VA-ALERT: VCDL Update 12/7/09 - Part 1 of 2

[OakRidgeStars]

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VCDL's meeting schedule: http://www.vcdl.org/meetings.html
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Abbreviations used in VA-ALERT: http://www.vcdl.org/help/abbr.html
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VCDL Update 12/8/09 - Part 1 of 2

1. Members of VCDL to address Newport News City Council THIS Tuesday
2. VCDL announces six new EMs
3. VCDL applications
4. Videos: VCDL Republican Round-Up protest
5. Mike Stollenwerk, J.D.
6. VCDL signs on to Amicus Brief for McDonald vs. Chicago!
7. Gunowners show dignity despite Council disrespect
8. Report: VCDL address to VA Beach mayor (with video)
9. Lunenburg CHP qualifications
10. Roanoke Times at it again
11. Defense of guns in face of deaths mystifies reader
12. Mechanicsburg, VA woman rallies for gun control
13. Portsmouth, VA repeals law banning guns on lakes
14. Community leaders, civilians gather against gun violence
15. McWaters survey results
16. Pistols, Tasers, assault rifles sell fast at Chantilly gun show
17. A stray bullet hits a Lebanon, Va., woman, lodging in her jaw
18. Editorial: Virginia House of Delegate Democrats appear weak on gun
rights
19. Examiner: New gun rights forum in the DMV
20. A cop killer is dead, now we can start asking questions
21. Hey, handgun fans: These gun victims were heavily armed
22. Enabling the next Fort Hood?
23. Anti-gun mental problems
24. 'Not without a fight': A documentary on guns gets it right
25. First it was the Gun Show Loophole, now . . .
26. Pistol-Packin' Patients
27. Cops and 2nd Amendment
28. OSU's Second Amendment Center runs out of ammo
29. Dirty tricks at Richmond city council (more info)
30. New Kopel legal brief declares: Guns Save Lives
31. Vintage Mattel toys

**************************************************
1. Members of VCDL to address Newport News City Council THIS Tuesday
**************************************************

VCDL to address Newport News City Council

Ron Lilly emailed me this:

--

Members of the VCDL will address the Newport News City Council, and
particularly mayor Frank, concerning his membership in Bloomberg's
"Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Bloomberg's organization has had a
number of mayors to rescind their membership once they discovered the
true agenda of the MAIG. Not suprisingly, some of the members also
have criminal records, and oddly enough, some are not even mayors!

The city council meets the second and forth Tuesday of each month.
The meetings start at 7PM and anyone wishing to speak must be signed
up in advance of the meeting. We will be there the second Tuesday of
December - THIS TUESDAY, December 8, 2009

VCDL EM Ron Lilly will be speaking to the mayor and invites/encourages
others to sign up to speak also speak to the mayor. Mayor Frank needs
to hear from us concerning his shameful decision to join the
northeastern mayor in an open attempt to suppress the rights of law
abiding citizens to own/carry guns here in the commonwealth.

Directions to the city hall:
http://tinyurl.com/ybn9pn6

Come out and join us in voicing our opposition to the leftist's goal
of infringing on our rights.

Ron Lilly

**************************************************
2. VCDL announces six new EMs
**************************************************

VCDL is proud to announce the appointment of six new Executive members!

Executive members are approved by the Board of Directors. They have
shown themselves to be knowledgeable on gun rights issues and tend to
be highly motivated in the fight to protect those rights. Whenever
VCDL holds an event in some part of Virginia, you can count on these
members to be there to help out:

Here are the new EMs:

Ian Branson
Curtis Stone
David Hicks
Ed Levine
Mark Spruill
Clint Kritzer (EM status becomes effective on 1/25/10)


**************************************************
3. VCDL applications
**************************************************

Special thanks to Jim Reynolds of Proactive Shooters, LLC for putting
VCDL membership applications in all his students' student manuals, and
then for making a special pitch for VCDL. Driving up membership as the
General Assembly approaches is just what the doctor ordered!

--

[Jim to PVC]

Phil,
Good afternoon. Hope that you had a nice Thanksgiving. Just
wanted to let you know that we gave out 73 VCDL apps in our 3
classes last weekend (2 in Chantilly and 1 in Ashland). I gave it my
best sales pitch. Hopefully you'll get some new blood from this.
Also, I added a VCDL link on our new website. I put it on the
"about us" page for now. In the future, we'll have some paid ad
space on the homepage if you are interested but I put it on there
for now in the best space that I had.
Regards,

Jim Reynolds
President / Chief Firearms Instructor
Proactive Shooters, LLC

**************************************************
4. Videos: VCDL Republican Round-Up protest
**************************************************

Thanks to Jim Serino for putting this up on YouTube. There is new
footage in these videos that you probably haven't seen before:

--

Round-Up, Part I
http://tinyurl.com/yhmsvfa

Round-Up, Part II:
http://tinyurl.com/ylq3uyg

Round-Up, Part III:
http://tinyurl.com/y9buw4b

**************************************************
5. Mike Stollenwerk, J.D.
**************************************************

VCDL's own EM Mike Stollenwerk is now officially licensed to practice
law! And he passed the Bar easily on his first try - he's a smart
cookie, what can I say?

Mike will be a great asset to the gun-rights community.


**************************************************
6. VCDL signs on to Amicus Brief for McDonald vs. Chicago!
**************************************************

Court brief defends Second Amendment rights

Bloomfield Press files amicus brief
in Chicago gun-ban case

Bill of Rights at serious risk in Supreme Court case


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Felicity Bower, 602-996-4020

Nov. 24, 2009


Should individual states be required to honor your guarantees under
the Bill of Rights? Phoenix-based Bloomfield Press has asked the U.S.
Supreme Court to say yes, in an amicus ("friend of the court") brief
just filed.

The goal is to require states to be bound by the Second Amendment
right to keep and bear arms. They are not currently obligated to do
so. This principle is up for review in McDonald v. Chicago, expected
to be argued at the High Court in February, 2010, and decided by June.
See the filing here -- http://www.gunlaws.com/supreme.htm

The Bill of Rights was adopted in 1791 only to control Congress (e.g.,
"Congress shall make no law..."), and the High Court has only applied
the Bill to the states in bits and pieces. Studies have shown most
people are unaware of this.

The 14th Amendment in 1868 said states cannot abridge the privileges
or immunities of the citizens, or deprive or deny the rights of the
people, but it provided few details -- and the High Court has been
evaluating that since then.

Working piecemeal, the Court has declared states cannot deny free
speech, protection against unreasonable searches, the right to counsel
in a criminal trial and more. This principle is now on trial in what
may be the highest-profile case of its kind -- the right to arms in
the Second Amendment.

Chicago has flatly banned this right, leaving its citizens
defenseless, and insists it has the power to do so. The city's ban
does little to disarm hardened criminals who simply roam free,
carrying guns illegally at will.

"The core issue is whether a state has legitimate power to deny any
fundamental right to its people," says Alan Korwin, author of eight
books on gun law and the publisher at Bloomfield Press, the nation's
largest producer and distributor of gun-law books. "This issue is so
broad and crucial to America that pro-rights and even anti-rights
people on the gun issue are aligned to overturn Chicago's blanket
denial of a fundamental right," he says.

The avowedly anti-gun-rights Washington Post observed that, "Lawyers
from both the left and right of the political spectrum will present
strong arguments that the Second Amendment applies to state and local
governments."

That sentiment was echoed in the similarly anti-rights LA Times, which
stated editorially, "It's tempting to hope that the court will rule
that states aren't bound by the Second Amendment," but continued,
"Allowing the states and cities to ignore this part of the Bill of
Rights could undermine the requirement that they abide by others...
this is no time for the Court to start picking and choosing when it
comes to the Bill of Rights."

Bloomfield Press joins 34 California DAs, eight Nevada DAs, former
Arizona Sheriff Richard Mack (the hero of the successful Brady-bill
case that set 10th Amendment limits on federal invasion of states'
rights), several law-enforcement associations, and citizens' rights
groups in Arizona, California, Texas and Virginia in the amicus
filing. Mr. Korwin's extensive research and material appears
throughout the brief, drafted by California attorney Chuck Michel of
Michel and Associates.

The main points argued include:
http://www.gunlaws.com/supreme.htm

1) The right of the people to keep and bear arms is a deeply rooted
"fundamental right" and thus properly applied to the states;

2) The Due Process clause of the 14th Amendment necessarily
incorporates the Second Amendment to apply against the states;

3) The right to armed self defense is a fundamental right recognized
repeatedly by the Supreme Court dating back to the 19th century;

4) The right to self defense, in addition to the right to arms, has
been well established as fundamental for centuries in state
constitutions, and in federal law and state law;

5) Firearms are and have always been recognized as essential to
exercise the right to self defense, with each one reliant upon the
other; and

6) Federalism (states rights) presents no obstacle to incorporating a
fundamental right of the people.

The entire brief may be downloaded here
(it will be on the Supreme Court website shortly).
http://www.gunlaws.com/supreme.htm


--------

The 14th Amendment, Section 1: "All persons born or naturalized in the
United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens
of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State
shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or
immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State
deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process
of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal
protection of the laws."


The amici include the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL), The
Texas Concealed Handgun Association (TCHA), and The Virginia Citizens
Defense League (VCDL), all easily googled. The complete list of amici
with descriptions of their interests are in the brief.
http://www.gunlaws.com/supreme.htm

**************************************************
7. Gunowners show dignity despite Council disrespect
**************************************************

http://tinyurl.com/yf3wu4d

http://news.oldva.org/

[SNIP]

Gun owners show dignity despite Council Disrespect
Richmond Virginia- Last night, Gunowners and The Virginia Citizens
Defense League, addressed the Richmond City Council. They were
concerned about the City' membership in a blatantly anti gun
organization. The City has demonstrated numerous times, their disdain
for Citizens protecting themselves and Virginia laws that uphold that
right.

I've always thought that attitude odd, since the city is an
unbelievably dangerous place.

I was also embarrassed for Virginians at the way some council members
behaved, not only toward VCDL, but every person that addressed them
last night. The President, Kathy.Graziano and the Vice President
Ellen.Robertson, giggled and made jokes behind their hands when
Citizens spoke. Ms. Graziano behaved especially badly and when
speakers complained, she would speak to them as if they were
misbehaving dogs.

In sharp contrast, VCDL members conducted themselves with dignity and
respect for the system.

Philip Van Cleave, President of VCDL spoke after a long wait despite
what appeared to be a convenient loss of his reserved time.

At the end of this article, is a copy of VCDL's "Alert" to member.
His account of the evening is quite accurate although much gentler
than I put some things.

Orange "Guns Save Lives" stickers were everywhere in the Council
Chambers.

[SNIP]

**************************************************
8. Report: VCDL address to VA Beach mayor (with video)
**************************************************

VCDL: 15, Antis: 0

Board member John Fenter's report to Leadership:

Okay, we showed up with a group of about 15, and the other side failed
to show at all.

They limited us to 3 speakers on the topic.

My approach was to educate the Mayor on Bloomberg; I worked in the
Tiahrt Amendment, the DOJ disapproval of his actions and the multiple
federal investigations compromised, the lawsuits that destroyed gun
shop owners who were never charged or convicted for anything, the
attack on permits and firearms carry in general, and finally the
latest attempt to remove firearms rights from those who are on the no-
fly list; a complete absence of due process.

Two other members then spoke and counseled the Mayor to review the
facts and please resign.

After the meeting adjourned, Councilman Bill DeSteph came over to our
group to get some more info on the no-fly list issue. I will be
sending him, at his request, an inquiry on whether Sessoms joined
Bloombergs group as Mayor without consulting the Council, and if any
City funds have been expended with or without Council approval.

Afterwards, about 8 of us went to Ruby Tuesday nearby. Bruce
Finkelstein videotaped the relevant parts, and will send it to me
tomorrow.

--

Video of John's presentation:

http://www.vcdl.org/Bloomberg/VB_Bloomberg_Mayors.wmv

**************************************************
9. Lunenburg CHP qualifications
**************************************************

VCDL member clears up problem with judge not accepting hunting
licenses as a qualification for VA CHP

VCDL member Don Litten, who stepped up to the plate to resolve the
issue, emailed me this:

--

Hello Philip,

I thought I'd bring you up to date about Lunenburg and surrounding
counties.

Saturday before last, one of Old Virginia's members complained about the
Lunenburg Circuit Judge (Who also handles Mecklinburg and Nottoway) not
accepting Hunter Safety Classes as Proof of Competency for their CHP.

Old Virginia is not a Gun Lobby, although I feel like it sometimes,
but we
are pro 2A and supporters of VCDL. I'm also a VCDL member, so I
decided to
try to resolve the matter myself. [PVC: Reminder to everyone - Don
cannot speak for VCDL (only the President can do that), and he didn't,
but he most certainly can speak for himself.]

Just to be certain, I called the Lunenburg Circuit Court Clerks Office
and
spoke to one of the Deputy Clerks. She said that they did not accept
them
and I needed something with Range Time.

I asked how they managed to skirt the statute. She told me she didn't
know
and I'd have to talk to the Judge. She gave me his number in
Clarksville.

I called and spoke to the Judge's assistant. After explaining the
problem,
she put me on hold while she spoke to the Judge.

When she came back, she told me the Judge looked at and I was correct.
They
will accept the Hunter Safety Class but won't accept a Hunting
License. I
thanked her and hung up.

I called the Circuit Clerk in Lunenburg, Mr. Erby. I know him fairly
well.
We talked about it for a while and he agreed the applications had to be
taken. There seemed to be some misunderstanding between the Judge and
the
Clerks about a hunting license being proof of a hunter safety course and
therefore, proof of competency.

The misunderstandings are all cleared up now and applications should be
processed properly.

Don Litten

**************************************************
10. Roanoke Times at it again
**************************************************

Carla and Dave Hicks emailed me this:

--

They never miss a change to use wording to create anti-RKBA emotions.

They never met a dig at 2A they didn't like.

Front Page Headline: "Shooter sought in police slaying" not "Man out
on bond for police
assault and child rape sought in police slaying [see above link]."

http://tinyurl.com/p4mnm8

-----

http://tinyurl.com/yzymht4
http://www.roanoke.com

Monday, November 30, 2009

Gun rights shouldn't trump public safety
By William McCarthy | McCarthy, of Salem, was born, raised and attended
college in west central Indiana. He is selfemployed as a computer tech
and
freelance writer.

Gun violence is nothing new in our society, indeed in the United States.
Nearly everyone knows about the killings at Columbine High School,
Northern
Illinois University and, most notably, Virginia Tech. All of these
incidents
are considered unthinkable tragedies. The public recoils in horror at
each
successive incident. Or do they? Are we becoming anesthetized to this
sort of
violent crime?

Memorial services in honor of the victims are becoming commonplace,
but these
events do not undo the damage. Social behavior experts tell us that
movies,
television and video games are the cause of these random and heinous
acts.

Others say it is the permissive, too tolerant, instant gratification
mores
that society has adopted over the past 40 or 50 years. Another
perspective is
that guns have become way too accessible. All of these viewpoints have
merit.

The media, our legislators, local officials, law enforcement and, most
importantly, the general public all bear some responsibility for
effecting
change that will ultimately achieve the desired result -- namely a
reduction
in gun-related violent crime. Talk is cheap. Finger-pointing and
recriminations are counterproductive.

Gun-related violence is not endemic to any social strata. It is
perpetrated
during war, hunting accidents, suicides, by criminals and against
domestic
partners and family. Gun violence permeates the very fabric of our
existence.
It reduces us to a less civilized way of life.

Why then, can't an effective solution to this problem be found? If our
government is able to protect us from foreign terrorists, why can't it
protect
us from the domestic kind?

While we cultivate this gun advocacy at home, we are, at the same
time, the
leading exporters of munitions in our hemisphere and around the world.
What is
so hard about restricting the sale and use of firearms? No one group
has the
right to unduly influence and jeopardize the public safety. No one
issue can
be allowed to compromise the public health and safety. I am quite sure
that
these last two statements would be fully endorsed by the Founding
Fathers.

Gun ownership is not a constitutional prerogative or imperative in the
same
sense as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. How can any of
these
three rights be legitimately observed when we daily fear for our lives?

**************************************************
11. Defense of guns in face of deaths mystifies reader
**************************************************

http://tinyurl.com/yzcemur

Robert Thomas emailed me this:

--

http://www.newsleader.com
Defense of guns in face of deaths mystifies reader
NOVEMBER 28, 2009

Recent letters to the editor supported the idea that guns save lives.

Following the Virginia Tech massacre, I kept the April 30, 2007,
edition of Newsweek magazine, which addressed many issues and compiled
gun related figures from various countries. A comment from that
edition: "The United States sells more guns -- and Americans own more
-- than anywhere else in the world. Not surprisingly, we also have the
highest firearm death rate among industrialized nations."

Newsweek's most recent yearly data indicated there were 159 gun
related deaths in England/ Wales. Britain has banned semi-automatic
and pump-action centerfire rifles and handguns. There is strict
licensing and registration for all other firearms.

To equate England/ Wales death and population ratio to ours would
raise their death figure to 925. The year produced 29,645 gun related
deaths in the U.S. Subtraction shows 28,720 more lives lost in the
U.S. than in England/Wales -- where there are the above mentioned
restrictions.

I find it somewhat ironic that a half-dozen peanut butter deaths put
us on a nationwide alert, but thousands of excess gun related deaths
are accepted as the norm.

[PVC: An inconvenient truth for the anti-gunners: England's overall
violent crime rate exceeds that of the United States. Gun-control
fails again.]

ALFRED R. CLINE Bridgewater

**************************************************
12. Mechanicsburg, VA woman rallies for gun control
**************************************************

http://tinyurl.com/yecqjc8

http://www.cumberlink.com

Mechanicsburg woman rallies for gun control
Kerian Norton of Mechanicsburg plans to use knowledge gained at
internship toward career in law enforcement

By Erica Dolson, Sentinel Reporter, November 27, 2009

Last updated: Friday, November 27, 2009 8:41 AM EST

During her summer internship with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun
Violence, 22-year-old Central Pennsylvania College student Kerian
Norton got to know her partner Colin Goddard.

A victim of the Virginia Tech shooting, Goddard shared stories about
re-learning how to walk and watching a teacher die, Norton said.

"Nothing like that's happened to me, and I don't want that to happen
to anyone else," she said. [PVC: Who does?]

Norton's internship came in the distant wake of the Virginia Tech
shooting and during the summer of the shooting at the Holocaust Museum
in Washington, D.C.

During her three-month internship in the nation's capital, Norton
worked on efforts to close the gun show loophole, which allows people
to purchase weapons at gun shows without a Brady background check, she
explained.

Daily, Norton attended department meetings and went on lobbying
visits. She researched the origins of specific firearms from shootings
and worked with Goddard on a gun show undercover project, said Peter
Hamm, communication director with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun
Violence, who worked with Norton on several projects.

Gun control is not often an issue that young people are passionate
about, either way, Hamm said.

"I think that Kerian helped us get a new generation of leaders to pay
attention to this issue," he added.

"That's something I believe in, and that's something I want to fight
for," Norton said.

Norton was inspired to enter law enforcement by her father, who was a
corrections officer, she said. [PVC: So it will be OK for her to
carry a gun, the very thing she would deny regular citizens.]

Growing up in Mechanicsburg, "I just thought his job was the coolest
job ever," Norton said. "I've always been declared, from freshman year
on."

Norton also took two classes for credit and completed a research
project on "Women in Leadership inside the Department of Defense" this
summer.

"For her, I think it was an eye-opening experience ... a growing
experience," said Patrick Hughes, Norton's internship advisor at
Central Pennsylvania College. "Challenging herself to see what she can
do if she wants to."

Norton was the first Central Pennsylvania College student to take an
internship through the Washington Internship Institute. The college
will send another student to Washington, D.C., in January and has set
up an institute affiliation agreement with the Washington Internship
Institute, Hughes said.

"For this college, she was kind of a pioneer. She was the first one to
do it," he said.

Norton, a criminal justice major, will graduate from Central
Pennsylvania College in December. She is looking into law school and
political science graduate programs and hopes to work in the law
enforcement side of politics, she said.

**************************************************
13. Portsmouth, VA repeals law banning guns on lakes
**************************************************

http://tinyurl.com/y9dd4xk

http://hamptonroads.com/

Portsmouth repeals law banning guns on lakes

By Meghan Hoyer
The Virginian-Pilot
(c) November 26, 2009
PORTSMOUTH

The City Council on Tuesday unanimously repealed an out-of-date law
that banned guns on city lakes.

The existence of the law came up in early November, when members of
the Virginia Citizens Defense League brought it to the council's
attention.

The state has prohibited cities from having laws that restrict or
prohibit guns on most public property.

Portsmouth's lakes, which help provide water to the city, are in
Suffolk. The law prohibiting guns hasn't been enforced in recent
years, according to a brief from the city attorney's office. If it
were, the city could be held liable for the defendant's attorney fees.

**************************************************
14. Community leaders, civilians gather against gun violence
**************************************************

Al Sharpton is outraged (again)

http://tinyurl.com/ydam8pd

http://www.dailypress.com

Community leaders, civilians gather against gun violence
By David Macaulay
November 23, 2009

HAMPTON -- The Rev. Al Sharpton wasn't the only one demonstrating his
outrage Monday at the tide of gun violence engulfing America's
cities. [PVC: So, Sharpton is not worried about violence in general,
which I guess he views as acceptable. His gets concerned only if it
involves guns.]

In Hampton, about 100 people representing clergy, community leaders,
police and citizens gathered at First Baptist Church on North King
Street to call for a halt to the gun violence which is a leading cause
of death for teenage black males. [PVC: Why is it I believe that the
drug dealers, pushers, and addicts are going to ignore this call to
end violence? How are you going to get them to comply? Get really,
really, really, seriously, super-duper mad at them? Puff up and shake
your finger at them very sternly? Ultimately, the best solution is to
make sure that the innocent can protect themselves from violent
criminals.]

The event coincided with National Day of Outrage rallies across the
country led by Sharpton.

Hampton organizer Gaylene Kanoyton said the Peninsula event was the
only one in Virginia.

"We are not going to stand for the violence. It has to stop," she said.

Kanoyton said the event should mark the beginning of the fight back
against gun violence.

Dr. Richard Wills, pastor of First Baptist Church, said homicide is
the second-leading cause of death among young African-American males.

He said churches on the Peninsula should play a more active role in
curbing the violence.

"We can do much, much more ... my sense as a pastor is that the
churches are not doing nearly enough," Wills said.

Councilman Paige V. Washington warned of the scale of gun violence in
Hampton.

"You will be staggered by the numbers. We have to save our children
and in doing that we need to come together as a family," said
Washington who described gun violence as a "cancer" in the city.

Will Moffett, a former chairman of Hampton's neighborhood commission,
warned that a lack of religion in schools and a breakdown in families
were fueling a tide of violence.

"Enough is enough," he said. "It began when we allowed prayer to be
taken out of our schools. It began when we lost our fathers out of our
homes. We have neighborhoods without fathers. Many fathers are dead,
in prison or on drugs. Our children have been left to their iPods with
(rappers) 50 Cent and Lil Wayne to raise them."

Moffett said many parents were willing to turn TVs to a football game
but were failing to attend parent/teacher conferences.

"We must encourage them to get involved," he said.

Moffett called for more programs to be set up for youths. "We must
demand change and we must demand change in our community now. That
change must come through accountability," he said.

Wills said he hoped Monday's meeting would be the first of many that
would take the Rev Martin Luther King Jr.'s philosophy of nonviolence
out into the community.

He said an action plan will be drawn up and a symposium against
violence will be held in 2010.

The meeting was also addressed by Edward Reed, a Hampton University
student who said HU has been no stranger to gun violence this year.

"This is our call for action," Reed said.

"This is where we take the initiative and train, educate and prepare
our youth to stop the violence in our homes, at school and in our
neighborhoods," Reed said. "This can only be done as a unified body."

In April, former HU student Odane Greg Maye shot a pizza delivery
driver, a night dormitory watchman and himself on the campus. The
victims recovered from their injuries. This month, Maye was sentenced
to 14 years in prison in the shooting.

And in October, Hampton University basketball player Theo Smalling
died as a result of an accidental gunshot wound he suffered.


**************************************************
15. McWaters survey results
**************************************************

VA state senate candidate answers VCDL questions.

Jeff McWaters won the primary before I could put this out and is
effectively the new Senator from the 8th district, as he has no
opponents now.

John Fenter emailed me this:

--

On Monday evening, Nov 23, the VCDL hosted Virginia Senate candidate
Jeff McWaters at the Virginia Beach Princess Anne branch library.

Jeff spent an hour presenting his views on a variety of topics and
taking questions on his view of the firearms rights of Virginians.

He also turned in his VCDL-PAC survey, with no questions left unanswerd.

The attendance was about 20, in a 30 seat conference room, and the
candidate acquitted himself well.

VCDL is working on a similar meeting for the other Republican
candidate, Rosemary Wilson [PVC: No meeting ever happened]. There is
currently no Democrat or other candidates for the seat, so the winner
of the Republican canvass should be the de facto winner of the Senate
seat vacated by new Virginia Beach Sheriff Ken Stolle.

**************************************************
16. Pistols, Tasers, assault rifles sell fast at Chantilly gun show
**************************************************

http://tinyurl.com/yhxlkqn

http://www.google.com

Pistols, Tasers, assault rifles sell fast at US show
By Virginie Montet (AFP) - 1 day ago

CHANTILLY, Virginia -- Recession-stoked fears of rising crime and
tougher gun laws under a Democratic government are sending US gun
sales sky high, and big crowds at the Chantilly Gun Show this weekend
proved it once again.

"Do you see the line all around the building and in the back," asked
Annette Elliott, co-organizer of one of the top gun shows in Virginia,
a conservative state with rather liberal gun laws.

Several hundred people thronged the gun show in the Washington suburb
of Chantilly, where some 260 retailers have set up stalls hung with
ready-to-fire Smith and Wessons, Glocks, Walthers, Colts and Berettas.

"We've had a huge increase in sales since last October," 2008 just
before President Barack Obama was elected. "Well over 200 percent.
It's coming back," said Jerry Cochran, owner of his eponymous major
gun retailing firm in the state.

He hopes to sell 500 weapons at the gun show this weekend.

Elliott expects as many as 12,000 people will turn up at the three-day
gun fair.

In a state where you can wear a loaded weapon on your belt as long as
it's in full sight, or a concealed one with a permit, handguns and
semi-automatic assault rifles are openly sold to residents after a
customary spot check for criminal records.

A questionnaire must also be filled out asking whether the prospective
buyer has been convicted of any crime, is an illegal immigrant or is
"subject to a court order restraining you from harassing, stalking...
an intimate partner."

Worries that Obama Democrats will toughen gun ownership laws, an
increase in hunting and fears of recession-driven crime have sent gun
sales soaring 30 percent in the first three months of the year,
according to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) gun permit
statistics.

In September, gun sales rose 12.4 percent, or more than 100,000 new
firearms per month. In 2009, gun sales are expected to reach 13.5
million, compared to 12.7 million in the preceding year, FBI monthly
estimates said.

"Basically we have a perfect storm in the firearm industry," said
Elliott. "We have the most anti-gun president ever in the United
States, Obama. And we have a recession going on right now. During
economic crises, you know crime goes up."

"We've got a lot, a lot of new buyers. Especially women," said Cochran.

Firearms are sold in every shape and size, to satisfy every taste,
including ultra-light titanium handguns with pink or pearl white
grips.

"People want fashionable guns, different colors, different types of
grips, you know we have guns with pink grips, that is a new market,"
said the gun seller.

Melinda Day came to the gun show to purchase the first weapon in her
life. She feels unsafe in her neighborhood and decided she needed a
means of self-defense.

"Two weeks ago, my daughter was threatened by someone with a gun. That
was it! And it was very close to our house," she said.

She settled on a .38 caliber (9 millimeters) Sig Sauer, "light,
precise, easy to load," for 579 dollars.

Tasers, an electroshock weapon that stuns people into submission, are
a hot item at the show. Women can choose a Taser model that looks like
a flashlight covered in faux leopard skin or some flashy color.

With 50,000 volts, Tasers are as powerful as police stun guns and are
sold freely, without a permit, for around 350 dollars, everywhere
except some northeastern states including New York and the US capital,
Washington.

"Some people buy cars, some people buy guns," said Donte, a
25-year-old security guard who refused to give his last name and who
keeps half a dozen weapons at home, one of which was hanging from his
belt.

"You got underwear on every day, I got this every day... you know," he
said pointing to his gun.

Donte said he looks forward to getting his class 3 weapons license
which will let him own a fully automatic weapon.

Meanwhile, 30,000 people a year are killed by gunfire in the United
States. [PVC: Yes, most of those from the illegal drug trade.]

**************************************************
17. A stray bullet hits a Lebanon, Va., woman, lodging in her jaw
**************************************************

Teaching safe gun handling to children should be a strong priority for
parents:

http://tinyurl.com/yjh4w7s

www2.tricities.com

A stray bullet hits a Lebanon, Va., woman, lodging in her jaw
By Claire Galofaro | Police Beat Reporter - Bristol Herald Courier
Published: November 19, 2009

LEBANON, Va. - A stray bullet that smashed through a Russell County
woman's bedroom window and into her face was one inch shy of hitting
her brain, police said.

Instead, the bullet shot through the left side her nose, under her eye
and down into her right jaw.

Authorities said a 9-year-old neighbor boy, on the back of his dad's
tractor 150 yards away, accidently pulled the trigger.

Virginia Matney, 73, was air-lifted to Johnson City Medical Center
after the incident Sunday night. She was released Tuesday with a badly
bruised face and the bullet still lodged in her jaw.

Matney said she was in her room getting ready for bed at 8:45 p.m.
when she bent down slightly and, out of nowhere, the bullet came
tearing through her nose. She never heard a sound.

"I screamed for my husband," she said. "Blood was going everywhere. I
told him, 'Something hit me right here on the jaw.' "

Joehene "Edison" Matney came running. "I heard Virginia screaming," he
said. "Blood was flying out of her nose, out of her mouth. She was
just screaming."

The couple had just returned home from church and Edison Matney, who
thought someone must have broken into the house, began searching the
other rooms for the burglar. Then they noticed glass on the top of the
dresser, lifted the shades and saw the bullet hole in the window.

Virginia Matney has lived in her home, six miles out of Lebanon on
River Mountain Road, for almost 50 years. She used to baby sit the
young boy that lives on the farm next door.

Russell County Chief Deputy Bill Watson said the boy was sitting on
the back of a tractor his father was driving, with a loaded
.22-caliber rifle in his hands, when the gun accidently discharged.

"It's like handling a snake. If you're not really, really careful,
eventually it's going to bite you," Watson said of accidental
discharges. "It's hard enough for an adult to handle a gun. It's a
mechanical instrument, anything can go wrong. But, when you put that
gun in a kid's hands, it's just not a good thing."

Watson said the bullet from a .22-caliber rifle, a small caliber
weapon, can travel a mile and a half. "A lot of people forget that a
bullet don't have eyes, it goes until the velocity ends, until it runs
out of steam," he said.

No charges will be filed. Investigators presented the evidence to
Russell County Commonwealth's Attorney Brian K. Patton, who declined
to prosecute. Patton did not immediately return a late afternoon phone
call.

But the Matneys aren't convinced of the story. They suspect it might
have been an after-dark attempt to shoot a deer, and said they haven't
even gotten an apology from the neighbors.

"I'm not angry at the little boy," said Virginia Matney's stepson Mark
Matney. "He's a sweet youngin'. My point is, why's a 9-year-old got a
gun in his hands after dark? And on Sunday, of all days."

Matney's doctors are waiting until the swelling goes down to perform
surgery to remove the bullet sometime next week. She said her vision's
blurry and, for now, all she can eat is soup.

But Watson said she's lucky.

"Thank God almighty that she is still alive," he said. "It's a stupid
ordeal to have to go through."


**************************************************
18. Editorial: Virginia House of Delegate Democrats appear weak on gun
rights
**************************************************

http://tinyurl.com/yg6utqm

http://www.examiner.com

[SNIP]

A few weeks ago seven of the eight incumbent Democrats in the Virginia
House of Delegates who lost their seat to a Republican had one other
thing in common - a lower National Rifle Association (NRA) rating that
their opponent . . . [and] the disparity in support for gun rights
between the parties seems to have sharpened.
[SNIP]

**************************************************
19. Examiner: New gun rights forum in the DMV
**************************************************

http://tinyurl.com/yk2bj34

http://www.examiner.com

[SNIP]

The DMV now has yet another pro-gun source of information and
cyberspace assembly area for gun owners. The Virginia Gun Owners Forum
(VGOF) started up in March 2009 and its owner Rick Sandlin says the
site already has "over 700 members strong with more than 21,000 forum
posts . . . [and] provides a place for people within the Commonwealth
of Virginia to conduct local firearm purchases, trades and sales."

[SNIP]

**************************************************
20. A cop killer is dead, now we can start asking questions
**************************************************

"Gun-control" didn't stop cop-killer Maurice Clemmons

Dave Workman emailed me this:

--
http://tinyurl.com/yhr9vgn

http://www.examiner.com

[SNIP]
A cop-killer is dead and now comes time for questions
December 1, 2009
Seattle Gun Rights Examiner
Dave Workman

The hunt for cop-killer Maurice Clemmons came to an end on a quiet
residential Seattle street Tuesday morning, and there can be no
question that the Pierce County man is responsible for the brutal
murder of four Lakewood police officers barely 42 hours before he
gasped his last breath on the pavement near a stolen car.

He was fatally shot by a lone Seattle police officer checking on
that car, which was still running. By all accounts, Clemmons
approached that officer, who ordered him to stop and show his hands
after recognizing the suspect from the wanted bulletin. When Clemmons
did not comply and continued approaching, the officer fired. There
will be a shooting review, questions will be asked, investigators will
want to know whether the shooting was justified and within department
guidelines.

Incredibly, there are some in the community who are suggesting, in
the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Seattle Times on-line reader
feedback forums, that this killing may have an execution, as if
Clemmons was not the triggerman at the Parkland killings or that he
was simply gunned down by police in retribution for the Sunday
murders. (Comedian Ron White perhaps says it best: "You can't fix
stupid.")
[SNIP]

**************************************************
21. Hey, handgun fans: These gun victims were heavily armed
**************************************************

Seattle coffee shop murders proves "If-only-everyone-were-armed"
argument is false (Oh, really?).

No one has ever said that having gun is a **guarantee** that nothing
bad can happen to you (oh, if only it were so!) These officers were
ambushed and one of them lived long enough to shoot the murderer in
the gut, something that would never have happened if they were unarmed.

In fact, because all the victims were armed, it put pressure on the
murderer to try to kill them all quickly before he himself got shot.
That pressure probably caused him to miss the fourth officer, giving
the officer a chance to fight back.

If all the officers had been unarmed, then the murderer could have
taken his time, executing the officers one by one:

http://tinyurl.com/ye34ubt

http://www.huffingtonpost.com

Hey, Handgun Fans: These Gun Victims Were Heavily Armed

Bill MannTV-Radio Critic http://www.dcweasels.com
Posted: November 30, 2009

This weekend's tragic murder of four Seattle-area police officers has
blown away one of the NRA and gun nuts' major -- if ancient and tired
-- arguments.

A few weeks ago, we asked here why there were few media stories about
where -- and why -- the Fort Hood shooter got his gun.

But the media these days isn't interested in doing gun-control
stories. Flashing police lights and heavily armed officers scurrying
around make far better video.

Predictably, after my blog appeared, I was swamped with impassioned --
and usually absurd -- arguments from gun owners and other pistoleros.
People who not only need to get a life, but to start thinking about
other people's lives and personal safety realistically, if that's even
possible.

Sunday, I watched six hours of Seattle TV coverage up here about the
tragic killing of four cops in a Tacoma coffee shop.

All were armed and in uniform, and all were wearing flak jackets.

I got scores of angry e-mails after my HuffPost blogs from handgun
lovers, but one argument remained central.

"If those soldiers (or Virginia Tech students, yadda yadda yadda) had
been armed, the killer would have been stopped cold. There wouldn't
have been a massacre."

The four Seattle-cops were armed, and it didn't stop them from being
shot. [PVC: The silliness of this statement is covered in my
introduction.]

The "if-only everyone-were-armed" argument was crazy and reckless
before this. Now it's been proven beyond a doubt to be absolutely
ridiculous. [PVC: No, it is this entire article that is ridiculous.]

Time to retire that one for good, Handgun Nation. Re-staging
Tombstone, Ariz., circa 1889 is an irrational, wild fantasy at best.

The problem remains crazy, embittered people -- and this country has
no shortage of them -- getting access to handguns far too easily.

This cycle will keep repeating itself until we finally get serious
about gun control -- which, along with health care, is truly our
biggest life-and-death issue. [PVC: So we should disarm our police
officers? Oh, that's brilliant.]

I know the politics of this are difficult at best, but a serious,
adult dialogue about our national gun sickness has to start at some
point.

Otherwise, we'll probably continue to see one or two of these mass
shootings a month.

And having everyone packing heat, as we've just seen up here in
Seattle, isn't going to stop it. It's a dangerous -- and ridiculous --
idea.

**************************************************
22. Enabling the next Fort Hood?
**************************************************

2003 law that requires background check information to be destroyed
after 24-hours hindered FBI investigation of Ft. Hood murder.

Carla and Dave Hicks emailed me this:

--

NO! It's the Unarmed Victim Zone that enables the next Fort Hood,
stupid.

http://tinyurl.com/yjjkpkk
http://www.washingtonpost.com

Enabling the next Fort Hood?
Congress's curbs on gun data hurt investigations

By Michael Bloomberg and Thomas Kean
Friday, November 27, 2009

The news from Fort Hood shocked the nation: American soldiers shot on
American
soil. Thirteen dead and 38 injured. It was almost too terrible to
believe.
Almost.

Unfortunately, the Fort Hood rampage was not the first time that our
military
personnel have been murdered in the United States this year. In June,
Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad shot and killed an Army private and wounded
another soldier at a military recruiting station in Little Rock.

In both cases, the loss of these young soldiers was compounded by a
disturbing
reality: The assailants had been under investigation by the FBI. In
the more
recent case, it would be easy enough to point fingers at the FBI. Its
counterterrorism agents concluded that Maj. Nidal Hasan's
communications with
the radical cleric Anwar al-Aulaqi -- an al-Qaeda sympathizer who
acted as a
"spiritual adviser" to two of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers -- were for
professional reasons.

A full investigation will reveal whether other red flags should have
resulted
in preventive action, but here is one thing we already know: A federal
law
repeatedly supported by Congress interfered with the FBI's ability to
find out
about Hasan's purchase of a handgun. Knowledge of that purchase might
-- and
should -- have triggered great scrutiny. And it could have saved lives.

During the Clinton administration, the FBI had access to records of gun
background checks for up to 180 days. But in 2003, Congress began
requiring
that the records be destroyed within 24 hours. This requirement, one
of the
many restrictions on gun data sponsored by Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.),
meant
that Hasan's investigators were blocked from searching records to
determine
whether he or other terrorist suspects had purchased guns. When Hasan
walked
out of Guns Galore in Killeen, Tex., the FBI had only 24 hours to
recognize
and flag the record -- and then it was gone, forever.

As former FBI agent Brad Garrett has said, "The piece of information
about the
gun could have been critical. One of the problems is that the law
sometimes
restricts you in what you can do."

The Tiahrt amendments passed by Congress interfere with preserving,
sharing
and investigating data on gun purchases by terrorist suspects. If that
weren't
bad enough, Congress has also failed to close a gap in federal law that
prevents the FBI from blocking a sale to an individual under
investigation for
terrorist activity.

The Bush administration asked Congress to authorize the FBI to block
gun sales
to terrorist suspects, to no avail. Last week, Attorney General Eric
Holder
reaffirmed the Obama administration's support for this legislation --
for good
reason. A Government Accountability Office report published in June
found that
individuals on the terrorist watch list had purchased guns and
explosives from
licensed dealers in the United States on 865 occasions over the past
five
years.

The fatal lesson we learned on Sept. 11 was that, if we are going to
protect
innocent Americans from terrorists, we must break down the walls
standing
between federal agencies and effective investigative practices. The
attack at
Fort Hood was a tragic reminder that such walls still exist. Until
Congress
shows the political courage to tear them down, there will be more
catastrophic
breaches of national security and more tragic loss of life. If
lawmakers fail
to close gaps in the background check system and reform the Tiahrt
amendments,
the next terrorist shooting on American soil will be shocking, but it
will not
be surprising.

Michael Bloomberg is mayor of New York and co-chair of Mayors Against
Illegal
Guns. Thomas Kean, a former governor of New Jersey, served as chairman
of the
Sept. 11 commission.

**************************************************
23. Anti-gun mental problems
**************************************************

3 mental problems common to most anti-gunners

William Tansill emailed me this:

--

Philip - I found an interesting link that may be helpful. it involves
the sort of attitudes we exchanged email on yesterday.

http://tinyurl.com/ye4leu8
http://blog.joehuffman.org/

Mental problems of anti-gun people
By: Joe Huffman Tuesday, June 14, 2005

As I mentioned earlier today JPFO has a booklet--Do Gun
Prohibitionists Have a Mental Problem? Here are some of the mental
problems mentioned in the booklet:

Projection--A person cannot accept their own feelings because they are
bad, wrong, or forbidden so they project them onto others. A typical
anti-gun person that uses this mechanism might have feelings of
unconscious rage toward gun owners, project them onto the gun owners,
then have a conscious fear of gun owners.

Denial--A person refuses to accept reality because that reality is too
emotionally painful. A typical anti-gun person that uses this
mechanism might believe that the police are all anyone really needs to
protect them from attack by criminals or that a tyrannical government
could never happen here.

Reaction formation--A person turns an unacceptable feeling or desire
into its complete opposite. A typical anti-gun person that uses this
mechanism might have a murderous rage toward his fellow humans and
then claim to be a pacifist and believe they are "superior" to "less
civilized" people who engage in "violent behavior" such as hunting or
target shooting.

The booklet goes on say that pointing out the mental problems to the
anti-gun person isn't going to be very productive. What you need to
do is:

Make the person feel safe, then provide experiences and information to
help him understand the positive aspects of gun ownership.
Be gentle. Defense mechanism protect people from feelings they cannot
handle. If you take that protection away, you can cause serious
psychological harm. And because defense mechanisms operate
unconsciously, it won't do any good to point out to the anti-gun
person that he or she is using a defense mechanism.

Use the mirror technique. Feed back what the anti-gun person is
telling you, in a neutral inquisitive way. If someone says that
people shouldn't own guns because they don't want to be killed if
their neighbor had a bad day, you might respond, "So you fear if your
neighbors had guns, they would use them to murder you. What makes you
think that?" It's important to ask "open-ended" questions that
require an answer other than "yes" or "no". Such questions require he
anti-gun person to actually think about what he is saying.

Don't try to "win" the argument. If you are arrogant, hurtful or rude
to the anti-gun person, you will only convince him that gun owners are
arrogant, hurtful and rude people--who shouldn't be trusted with guns.
Respond sympathetically to the plight of the anti-gun person. If they
believe they are surrounded by people that want to kill them and their
family if only those people had a gun and they could do nothing but
wait for the inevitable they lead a terrified life. Invoke your own
compassion for their situation.

Provide corrective experiences. Corrective experiences are
experiences that allow a person to learn that his ideas about gun
owners and guns are incorrect in a safe and non-threatening way.

There is a lot more material in booklet. Many of the JPFO "Gran'pa
Jack" booklets are for giving to anti-gun people. This one has
probably is better utilized by distributing it to pro-gun people.
Although I haven't done that with this one I have purchased a few
hundred of their booklets and let the local sporting goods store give
them away. I've also given them away at Boomershoot events and local
IPSC matches.

**************************************************
24. 'Not without a fight': A documentary on guns gets it right
**************************************************

http://tinyurl.com/yf5zvh5

http://www.examiner.com

[SNIP]

Not without a fight': A documentary on guns gets it right
F. Paul Valone
Charlotte Gun Rights Examiner

Independent film-maker Max Lemus today released "Not without a
fight," a documentary on the gun rights movement. Unlike propaganda
pieces such as "Bowling for Columbine," Lemus examines the Second
Amendment through the eyes of those who defend it ...

[SNIP]

**************************************************
25. First it was the Gun Show Loophole, now . . .
**************************************************

MAIG have broadened their sights (no pun intended) to the "Terror
Gap," where they government can conveniently disarm us by simply
putting our name on a secret list using secret criteria, of course.

Ian Branson emailed me this:

--

http://tinyurl.com/yjorku9
http://mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/

MAIG Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 23, 2009
No. 11

MAYORS AGAINST ILLEGAL GUNS, NOW OVER 500 MEMBERS STRONG, URGES
CONGRESS TO PREVENT SALES OF GUNS TO TERROR SUSPECTS BY CLOSING THE
TERROR GAP AND REPEALING THE TIAHRT AMENDMENTS

In a Full-Page Advertisement in Today's Washington Post, More than 500
Mayors Ask Congress to Close Glaring Gap in Federal Law that Allows
Terror Suspects to Purchase Guns.

Coalition Launches http://www.CloseTheTerrorGap.org Website, Where Citizens
Can Send Messages to Congress

Coalition Also Announces Membership of More Than 500 Mayors

The bi-partisan coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns today
published a full-page advertisement in the Washington Post asking
House Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Reid to keep guns out
of the hands of potential terrorists. In response to the shooting at
Fort Hood, the coalition is calling on Congress to close a loophole in
federal law - known as the Terror Gap - that allows individuals on the
terrorist watch lists to purchase firearms and explosives, and to
repeal a provision in the federal budget - known as the Tiahrt
Amendments - that require the FBI to destroy approved background
checks of gun purchasers within 24 hours. Repealing the Tiahrt
Amendments may have allowed the FBI to learn more about the gun
purchase made by the Fort Hood shooter. Just last week, Attorney
General Eric Holder endorsed legislation to close the Terror Gap. The
full-page advertisement published in the Washington Post can be viewed
here: http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org ... gtonPostAd

"Our coalition strongly supports the Second Amendment rights of law-
abiding Americans," said coalition co-chair and New York Mayor Michael
R. Bloomberg. "But, terrorists don't have a right to carry a gun or
buy explosives. Closing the terror gap in the gun background check
system is a common sense step, endorsed by both the Bush and Obama
administrations, which would allow the FBI to prohibit people who are
too dangerous to get on a plane from buying guns and explosives."

"We have to do all that we can to strengthen our country's gun
background check system," said coalition co-chair Mayor Thomas Menino
of Boston. "The federal government has reported that suspected
terrorist successfully bought guns and explosives 865 times in the
last five years. Congress should not waste one more day before
closing this glaring gap in gun and explosives background checks."

The coalition also launched a new website, http://www.CloseTheTerrorGap.org,
to allow citizens to send a message to their legislators calling for
the passage of federal legislation to close the Terror Gap.

This month, at Fort Hood, Texas, Major Nidal Malik Hasan allegedly
shot and killed 13 people, and injured more than 30 others. Published
reports indicated that Major Hasan was investigated by the FBI for his
links to an individual who was called the spiritual advisor to two of
the 9/11 hijackers. In August, Major Hasan purchased a handgun used
in the shooting rampage, and passed the federal background check
designed to prevent criminals and other dangerous persons from
obtaining guns. FBI counterterrorism officials were not notified when
Major Hasan purchased a gun.

About the Terror Gap

Under current federal law, terror suspects who are barred from flying
on planes can legally purchase firearms. According to the Government
Accountability Office, in the past five years people on the terrorist
watch list succeeded in purchasing guns and explosives from licensed
dealers 865 times. Mayors Against Illegal Guns first highlighted the
Terror Gap in September 2007 and has supported legislation introduced
by Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Representative Peter King (R-
NY) to close the gap. The following examples of acts committed by
terrorists with guns show the importance of closing the Terror Gap:

LITTLE ROCK MILITARY RECRUITING STATION June 1, 2009
Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad attacked a military recruiting station in
Little Rock, Arkansas, shooting one private to death and wounding
another. Mohammad was under FBI investigation as a terror suspect at
the time of the shooting.

FORT DIX, 2007
Six terror suspects were caught training with various firearms and
plotting to attack Fort Dix in New Jersey. When they attempted to buy
additional firearms such as M-16s, AK-47s, and handguns from a
government informant, law enforcement officials were able to arrest
the terror suspects before they could strike. One of the six terror
suspects pleaded guilty to providing firearms to illegal aliens and
the other five suspects were convicted of conspiracy to kill U.S.
military personnel.

BROOKLYN BRIDGE, March 1, 1994

As a van containing 16 students was returning from a prayer vigil,
Rashid Baz opened fire on them with a fully automatic weapon on an on-
ramp to the Brooklyn Bridge, killing 16-year-old Ari Halberstam and
wounding two others. Baz was armed with a machine gun, a 9 mm pistol,
and a "street sweeper" shotgun.

CIA HEADQUARTERS, January 25, 1993
Mir Aimal Kasi walked into traffic stopped at a red light near CIA
Headquarters in Langley, Virginia. Shooting from point blank with an
assault rifle he purchased from a gun dealer in Virginia, he killed
two CIA employees and wounded three others. Kasi then fled to
Pakistan, where he remained at large until his arrest in 1997. He had
been on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List as a result of this shooting.

"It defies common sense that the federal government is powerless to
stop known and suspected terrorists from buying assault weapons," said
Senator Frank R. Lautenberg, sponsor of S.1317, legislation that
closes the Terror Gap. "At a time when thousands of Americans are
putting their lives on the line every day to fight terrorism, my bill
will give law enforcement a critical tool to prevent terrorist attacks
on U.S. soil. I am pleased that the Obama Administration expressed
support for my legislation and look forward to working with the
Justice Department and my colleagues in Congress to close the Terror
Gap in our laws once and for all."

"I can't think of a more obvious disqualifying criterion from
purchasing a weapon than being listed on a terror watch list," said
Representative Peter King, Ranking Member of the Homeland Security
Committee and the lead sponsor of H.R.2159, legislation that closes
the Terror Gap. "It is unfathomable to me that we knowingly allow the
transfer of firearms to these individuals. Changing this policy should
be a no-brainer."

About the Tiahrt Amendments

The Tiahrt Amendments are provisions in the federal budget that
restrict law enforcement access to critical data needed to combat gun
trafficking. This year, after hearing from hundreds of mayors and
police chiefs, the Obama Administration, in its proposed budget,
removed one of the Tiahrt Amendment restrictions that limited local
police access to crime gun trace data.

Another one of the Tiahrt Amendments requires the FBI to destroy
records of approved background checks performed on gun purchasers
within 24 hours. Before the Tiahrt Amendments were put in place,
approved background check records were maintained for 180 days.
Maintaining these records gives FBI the ability to more fully
investigate the "straw purchasing" of firearms and instances where gun
purchases were wrongly approved.