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February 2006
Fed. court rules state can't require SSNs for gun permits
A federal court has ruled that Pennsylvania may not require Social Security numbers for its gun permit applicants.
Federal law has a fairly broad prohibition against States requiring a person to put down their SSN (there are exceptions, including driver's license applications), but State agencies violate this with frequency (in many cases, without knowing it exists).
[Hat tip to Kathy Habel]
Another webpage on self-defender's conviction
Budd Schroeder sends a link to a webpage for Brent Parris.
[Update: as the comment notes, you have to be cautious judging a case from a webpage written by one side! I do try to find news stories that give additional details (altho there you have problems with the reporter's understanding or bias, but couldn't find any that shed additional light here.]
Permalink · Self defense · Comments (3)
KY opinion on right to arms
At the Volokh Conspiracy, Gene Volokh has a post regarding a recent decision of the Kentucky Supreme Court on the right to arms.
The issue is narrow -- whether a felon-in-posession statute violates the state right to arms, and of course the court rules that it does not. But the discussions are indicative of how far the legal aspects of the right to arms have evolved over the past few decades. The court does not blow off the issue, but discusses details such as the state's changing the provision, in the 1890s, from all citizens have the right to all men have the right. It cites law review articles and Fifth Circuit caselaw. The concurring opinion points out that the Pennsylvania minority report called for a federal bill of rights that would forbid disarming citizens "except for crimes committed..." The dissent points out that many felonies do not involve offenses suggestive that the person would misuse a gun (citing a manslaughter conviction of a woman who told a child it was all right to cross the street, following which a driver struck the child), cites Bliss v. Commonwealth, Blackstone, and Justice Thomas' concurrence in Printz, and details the debates in the state constitutional convention of 1890 (including debates over whether to use "men" or "persons," wherein the argument was made that "men" is generic and includes women). The dissenting Justice argues that while the ban might be upheld as to serious felonies, those that would call into question whether a person could be trusted with arms, it should not be upheld as a blanket ban.
The key point to me is that this shows how the right to arms has come to be taken as a serious legal issue -- it's no longer simply a "aw, it must mean the National Guard," or "subject to reasonable regulation, meaning anything short of banning every person from owning any gun" issue.
Webpage on self-defense conviction
From Budd Schroeder comes a webpage on the Richard DiGuglielmo case, arguing that he was railroaded after he defended his father from attack.
More here. Apparently the prosecuting attorney is marketing a book on the case. Pretty tacky.
Permalink · Self defense · Comments (0)
Move to make ATFE director subject to Senate confirmation
Congressional Quarterly is reporting that the reauthorization of anti-terrorism laws (conference report on HR 3199) will make the appointment of the director of ATFE subject to Senate confirmaton.
Continue reading "Move to make ATFE director subject to Senate confirmation"
Permalink · BATFE · Comments (1)
NJ Assn sues NY port authority over abuse of gunowner
The Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs, Inc. has sued the NY & NJ Port Authority (which administers the airports around there) over the false arrest of a Utah gunowner.
Basically, Gregg Revell was scheduled on a flight from Salt Lake City to Allentown, PA, connecting in Newark, NJ (which is near NYC). He possessed a firearm in conformance with the 1986 Firearm Owners' Protection Act (which allows a person to take a firearm interstate if it is legal where the journey begins and ends and it is unloaded and secured along the way). Due to airline error, he missed the connection in Newark, and the airline required him to claim his baggage there. When he tried to check in again, and declared the firearm as required by FAA regulation, he was arrested under the local gun laws and spent five days in a hellhole of an NJ jail (where friendly inmates told him that his life was in danger -- the real thugs might just kill him for the fun of it).
Permalink · General con law · Comments (2)
Justice Scalia on firearms
This from CNN: Justice Scalia addresses the National Turkey Federation with recollections of his carrying a rifle to matches in New York City.
Permalink · Supreme Court caselaw · Comments (0)
Lott's study of liberalizing CCW
Just came upon a mathematician's blog, with a commentary on criticism of John Lott's work in the field, together with his response in the comments.
Permalink · Self defense · Comments (1)
Scalia on use of foreign law
CSPAN has video of Justice Scalia's presentation at AEI on proper use of foreign law by American courts. See it here. BTW, he cites the Second Amendment, pointing out that Federalist 46 scoffs at European governments that are afraid to trust their citizens with arms, and asking rhetorically if anyone believes we should scrap the second amendment because, well, European governments are afraid to trust their citizens with arms.
I haven't had time to watch, but am told Scalia's thesis was that foreign law has no place in American law, except to construe international treaties. His presentation is described as reasoned and moderate, and during the questioning period the comments are that he showed a rare ability to suffer fools gladly, while fielding some rather immature questions.
So how does the Associated Press cover the story? "Hecklers Disrupt Scalia at D.C. Appearance," not a mention of his speech, but saying some questioner was expelled, and that Scalia refused to answer questions unrelated to what he was speaking on, and a student said she felt really bas about it (what? Not answering questions? The questioner's conduct? His expulsion?)
You have to go to the legal blogs --Volokh Conspiracy linking to Point of Law just to find out about the supposed heckler who was expelled. Turns out he's a LaRouche activitist famous for doing the same thing to other speakers, who was making an involved speech about Dick Cheney and refused to actually ask a question despite Scalia's repeated requests that he get to the point.
I suppose the simplest explanation is that the AP reporter assigned listening in a growing mental fog to Scalia's presentation and, understanding not a word of it, had to write about something and so made the story about the fellow getting thrown out. And the MSM wonders why it's increasingly seen, not only as biased, but as irrelevant.
Permalink · General con law · Comments (1)
Indiana legislation
Lots of pro-gun legislative activity in Indiana.
Permalink · contemporary issues · Comments (0)
A psychiatrist looks at self-defense
"Raging Against Self Defense: A Psychatrist Examines the Anti-gun Mentality." The title says it all.
I liked the note about the person who wrote her that he was against guns, because if they had them, one of his neighbors might kill him. Her response: what is your basis for believing that your neighbors would kill you if they had the ability?
[Hat tip to Kirt McAlexander]
UPDATE: Here's Clayton Cramer's take on the article.
Permalink · Self defense · Comments (3)
Don't worry, the government will protect you
A "glitch in the system" frees a prisoner, who then kills a pregnant woman, her husband, and another fellow. More here.
Permalink · Self defense · Comments (2)
Timing is important
The WashPo reports that Brady Campaign had ordered a bunch of blaze orange t-shirts marked "Innocent Bystander," and had them in hand just before the Cheney hunting accident. They figured it was a good time to send them to the White House (after, of course, tipping the press), but after the guy on the receiving end of the shot experienced a heart attack, reconsidered, and finally sent a few to the press secretary (after, presumably, tipping only the Post).
I suppose we should be grateful for their (almost, anyway) showing of good taste. The explanation that "The message of gun safety was lost in this story," would be more understandable if Brady had, oh, a single hunting safety or gun safety instructor.
Permalink · antigun groups · Comments (0)
NRA elections
Just got my issue of the Rifleman with the ballot. I thought I'd pass on a few thoughts, and maybe start a discussion.
All the folks that got nominated, and whom know, are very well qualified. This is one first rate body of people.
I would suggest reading the bios carefully to spot those who have special NRA experience. Are they a current board member, head of a state association, that manner of thing? What committees have they served on?
(Sometimes you have to read carefully. For example, Col. Brown and Judge Boehm are a long term board members, but they never mention it -- you have to deduce that from a mention that they're on two committees). It's not that I have any bias for incumbents per se -- it's more that I tend to disfavor "celebrity" directors, who don't have experience with the organization and may have little time to spare for learning. You also want some people who just plain love shooting, as well as the activists (I know it's mostly overlapping, but there are people who have little interest in politics as such, but love to teach people to shoot, and you need folks who will represent that aspect of NRA).
It is a pretty remarkable slate ... oh, a biochemist working on anticancer drugs, a retired judge, a former sub officer turned police captain and then attorney, a refugee from Castro's regime.
I notice two directors who have been elected officers by the rest of the Board (1st and 2d Vice Presidents John Sigler and Ronald Schmeits) are up for election. And the always-inventive Scott Bach has established a webpage listing his qualifications, which are many. (I should also give a special mention to Don Saba, since he's vice president of Tucson Rod and Gun Club, and I spent this morning exploring new sites for its shooting range with him).
Another thing--remember the ballot, and the nominating committee recommendations, are two different things. There's a limit on the recommendations, so they didn't list some interesting people. For example, David Jones, who's been on the board since '97 and mentions a 100% attendance record -- NOT easy to accomplish, with three 3-4 meetings per year. And Amy Heath, Jeff Cooper's grand-daughter.
Chime in with your own thoughts....
[Updates: here's the Orange County Shooters' Ass'n endorsements, and the Bitch Girls' take, strongly endorsing Scott Bach.
Just to explain, BTW, board members are usually elected for 3 years terms, so around 25 come up for election (plus however many it takes to fill in for resignations]. If there are resigned seats to fill, the 25 top vote getters get 3 year terms, and those below them get 1-2 year terms of those who had resigned. The president and vps must be board members, but are elected by the board (rather than the members) from its own membership. Then there is also a 76th director, with one-year term, elected on the floor of the annual meeting].
Permalink · NRA · Comments (13)
Journalistic firearms ignorance seems universal
Travelling in Lima, Peru, Prof. Bob Cottrol noted an article in the newspaper El Commercio. The newspaper had a photo of some Shining Path terrorists, carrying Smith and Wessons, which the newspaper described as "38mm" in bore.
I bet THAT would have a kick....
Permalink · media · Comments (5)
Ideology and Second Amendment positions
Prof. Jeff Segal (pol. sci, SUNY) has an interesting study of study of Supreme Court justices and nominees and their apparent ideology. (pdf file--click on "Perceived qualifications...")
For a handful of Justices and former Justices, we know something of their Second Amendment views. Warren Burger and Parade magazine, Bork and his later comments, Rehnquist mentioning the Second Amendment and the "right of the people," Blackmun's slighting of it in Lewis v. US, Douglas's dissent in an informant case saying he'd rather lose the 2nd amendment than the 4th, etc. What's interesting is that the views don't follow much of an ideological pattern. In this assessment, 1.00 equals very liberal (Thurgood Marshall, Wm Brennan) and 00 equals very conservative (Scalia, and I know this lumps together statist and libertarian conservatives -- I suspect the rating system employs a lot of anti-criminal defendant = conservative). Anyway, it's interesting that the known pro and known anti count is exactly the same -- mostly conservative, with one liberal there too:
Pro Second Amendment:
Rehnquist: .045
Black: .875
Thomas: .150
Scalia: .000 [The pros tend to be conservative, but with one liberal in the mix]
Probably pro Second Amendment:
Roberts: .120
Alito: .100 [Probables tend to be conservative]
Anti second amendment:
Douglas: .730
Blackmun: .115
Burger: .115
Bork: .095 [Antis, just like pros, tend to be conservative, with one liberal]
In case you're wondering about the middle -- aren't there any moderates on the Supremes? --for the majority of justices (this includes all nominated since 1937) there's no feel for their second amendment views, and hence they aren't included. The ones about whom we know anything tend to be very conservative or very liberal. Further, the more recent justices seem more likely to have taken a stand (second amendment wasn't a very hot issue before the late 1960s, and most of the positions date from 1980 on), and the more recent courts have been more conservative, hence conservatives tend to predominate in my count.
Permalink · Supreme Court caselaw · Comments (0)
More on Cheney hunting accident
Egad--as further proof of how slow the news is, Drudge reports that the mainstream media plans a full court press next week on the Cheney hunting accident. It'll be the cover story for both Time and Newsweek, no less. UPDATE: Glenn Reynolds has an article in the Guardian on this, commenting on the media's instinct for the capillary.
In the meantime, here's a webpage that replicates the shot patterns and concludes the accident happened as was reported -- the shot spread would be typical of 30 yards or so and not of any closer distance.
That matches my observation -- but is probably beyond the MSM, which at various times described Cheney as shooting "buckshot," the victim as being hit by 200 pellets, etc., etc.
[Hat tip to Eric Bezhoff]
Permalink · contemporary issues · Comments (1)
British police take down owner of penknife
Yep, this will do a lot to stop terrorism.
[Hat tip to Prof. Joe Olson]
Permalink · non-US · Comments (3)
Australia
Numbers of guns (at least registered ones) are surging in Australia, and the antigunners are complaining that the government is starting to act a bit pro-gun, says the Daily Telegraph.
Brazil, Canada, now start of movement in Australia. Might we be seeing an international trend beginning here?
Permalink · non-US · Comments (1)
News report on BATFE hearings
CNS News has the story on the first day's hearings here.
None of the MSM have picked it up -- only coverage was in a local paper, and that was very sketchy.
{Hat tip to Mike Baker on the story...]
Permalink · BATFE · Comments (1)
Gallup poll on gun ownership
The most recent Gallup Poll shows some interesting results:
As might be expected, Republicans are more likely to own guns than Democrats. 55 vs. 32% (for ownership by anyone in the household). As to reasons for owning, GOP were more likely to name hunting and target shooting than Demos (I'd guess the Demos are disproportionately urban, where self-protection is a more likely purpose than hunting or plinking).
Percent of households owning guns is up over the last decade. It's about 40% vs. 33% in 1999. (On the other hand, 1999 showed a low figure compared to previous polls, so it's possible that gun ownership then dipped, or that the poll data that year was atypical).
Here's John Lott on a 2005 poll. Amusing results: asked if arming pilots would make aircraft safer, the response was 2:1 yes. Asked if arming judges would make courthouses safer, the response was majority, no. I suppose that says something about the popular perception of judges!
Permalink · contemporary issues · Comments (5)
Hearings on Richmond gun show affair
I'm told you can get webcast video of it here, although I'm not able to play it on my own browser.
BTW, anyone who's had trouble with the agency should email [email protected].
Permalink · BATFE · Comments (1)
Hunting risks
Prof. Volokh has a posting on risks of hunting compared to those of other sports. Interesting figures (nationwide, swimming results in about 15x as many accidental fatalities as hunting, and boating about 9x as many. In Colorado, fishing results in as many fatalities as hunting).
Permalink · contemporary issues · Comments (0)
It must be a VERY slow news day
AP Headline: "Man Shot by Cheney Says It Was 'Accident'."
Now, that's a shocker. I suppose it will lay to rest all the conspiracy theories that Cheney was out to whack him because he knew too much.
Permalink · media · Comments (1)
Carnival of Cordite
The latest Carnival of Cordite is up!
Permalink · Festivals · Comments (0)
Canada moves to kill gun registry
Alphecca reports that the new Canadian government has appointed a committee, with an eye to terminating its gun registry. [via Instapundit]
Permalink · non-US · Comments (0)
House hearings on ATFE conduct at Richmond Gun Shows
The Richmond Times-Dispatch has the story. Hearings will resume with ATFE testimony on Feb. 28.
Permalink · contemporary issues · Comments (0)
More gun confiscations in Louisiana
Over at the Liberty Zone, Nicki reports a new (Jan. 28) case of firearms seizures in Louisiana. This one was in the town of Gonzales, and when the person protested that there was no law against open carry, he was told "tell it to the judge." The prosecutor wisely dropped the charges.
Sounds like a 1983 suit to me.... (Hat tip to Publicola)
UPDATE: Sounds like it wasn't his first, er, negative encounter with law enforcement. More here. No guarantee it's the same person, but it is the same name and locale.
Permalink · contemporary issues · Comments (7)
Ending England's Gun Culture???
From the London Telegraph comes "kill this gun culture".
[Hat tip to Dan Gifford].
Permalink · non-US · Comments (2)
NY Times--same old
The NY Times leads with "Violent Crime Rising Sharply in Some Cities".
Datelined Milwaukee, it begins "One woman here killed a friend after they argued over a brown silk dress. A man killed a neighbor whose 10-year-old son had mistakenly used his dish soap." People are killing each other over nasty looks and minor issues, and of course "more weapons are on the streets, giving people a way to act on their anger." A graphic on the side -- "an uptick in murders" looks like a 25% jump upwards.
Well, preliminary FBI data for the first half of 2005 (released last month, and the latest available) indicates that the homicide count did increase, but hardly by a great amount -- 2.1% nationwide. Given that the population also increased, the rate increase would have been less. Violent crime overall fell by 0.5%. Hardly a spiralling rate of crime.
Their charting of rates over time shows that it isn't that 2005 was exceptionally bad, but that 2004 was exceptionally good. Homicide rates had steeply fallen in the 1990s (funny how we rarely heard that in the media) and after 2000 edged upward a bit, up 1-2% a year in 2002 and 2003. Then in 2004 it dropped again, by 5.7%. 2005's increase of 2.1% came against that background -- still leaving the rate lower than in the rest of the decade.
I was curious about Milwaukee, the focus of the article, and so checked out past homicide counts for that city. The article states that those "jumped from 88 in 2004 to 122 last year." Again, it's a matter of 2004 being exceptionally low (the 2005 count is actually lower than that for four years ago):
2001: 127 homicides
2002: 111
2003: 109
2004: 88
2005: 122
I realize that fear sells newspapers, but you'd think they'd find some subject that they can legitimately scare people with, rather than going this far to create a boogeyman....
Permalink · media · Comments (0)
Canadian column on failure of their gun control
From the National Post (subscription only) comes an editorial that points out that as gun density declines, crime rates increase.
Continue reading "Canadian column on failure of their gun control"
Permalink · non-US · Comments (3)
Don Kates' observation on gun accidents
From an email from the prolific Don K.:
My many decades of conversations with laypersons on this subject show that the general populace has (largely because of mendacious propaganda) an almost comical misunderstanding of the subject. Common misperceptions include: (1) that gun accidents take thousands of lives each year; (2) that the number of fatal gun accident deaths (FGAs) is growing rather than rapidly shrinking; (3) that large numbers of infants and small children die in gun accidents; and (4) that the number of gun accidents grows with increasing numbers of guns.
The facts are:
[1), (2) and (4)] in 1967 there were slightly over 97 million civilian guns in the nation – and FGAs took over 2,700 lives. As of today when there are over 280 million guns civilian guns FGAs have shrunk to c. 770 per year. By way of comparison, falls, fires and drownings each take over 5,000 lives per year.
(3) The number of children, especially small children, killed in gun accidents is minuscule – though when it happens any such death receives nationwide publicity.
Post-natal mothers are commonly advised to take iron supplements. On average, nationwide 5-10 infants under age 2 die each year from swallowing iron pills (which look like candy).. In contrast, on average, each year 0-2 children of that age die in gun accidents. (An average of 36 children age 2 and younger die from consuming common household poisons of all type.)
On average, nationwide, four times as many children under age six die of accidental poisoning as in gun accidents. Likewise four times as many such children die in fires caused by their playing with cigarette lighters as in gun accidents. 20 times as many such children drown in bathtubs and home swimming pools as in gun accidents.
As to teenagers, on average 135-140 die in firearms accidents each year compared to the 5,700-6,000 teenagers who die in motor vehicle accidents.
Permalink · contemporary issues
Dick Cheney has hunting accident
Oops. As reader Dave B. points out, AP illustrates the story with a picture of Cheney receiving a presentation musket from NRA leaders, although muskets and NRA have nothing to do with the story.
[UPDATE: Speaking of sporting injuries, the Olympics today compiled a truly impressive casualty list.
FURTHER UPDATE: word is that the hunter shot has suffered a heart attack, probably as a result of a shot dislodged. I'm no expert here, but if a birdshot had entered a vein larger than its diameter, I'd expect it could be drawn into the heart and clog a vessel -- a rather rare event. Of course the NY Times wants to make the worst of it. The article says he was struck by somewhere between five and several hundred pellets, which is a rather wide range, something closer to either got a nasty graze or took the majority of a load. I'd suspect it's closer to the former, as taking the full load would suggest it was at very close range and involved much worse damage than seems to have been reported.
Winchester closing doors in New Haven
Winchester is closing down its plant in New Haven, CN. Winchester brand firearms are made by US Repeating Arms Co., which states it will continue their production overseas (to complicate matters, the brand name is owned by Olin).
Permalink · contemporary issues · Comments (5)
State legislative updates
If you're in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, South Carolina, Hawaii, Illinois or Nebraska, check the ILA legislation pending webpage.
Permalink · contemporary issues · Comments (0)
Article on Boston homicides
An all too typical article on the issue. When Boston homicide rates plummetted during the 1990s, it must have been the gun laws. Now that they're at record rates, it must be the fault of guns coming in from other states. (Why that wouldn't have happened in the 1990s is nowhere explained). Gun traffickers are said to be buying 12 to 20 guns at a time and reselling them (altho how that's happening, with bars to purchases by nonresidents, and the requirement that any multiple handgun sales be reported to ATFE is unexplained).
The article does not explain that contradiction between this, and its statement that crime guns recovered in Boston are difficult to trace because they were sold so long ago.
The article at least acknowledges that there are two other things coming into play here. In the 90s, Boston was part of "Operation Ceasefire," targetting gang members who owned gun illegally. The approach has since been dropped (city officials blame declines in federal funding -- although why Boston can't fund its own police, and thought this was the program to be dropped, is not explained). Boston's police employment has fallen by 10%, even as the gang members locked up in the 90s are now being released. Frankly, it sounds as if the city got complacent. With homicide levels low, it figured it could back off, and scrapped the program that was keeping the levels low.
Permalink · Crime and statistics · Comments (0)
Senate hearings on Richmond Gun Show
NRA reports that the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security will hold an oversight hearing to investigate apparent wrongdoing by BATFE at a Richmond, VA gun show last August.
The hearing is set for next Wednesday, February 15, at 4:00 p.m EST.
The report states you can watch the hearings online here.
[Hat tip to Kit.]
Permalink · BATFE · Comments (0)
Thought for the day
Here's a webpage on existing judicial vacancies.
It'd be fun if some progun organizations were to start to push good, solidly qualified candidates for those posts. There's two openings in the DC Circuit and one on the 4th Circuit (Richmond). Hmm... Prof. Bob Cottrol and Prof. Nelson Lund and Dean Polsby could split those. Two in the 3d Circuit (Philadelphia, I think) ... Prof. Nick Johnson. One in the 5th Circuit -- the trial judge in Emerson might do nicely.
I can't vouch for the last, but all of the others would be very, very, hard to oppose. Any one of them knows more about constitutional law, or any other form of law, than does the entire Judiciary Committee (both parties included, I might add).
Permalink · contemporary issues · Comments (0)
State troopers charged with illegal full auto possession
From the Belleville News-Democrat: three Illinois state troops and a physican have been charged with possession of illegal full autos, and ten police chiefs have written to ask that charges be dropped.
[Update: Brady Campaign was asked for comments, and gave a diplomatic "If that's what happened, it's a lapse in judgment." (BTW, this latter news article has more factual and legal errors than I can easily count).
UPDATE: Here's the letter in support, with signatures.
UPDATE: yep, the second article linked has quite a few errors. The M-4 is described as a subgun. The article implies that ANY full auto can be owned with payment of a $200 tax (ignoring that it takes more than that, and post-bans are out). It says subguns "often" fire pistol ammo, when firing such is the very definition of a submachinegun. It implies that full-auto breaks down into two classes: tripod mounted MGs and subguns.
Strange part is that it says the M4 was registered, to the law enforcement agency. Sounds as if the charges against one trooper are purely that he took it home contrary to regulations, which is a pretty tenuous basis for an NFA charge. Of course, the reporter may have missed some other details, or got that wrong.
Permalink · National Firearms Act · Comments (11)
DC police priorities
[Via The Parson's Fifth}:
The Georgetown Hoya reports that three students were mugged, and one shot, just off campus. This is in Washington DC, where gun ownership is largely outlawed (and until fairly recently, so was possession of Mace and pepper-spray).
The DC police response: “If our people weren’t taken away dealing with large parties and drinking all the time, we could have high-visibility patrols and try to deter some of serious problems that go on,” she said.
Great priorities, those. We can't do much about armed robberies and attempted murders because we're too busy dealing with disturbing the peace and underage drinking.
Permalink · Self defense · Comments (2)
News from Virginia
Word from Virginia Civil Defense League that two pro-gun bills passed the VA House. The first, which prohibits businesses from enforcing rules against firearms in locked, parked, cars, passed by 74-22 . The second, which prevents emergency powers being used to disarm, passed unanimously.
Permalink · contemporary issues · Comments (1)
Arizona House votes to drop refresher courses for CCW
The Arizona House of Reps has voted to drop refresher course requirements for CCW permits.
The requirement was for a two-hour course to update holders on changes to the gun laws. As the sponsors pointed out, the state gun laws don't change all that much, and it would be simpler for the state merely to mail the license holders any changes.
Permalink · CCW licensing · Comments (1)
Another case of victims disarming a criminal
Another case of victims disarming a robber. As I've noted before, I can't find any reports of a criminal taking a gun away from a defender, but cases where the defender disarms the criminal pop up with some frequency. The victim has but one concern -- defense -- whereas the robber has to multi-task, control the victim and witnesses, keep an eye out for police, and get the money. He's also frequently intoxicated, high on drugs, and none too intelligent.
Hat tip to Clayton Cramer, who's having some technical trouble with his gun self-defense blog...
Ah, he's got it working, and here's the link.
Continue reading "Another case of victims disarming a criminal"
Permalink · Self defense · Comments (0)
Repealing gun laws to attract Cabella's
The Chicago suburb of Hoffman Estates is repealing its local gun law, with the apparent motivation of attracting a big Cabella's outlet.
Permalink · contemporary issues · Comments (1)
Pro gun webpage with better looks than this one
It's run by Anna Benson, model, humanitiarian, and wife of Mets pitcher Kris Benson. On the side, she's getting into Texas Hold'em and extreme fighting competitions. And the pictures are much more interesting than you'll find on this site, NRANews, or DaveKopel.com....
Going postal in gun free zones
Donald May has a Townhall column by that title. [Hat tip to Dan Gifford].
Interesting question: mass killers often are driven by rage at "the system," the status quo, and are sometimes supposedly impossible to stop because they desire their own death.
Strange that they have never targetted, oh, a gun show or police station.
Permalink · contemporary issues · Comments (2)
ATFE head in fiscal hot water
According to the WashPo, ATFE's director Carl J. Truscott is in a bit of hot water with Justice leadership. The agency is $19 million over budget, planning to cut spending for bullet-resistant vests and other items ... and it turns out the director was planning to spend over $300,000 to pretty up his headquarters suite. Not to mention was spending about a million a year for bodyguards.
Continue reading "ATFE head in fiscal hot water"
Permalink · BATFE · Comments (2)
Texas ACLU supports firearm rights
The pro-gun Texas ACLU strikes again!
[Hat tip to Dab Gifford]
Permalink · contemporary issues · Comments (0)
Jury questions in Moussaoui sentencing trial
The AP is reporting that potential jurors in the Maoussaoui trial are being asked about NRA membership:
"Prosecutors wanted to know whether potential jurors belonged to veterans groups, the American Civil Liberties Union or the National Rifle Association. Defense attorneys wanted to know their favorite TV shows and what bumper stickers are on their cars."
They're generally allowed fairly widely ranging questions, designed to elicit bias (or find out who may be biased your way, too). The prosecution may figure that veteran status or NRA membership would tend to suggest a potential juror would lean their way, and an ACLU membership would suggest the person leaned the other way (esp. since the issue for trial is the death penalty).
Continue reading "Jury questions in Moussaoui sentencing trial"
Permalink · NRA · Comments (3)
Carnival of Cordite
The 46th Carnival of Cordite is up.
Permalink · Festivals · Comments (0)
Kates & Kopel -- new articles
Don Kates and David Kopel have articles in the current issue of Bridges: An Interdisciplinary Journal. I've posted the text (sans footnotes) of Don's article in the extended remarks below. Dave's article, "The Scottish and English Religious Roots of the American Right to Arms," is available in pdf on his website.
Continue reading "Kates & Kopel -- new articles"
Permalink · contemporary issues · Comments (0)
Webpage on felon in possession state statutes
Netscape has an interactive map that shows how different states treat felon in possession situations. It seems quite accurate for my state (Arizona). It indicates that Vermont, interestingly, appears to have no State no felon in possession restriction.
Permalink · prohibitted persons · Comments (2)
Canadian gun registry gets targetted
The Bradnon Sun has the story.
Permalink · non-US · Comments (0)
Virginia progun measures advance
The Virginia Citizen's Defense League is reporting a number of pro-gun results in the Virginia legislature, at the subcommittee level. The Militia, Police and Public Safety subcommittee killed Rep. Watts' bill to extend gun show requirements to just about every gathering at which a gun is sold, and passsed measure to allow judges to delegate CCW issuing authority, define "personal knowledge" which can be used to refuse a permit, to make VA permits reciprocal with all other states,
Today the subcommittee votes on a bill to allow firearms in parked cars (if locked)--I assume that's like the proposed FLA legislation, that forbids a business to bar them -- and to prevent use of emergency powers to disarm citizens, as was done in New Orleans.
Permalink · contemporary issues · Comments (0)
Glenn Reynolds' new book
Glenn Reynold's book, An Army of Davids: How Markets and Technology Empower Ordinary People to Beat Big Media, Big Government, and Other Goliaths, was up to #38 on Amazon for a time (even tho it won't be released for another few weeks), and has been getting excellent reviews. The theme is essentially that we're moving into an age in which freedom and entrepeneurship will have even more advantages than they do at present and in which large organizations (government and private alike) will be at increasingly weak positions.
[UPDATE: The reason I haven't mentioned the case cited in comments is I never got it. (Same reason the comments were held until I checked this morning). I get such a load of spam email and spam comments from addresses at gmail.com that I've had to block email from it, and set the blog filter so that all comments from it are held until approved. For some reason the spammers just love that email site. And to give you some idea of how serious the spam comment problem is, the filter on this site has blocked over 39,900 of them. Not counting the ones I catch by hand -- caught two this morning, one on German porn, one on online gambling.]
Another dumb crook story
A gunsmith notices that the guy who brought in guns for repair is wearing one of those house arrest ankle monitors...
[UPDATE in light of comment -- I'd agree that whoever was supposed to be monitoring the guy's ankle monitor oughta be in hot water! Technology is only as good as the humans operating it.]
Permalink · prohibitted persons · Comments (1)
Interesting book
I've been reading Osha Gray Davidon's "Under Fire: NRA & The Battle for Gun Control." It's a 1993 work, and thus doesn't cover the field since then -- pretty much ends with the Brady Act.
The author is strongly antigun, but except in a few places, doesn't let it affect his writing, that I can see. (He even acknowledges that "cop killer bullets" were an invented issue, and NRA was right on that). He does have some incredibly good sources for his material. I could only find one minor error in his history -- he has two firings occurring on the same day, when in fact they were a couple of weeks apart.
Permalink · NRA · Comments (1)
Mysterious story
The NY Post is reporting that the NRA blocked appointment of NY Mayor Bloomberg's girlfriend to head the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
This sounds very, very, strange. I doubt NRA would know he had a girlfriend, let alone that she was applying for a federal appointment, let alone try to block it in vengence. And the FDIC is not exactly an area where they'd have much clout. Nor the White House Personnel office (just try blocking an appointment that a powerful patron wants!).
The story admits that NRA HQ said it knows nothing of any such event. And it cites nobody as the source of the story (except an unnamed Senate aide, who says it was "obvious" that NRA did it), and can't name anyone as having blocked the nomination (except to say that "Any" of NRA's Senate allies "could have" placed a hold on it).
[Thanks to Budd Schroeder for the link]