ban Gets Overruled

Randy Barnett, John C. Eastman, Cam Edwards, Alan Gura, Dave Kopel, John R. Lott Jr., Nelson Lund, Clark Neily
National Review Online
March 12, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/3cr9p8

"The more that the right to arms is discussed in schools, the media, and elsewhere as a genuine, meaningful right, the more that public opinion (and, eventually, judicial opinion) will turn against repressive but non-prohibitory gun laws."

 

Romney, a Second Amendment Killer? Bill Richardson for president!?

National Review Online
April 11, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/2qh36u

Dave expresses some doubts on former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney's bona fides on the Second Amendment.

 

Blogging

Beautiful French Literature on Liberty and the Right to Arms

The Volokh Conspiracy
March 29, 2007
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2007_03_25-2007_03_31.shtml#1175196592

"Pierre Lemieux is a French-Canadian professor, libertarian, and master literary stylist. In 2001, he penned "Confessions d'un coureur des bois hors-la-loi" (Confessions of an outlaw woodsman), to protest against the growth of oppressive, intolerant, anti-gun, anti-self defense laws in Canada."

 

Multimedia

Senate Bill 34: Concealed Carry in Colorado

Independence Institute Voices Podcast
12 Minutes
April 5, 2007
http://www.i2i.org/ivoices/audio/iipodcast109.mp3

Here is Dave's discussion of this restriction upon Colorado's honoring of out of state concealed carry permits.

 

International

Belgium

Relationship between Gun Owners and Criminality: Facts and Figures

Frederick De Groote
Gunfacts Belgium
March 14,2007
http://www.gunfacts.be/wapenbezitcriminaliteitEnglish.pdf
PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader or similar software.

"In May 2006 the Belgian Parliament approved a new gun legislation, after a racist shooting incident killing 2 people and injuring a third in Antwerp. This new gun legislation became effective in June 2006." This report analyzes firearms-related crime in Belgium.

 

Canada

Quebec Government Hopes to Pass New Gun-control Laws This Spring

Canadian Press
Montreal Gazette (Canada)
April 4, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/3b9f86

"The bill aims to limit to the use of restricted firearms, such as the semi-automatic weapon used by Kimveer Gill during his shooting rampage at Dawson College last fall."

 

RCMP: No Record of "Protection Of Life" Carry Permit

Yves Marineau, Insp.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
February 14, 2007
http://www.garrybreitkreuz.com/publications/2007_new/126.pdf
PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader or similar software.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have no records of ever issuing a handgun permit for the 'protection of life,' despite that reason being specifically allowed under Canadian law.

 

Q-6: Updated Authorization to Carry Statistics

Tom Lukiwski
Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform, CPC
May 12, 2006
http://www.garrybreitkreuz.com/inthehouse/Questions/2006/may_12.htm

The Secretary of the Canadian House of Commons provides the figures to M.P. Garry Breitkreuz as to how many 'Authorizations to Carry' were issued in Canada, with a breakdown by provinces,

 

Federal CFO Policy Manual: Authorization to Carry

Federal Chief Firearms Officer Services
Current Revision: 2000-10-05
March 29, 2006
http://www.garrybreitkreuz.com/publications/2006/748.pdf
PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader or similar software.

Here's the Canadian government's official description of exactly what constitutes an 'Authorization to Carry.'

 

Kenya

Nation Mulls New Tough Law to Check Gun Crime

Fred Mukinda
The Nation (Kenya)
March 16, 2007
http://allafrica.com/stories/200703150896.html

A government with a long record of using gun control as a pretext for ethnocide contemplates capital punishment or a life sentence for gun possession.

 

Government Moves a Step Forward in Implementing the Nairobi Protocol on Small Arms

Millicent Awour and Nicholas Kigondu
Kenya Broadcasting Corporation
March 15, 2007
http://www.kbc.co.ke/story.asp?ID=41534

"It is believed that the estimated 100,000 illegal weapons are to blame for increasing killings in the country." The U.N.'s proscription of civilian small arms is the justification for an ongoing crackdown.

 

Mexico

Mexico: U.S. Must Stop Guns

Ioan Grillo
Associated Press
March 30, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/3687fd

In the words of Eduardo Medina Mora, Mexico's attorney general, "It's truly absurd that a person can get together 50 to 100 high-powered arms, grenade launchers, fragmentation grenades, and can transport this cargo to our country," Medina Mora said. "It's a task that needs a much more decided and determined effort from the U.S. government, and it's one of the demands we have put on the table." Possession and sale of such items by unlicensed parties is, of course, completely illegal under U.S. law.

 

Namibia

Over 39 000 Firearms Licensed in Four Years

Brigitte Weidlich
The Namibian (Windhoek)
February 27, 2007
http://allafrica.com/stories/200702270186.html

"The majority of the guns - 36 136 - belong to private people, 2 100 to security companies and 1 140 to businesses."

 

Philippines

Gov't Lawyer Says Arming Folks v. Rebels is Illegal

Jay Dooma Balnig
Sun Star (Philippines)
February 28, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/3bnp9d

A lawyer for the Government of the Philippines says that the army may not issue firearms to civillians for defense against rebel terrorists, as such an action would be a violation of Philippine firearms laws.

 

Switzerland

Centre-left Wants to End Swiss Gun Tradition

Urs Geiser
swissinfo
March 23, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/2ob7bd

Pacifists and centre-left parties want voters to have the final say on breaking with a long-standing Swiss tradition of storing personal army rifles and pistols at home.

 

United Kingdom

Guns in Northern Ireland

Dunblane Massacre Resource Page
April 10, 2007
http://dvc.org.uk/dunblane/ni.html

"The people of Nothern Ireland can get handgun carry permits if they are at risk of being attacked. Tony Blair wants to change that." Updates to the site include numerous URL's and articles.

 

Dunblane Made Us All Think about Gun Control... So What Went Wrong?

Ian Bell
Sunday Herald (Scotland)
February 24, 2007
http://therealgunguys.blogspot.com/2007/03/englands-gun-ban-proponent-admits-he.html

A major proponent of the post-Dunblane British gun bans now admits that they have proved ineffective. The article disappeared from the web, but has been preserved at this site.

 

Youngsters in Britain Seen as Menace to Society

Jill Lawless
Associated Press
March 25, 2007
http://washingtontimes.com/world/20070324-115203-4703r.htm

"Almost daily in the press, Britain's young people are treated as a threat. To the tabloids, they're "hoodies" or "chavs" -- feral youths bent on binge drinking and delinquency." The behavior has been termed 'pedophobia.'

 

Britain To Ban Replica Samurai Swords

Emma Henry and Agencies
Telegraph (UK)
March 7, 2007
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/03/05/nsamurai105.xml

The sale of imitation samurai swords could be banned by the end of the year, the Home Office announced today. Importing or hiring the weapons could also be made illegal following a string of samurai sword attacks in recent years. Breaching the ban, which is targeted at cheap imitation samurai swords rather than the more expensive genuine collectors' items made by licensed swordsmiths in Japan, would result in up to six months in jail and a £5,000 fine.

 

MP's Bid to Change Law on Defending Your Home

Staff Copy
Peterborough Evening Telegraph (UK)
March 8, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/33ocy9

"A bid to change a topsy-turvy law which gives burglars scope to prosecute their victims is being made today by North West Cambridgeshire MP Shailesh Vara."

 

The U.N.

Moving Ahead on Small Arms Control: A Focus on the 2006 Session of the UN First Committee

Sarah Parker
hd Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue
December 6, 2006
http://www.hdcentre.org/datastore/Small%20arms/UN%20Process/2006FirstCommittee.pdf
PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader or similar software.

A report from the HD Centre details the actions of the United Nations First Committee's work in drafting the new Arms Trade Treaty. In contrast to last summer's Small Arms conferences, consensus is not mandatory.

 

Culture

Pink Pistols: The Gay Group That's Getting Armed

Sarah Klein
Alternet
April 3, 2007
http://www.alternet.org/story/50039/

Part social gun club, part political platform, the group's slogans are, "Armed gays don't get bashed" and "Pick on someone your own caliber."

 

The LGBT Movement Declares Their Right to Bear Arms in San Jose

Matt Stroud
Silicon Valley Metro (CA)
March 28, 2007
http://www.metroactive.com/metro/03.28.07/pink-pistols-0713.html

Another article treating the Pink Pistols. "To me, for any minority to put trust into government to protect them is a serious mistake."

 

Remington Arms Readies for 3rd Century of Business by Entering into Definitive Agreement for Sale

Press Release
Remington Arms Company, Inc.
April 5, 2007
http://www.remington.com/library/press/2007/2007-2.asp

"Remington Arms Company, Inc. the only manufacturer of both firearms and ammunition for Hunting, Law Enforcement/Security, Government and Military applications in the United States, announced that it will be acquired by an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management, L.P. as part of a definitive agreement between Cerberus and RACI Holding, Inc. for an estimated value of $370 million..."

 

Book Review: From My Cold Dead Hands

Ron Capshaw
FrontPage Magazine
March 19, 2007
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=27417
http://tinyurl.com/2fa2ad

Both the review and the book, on Amazon at http://tinyurl.com/2fa2ad are very positive about the life of former NRA President Charlton Heston.

 

Should gun data lists be muzzled? First Amendment Rights Collided with Second Amendment Rights in the Recent Brouhaha

Laurence Hammack
The Roanoke Times
March 18, 2007
http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/109163

After a Roanoke Times columnist urged his readers to use public records to find the addresses of Concealed Weapons Permit holders, angry readers demanded that the newspaper publish the columnist's home address.

 

Gunning for Gun Owners: Under fire from narcissistic journalists

Michelle Malkin
National Review Online
March 21, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/2wqurv

Syndicated Columnist Michelle Malkin points out that journalists would be well-advised to realize that the 2nd Amendment is the guarantor for the 1st Amendment by which they earn their livelihoods.

 

Va. gun enthusiasts taunt NYC mayor with "Bloomberg Gun GiveAway"

Kristen Gelineau
Associated Press (VA)
March 16, 2007
http://www.wvec.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8NTV6M00.html

"Bloomberg calls the dealers holding the contest sick. The dealers call Bloomberg words that aren't fit to print."

 

Down Range Television

Flying Dragon, Ltd.

http://www.downrange.tv/

A new shooting sports television network, on the Internet, featuring Michael Bane.

 

Girls Just Want to Have Guns

Press Release
Maryland Shall Issue, Inc.
March 7, 2007
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,71202.shtml

This Maryland "Shall Issue" Concealed Carry advocacy group staged a protest by women advocationg reform of Maryland's arcane weapons permit laws.

 

Gun Ban in Foster Homes Not Needed, Some Lawmakers Say

David Rauf
Austin American-Statesman (TX)
March 30, 2007
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/region/legislature/stories/03/30/30Foster.html

"Two Dallas-area lawmakers are working together to overturn a state rule that prohibits firearms in some foster homes."

 

COMMENTARY: Guns Have No Place in Classrooms

Brandon Wilson
WKU Herald.com
March 1, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/yv3f5h

Mr. Wilson, a student at Bowling Green, here objects very strenuously to the presence of a firearm in his sociology classroom. The firearm was in the possession of an off-duty police officer.

 

The Lancet Protests against its Publishers Arms Fairs Business

Press Release
Journal of the Canadian Medical Association
April 24, 2007
www.cmaj.ca/cgi/rapidpdf/cmaj.070417v1.pdf
PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader or similar software.

"The Lancet, long an influential international voice on the adverse health consequences of war and violence, has again called upon its publisher to stop hosting arms fairs."

 

Sexual Assault: If You are Confronted...

Illinois State Police
2004
http://www.isp.state.il.us/crime/saconfronted.cfm

"Fighting for your safety may be necessary..."

 

Illinois State Police Advice on Resisting Rape

David Hardy
Of Arms and the Law
April 6, 2007
http://armsandthelaw.com/archives/2007/04/illinois_state.php

David Hardy provides a critique of the advice tendered in the previous entry, which includes several shibboleths against the use of a firearm for self-defense contradicted by actual statistics.

 

Seattle's 'Sanctuary Law' Helped Kill Rebecca Griego

Press Release
Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms
April 5, 2007
http://www.ccrkba.org/pub/rkba/press-releases/seattle.sanctuary.htm

"Had it not been for a Seattle ordinance that forbids police officers from routinely ascertaining a suspect's immigration status, MondayÂ’s murder-suicide at the University of Washington might have been prevented because the perpetrator would have been deported months ago, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today."

  

Let the Hero Tribute Stand

Editorial
The Rocky Mountain News
April 7, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/2e46o2

"Danny's widow Patsy Dietz framed the dispute just right when she urged parents 'to teach their children the difference between two thugs who murder their classmates and a soldier who died fighting for their freedom.'" Littleton City Council intends to go ahead with their plans to dedicate the statue in the park this July 4th.

 

Terrorism

Yet Another Case of Sudden Jihad Syndrome, After All

Srdja Trifkovic
News and Views
March 20, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/2ywj6o

Trifkovic makes a case that the shootings by Sulejman Talovic in a Salt Lake City shopping mall were, in fact, prompted by an Islamicist belief in violent jihad and the shooter's desire for martyrdom.

 

Christian Terrorists?

Jay Sekulow
Townhall.com
April 5, 2007
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JaySekulow/2007/04/05/christian_terrorists

"School districts across the United States, unfortunately, have to prepare for tragedies inside the walls of the classroom. For the past decade, we've seen horrible incidents of school violence through hostage-taking in Colorado, Kentucky and Pennsylvania. No one disputes the need for proper preparation for school officials and emergency responders. But what happened in Burlington Township High School last week is inexcusable. Preparing for potential hostage-taking is one thing; blaming the hostage-taking on conservative Christians is not only inappropriate, but outrageous and raises serious constitutional questions as well."

 

"Right Wing Fundamentalist" Terrorism Drills

Michelle Malkin
Michellemalkin.com
April 5, 2007
http://michellemalkin.com/archives/007250.htm

Here is Malkin's treatment of the same issue and some updates on the controversy over the use of Christians as putative terrorists in school drills.

 

More Armed Pilots Needed, Aviation Experts Say

Kevin Mooney
CCybercast News Service
March 28, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/3baxby

A comprehensive treatment of the need for armed pilots in jetliner cockpits, given the ease with which weapons have and can be smuggled through airport security.

 

Politics

Feinstein Quits Committee under War-profiteer Cloud: Report Documents Military Contracts for Firms Owned by Senator's Husband

World Net Daily
March 28, 2007
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54932

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., has abruptly walked away from her responsibilities with the Senate Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee after a report linked her votes to the financial well-being of her husband's companies, which received billions of dollars worth of military construction contracts she approved.

 

Rudy's Gun-Control Agenda

John Velleco
Human Events
March 20, 2007
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=19883

This spokesman from Gun Owners of America expresses his own grave doubts about former NYC mayor Rudolph Giuliani's sincerity in his professions of support for the Right to Arms.

 

Huckabee takes it easy in Concord: He talks God, guns and abortion

Melanie Asmar
Concord Monitor (NH)
March 15, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/2k83pq

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee has been campaigning strongly on the subject of the Second Amendment in his visits to New Hampshire.

 

Romney Aims Again to Explain Hunting

Emily Udell
Associated Press
April 6, 2007
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=3013787

His professions of a lifetime of hunting and recent membership in the NRA continue to trouble former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney on the campaign trail.

 

States and Non-states

Arizona

Napolitano Vetoes Bill to Make Self-defense Change Retroactive

Paul Davenport
Associated Press (AZ)
March 2, 2007
http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=6170763

"Gov. Janet Napolitano on Friday vetoed a bill that would have made a 2006 self-defense law apply retroactively to cases pending at the time the law was passed, a change intended to help a hiker sent to prison for a fatal trail shooting that drew national notice among gun-rights supporters."

 

California

Books Don't Kill People - Guns Do

Vin Suprynowicz
reviewjournal.com
April 1, 2007

This editorial columnist offers two parallel news stories in which a man whose home burned in California is either a home publisher or home reloader--and asks his readers to gauge their responses to both.

 

Colorado

Bill to tighten gun permits goes to Ritter

Hank Lacey
The Gazette (Colorado Springs, CO)
March 29, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/3xxqep

The Colorado State House and Senate have passed a measure forbidding Colorado residents from using an out-of-state permit to carry firearms concealed.

 

Hysteria Trumps Self-defense on 'Make My Day' Gun Bill

Mark Hillman
Pueblo Chieftain (CO)
March 11, 2007
http://www.chieftain.com/editorial/1173600216/4

On a party-line vote, the Democratic maority in a Colorado State Senate committee killed a bill that would have authorized drivers and business owners to defend themselves and their property with lethal force.

 

Illinois

Gun Ban Zealot Fails to Answer Questions about Illinois Made Rifles

Press Release
ArmaLite, Incorporated
March 29, 2007
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,82740.shtml

"As Kotowski incorrectly described the use of the .50 caliber rifle, he stated that this rifle was designed and manufactured for law enforcement and military applications. In contrast, Mark Westrom, President of ArmaLite, an 85 employee Geneseo, Illinois based company, stated correctly that the AR-50 displayed was, in fact, a target rifle used by legitimate, law-abiding citizens for hunting, target shooting, and collecting -- not by law- enforcement or military."

 

Plan To Ban 50-Caliber Rifles Advances

WBBM-AM 780 (Chicago, IL)
March 14, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/2l8ypr

"Bill sponsor Senator Dan Kotowski (D-Park Ridge) says the large, sniper rifles could be used by terrorists to damage fuel storage tanks, a radar dish, a power plant, or an airplane from up to a mile-and-a-half away. He says that's too much of a risk."

 

Guns in Police Custody Fell into Criminal Hands: Audit Sealed for Years also Shows Drugs Missing

Frank Main
Chicago Sun-Times
February 26, 2007
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/272833,CST-NWS-guns26.article

"An audit the city kept secret for more than a decade shows the Chicago Police evidence warehouse was in such disarray in the 1990s that guns vanished from the facility and were later recovered from criminals."

 

Louisiana

New Orleans Residents Arming Themselves

Mary Foster
Associated Press
March 23, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/248ofv

"People across New Orleans are arming themselves - not only against the possibility of another storm bringing anarchy, but against the violence that has engulfed the metropolitan area in the 19 months since Katrina, making New Orleans the nation's murder capital.

 

Maryland

Assault Weapons Ban Likely Dead for Session

Andrew A. Green
The Baltimore Sun (MD)
March 16, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/ytj34x

"A Senate committee yesterday rejected a ban on assault weapons, effectively ending the proposal's chances for this General Assembly session."

 

Air Rifles, BB Guns Would be Banned

John Fritze
The Baltimore Sun (MD)
March 13, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/386sgn

"Air rifles and BB guns would be prohibited in Baltimore under a proposed ordinance introduced in the City Council yesterday, a response to a series of robberies in which the weapons have been used, supporters said."

 

Massachusetts

Mass. Governor Makes Anti-gun Push amid Crime Wave

Reuters
April 5, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/2as2zo

"Massachusetts' governor on Thursday called for restrictions on gun purchases and more police on the street as part of a campaign against a wave of violence."

 

Missouri

Lobbyist Works to Sway Lawmakers to Give Missourians More Firearm Freedoms

Matt Tilden
The Missourian (Columbia, MO)
March 18, 2007
http://columbiamissourian.com/news/story.php?ID=24792

"Earlier in the year, four Republicans -- two senators and two representatives -- proposed legislation that would allow Missourians to use deadly force against household intruders. The legislation has been dubbed the "castle doctrine" by its supporters after the expression that one's home is his or her castle."

 

House Ditches Handgun Law Requiring Sheriffs' Permits

Associated Press
April 4, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/2xobkr

"The House agreed yesterday to get rid of a state law requiring people to obtain permits from their local sheriff before they can get a handgun."

 

Senate OKs Bill to Bar Taking Guns during Emergency

Associated Press (MO)
March 14, 2007
http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/state/16904287.htm

"People could not have their guns taken away during an emergency under a bill that won first-round approval Wednesday from the Senate."

 

New Mexico

New Mexico Governor Signs Important Right-to-Carry Reform Bill!

Press Release
National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action
April 6, 2007
http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?id=2833

"...this NRA-backed legislation will allow Concealed Handgun License holders to protect themselves in establishments that sell alcohol for off-premises consumption."

 

New York

Guns Aren't Enough - Pols Want Bullet Control

Dan Kadison
New York Post
March 19, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/ytkte7

"One bill would permit the sale of bullets only to individuals who hold legal gun licenses that specify the type of ammunition being purchased. A second bill would require manufacturers to brand bullets sold in New York with a traceable code to help police track them during criminal probes."

 

Texas

Bill Would Protect Right to Possess Weapons during Emergency

David Rauf
The Austin American-Statesman (TX)
April 3, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/2tcajc

"Gun-toting Texans could get some legal protection against having their weapons and ammunition seized by law enforcement officers if a bill that bulleted through the Senate with unanimous approval is signed into law."

 

Virginia

SAF Hails Virginia Attorney General for Proposed 'Gun Sting' Legislation

Press Release
Second Amendment Foundation
March 28, 2007
http://saf.org/viewpr-new.asp?id=217

"The Second Amendment Foundation today applauded Virginia Attorney General Robert F. McDonnell for requesting legislation that would outlaw "simulated straw purchases," thus prohibiting the kind of vigilante gun sting operation mounted last year by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg."

 

West Virginia

Governor Manchin Signs West Virginia "Emergency Powers" Legislation Into Law

Press Release
National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action
April 6, 2007
http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Federal/Read.aspx?id=2854

"Governor Joe Manchin (D) recently signed into law House Bill 2348--NRA-backed "Emergency Powers" legislation that will prevent state or local government authorities from confiscating lawfully owned firearms during declared states of emergency, such as occurred in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina."

 

Federal Issues

Personnel Announcement

Press Release
The White House

http://tinyurl.com/3ayek4

"The President intends to nominate Michael J. Sullivan, of Massachusetts, to be Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives at the Department of Justice. Mr. Sullivan currently serves as United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts."

 

An Open Letter to the United States Senate

Jim Zumbo
The High Road
March 28, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/2xq26x

Mr. Zumbo, of Cody, Wyoming, and in trouble for some of his earlier remarks on the air and in his column, takes exception to the use of his words out of their context by Senator Carl Levin (D., Michigan) in the senator's opposition to firearms anti-confiscation legislation.

 

Law

Shelly Parker, et. al., vs. District of Columbia and Adrian M. Fenty, Mayor of the District of Columbia

Senior Circuit Judge Hirsch Silberman
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
March 9, 2007
http://www.nraila.org/media/PDFs/dccourt04_7041a.pdf
PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader or similar software.
http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Federal/Read.aspx?id=2724

Here is the complete text of the majority decision by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals largely invalidating the D.C. gun ban on 2nd Amendment grounds. For the NRA's reaction, see here: http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Federal/Read.aspx?id=2724. Dave's reaction is in the 'New by Kopel' section, above.

 

Petition for Rehearing in Parker V. District Of Columbia

Adrian M. Fenty and the District of Columbia
April 9, 2007
http://www.wtopnews.com/docs/parker_rehearing_petition.pdf
PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader or similar software.

Here is the text of the appeal of the above decision by the D.C. City Government, mostly based on the United States vs. Miller decision of 1939.

 

New Jersey Court Recognizes Second Amendment and Holds that It Trumps Gun Forfeiture Law

Evan F. Nappen Attorney at Law
Law Update-Gun Book
March 19, 2007
http://www.evannappen.com/lawupdate1gunbook/

"In a landmark written opinion filed February 27, a New Jersey Superior Court recognized the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and held that a citizen's Constitutional Right to Keep and Bear Arms cannot be involuntarily waived under a New Jersey firearms forfeiture law."

 

Gun Owner Sues to Lift Firing Ban

Russ Flanagan
Express-Times (NJ)
March 16, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/3xfj87

A Lower Saucon Township gun enthusiast is suing Northampton County, the township and his neighbors in federal court over his right to target shoot in his backyard.

 

Cleveland Files Suit to Uphold Right to Pass its Own Gun Laws

Olivera Perkins
Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH)
March 15, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/38jlna

"Cleveland challenged a state law Wednesday that makes it illegal for the city to make its own gun laws, such as banning assault weapons."

 

Research

Above the Law: How Texas Prosecutors are Placing Their Own Judgments over That of the Legislature and the Law of the Land

Scott Henson
The ACLU of Texas, the Texas State Rifle Association, and the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition
January, 2007
http://tsra.com/docs/AboveTheLaw.pdf
PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader or similar software.

Some Texas prosecutors didn't like a new law -- passed by the 79th Legislature and signed by the Governor -- that clarified Texans' right to carry a legal handgun in a private vehicle. Some even directed local police to ignore the statue, according to statements from the Texas District and County Association (TDCAA) website and information collected under a Public Information Act request.

 

Assault Weapon, Assault Rifle, Full Auto Semi-Auto?

Leroy Pyle
1989
http://tinyurl.com/yslwk2

Here is a source for the Youtube copy of an excellent video made by Leroy Pyle on the clear differences between types of weapons that Josh Sugarman of the Violence Policy Center said it would be his policy to confuse with each other, in order to ban them.

 

The Crime-Statistics Con Job

John Lott
Fox News
March 26, 2007
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,261047,00.html

Lott demonstrates that a new report from the National Safety Council on accidental firearm-related fatalities used selective statistics to mask the fact that such deaths remain at record lows while accidents involving youths continue to decline.

 

This newsletter is compiled with help from Dr. Rob S. Rice. For more on this emphatic, yet well-motivated individual, see http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/rrice/rrice_hd.html. Dr. Rice is restoring 'Winston,' an '84 VW Camper, see: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/search.php?search_author=msinabottle

Al Qaeda delenda est!