VCDL's meeting schedule: http://www.vcdl.org/meetings.html------ ... reviations used in VA-ALERT: http://www.vcdl.org/help/abbr.html----- ... ----------
VCDL Update 2/5/11
1. VCDL membership meeting in NoVA on February 17th2. The Armed Citizen3. Sussex considering range regulations4. Proposed bills before General Assembly would ease gun control5. Concealed machine gun in Virginia? Not happening... yet6. Supporters lobby in Richmond for "gun show loophole" bill7. Richmond-area public officials ponder need for tighter security8. Gun show loophole debate starts again9. Two states, two approaches to guns10. Proposed submission: Amend requirements for carrying handguns in state forests11. Who needs a gun at 1 AM?12. Colonial Heights couple died of blunt-force trauma13. Who needs a gun at a Va. Beach convenience store?14. Gun crazy15. Boxer to introduce "Common-Sense Concealed Firearms Act of 2011"16. White House official: Obama will tackle 'very important issue' of gun control17. GOP to look at federal gun laws18. Washington Post LTE: Dodge City in Virginia19. There's lies, damned lies, and carefully researched WaPo articles - Part II20. Tucson shooting spotlights US shift on gun control21. Gun laws were tougher in old Tombstone22. The perfect living definition of a hero23. WaPo inflames with biased reporting of MPPS #1 hearing24. Impose limits on high-capacity ammunition clips25. Summary of Maryland gun bills for 201126. Delegate wants to allow MD neighbors with gun permits to bear arms here 27. Lawsuit challenges W.Va. city gun laws28. Detroit's police chief releases video of shootout at police station29. BATFE to study importability of certain shotguns
**************************************************1. VCDL membership meeting in NoVA on February 17th**************************************************
VCDL will have a membership meeting at the Mason Government Center on Thursday, February 17th, from 8 PM to 9:30 PM. Fellowship begins at 7:30 PM.
We will have 3 guest speakers:
Lt. Lee and Officer Kieffer from the Fairfax County PD will discuss how Fairfax County Officers are trained to respond to "man with a gun" calls and they will also field some questions for attendees.
Also, Gerarda Culipher, a candidate running against Senator Chap Petersen in the elections in November, will address the group about her candidacy.
The status of legislation in the General Assembly will be covered during the meeting.
As with all VCDL membership meetings, it is open to the public, so bring a friend, family member, or co-worker!
Directions can be found here:
http://www.vcdl.org/static/meetings.html
After the meeting, we will adjourn to a local restaurant for continued fellowship.
**************************************************2. The Armed Citizen**************************************************
For those who want to keep up with armed citizens using guns to defend themselves and other, check this out.
Steve W emailed me this link:
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http://thearmedcitizen.com/
**************************************************3. Sussex considering range regulations**************************************************
Tim Drewry, President of the Airfield Shooting Club emailed me this:
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Sussex Considering Range Regulations
Sussex County Planning Commission to Consider Gun Range Regulations!
ATTENTION ASC Members: Hearing on February 7, 2011 at 6:00 PM
The Sussex County Planning Commission plans to have a hearing at its meeting in February to discuss regulations of gun ranges in Sussex County, for which they may be proposing zoning regulations and/or conditional use permits.. I believe it is crucial that we attend and voice our concerns. If the Planning Commission votes to create new gun range regulations, then their recommendations will be forwarded to the Board of Supervisors. It would be best to stop new regulations from ever making it to the Board of Supervisors.. Please make arrangements to attend the meeting whether you live in Sussex or not. New gun regulations, no matter where they occur, set a precedence for us all. This directly affects all members of the Airfield Shooting Club (ASC) and the Airfield 4-H Conference Center whose range is in Sussex County.
PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
What: Planning Commission Public Hearing on 1) Shooting Ranges, generally, and 2) Pistol & Shotgun Ranges in Sussex County, Virginia.
Where: Sussex County General District Courtroom, 15098 Courthouse Road, Sussex, VA 23884. When: February 7, 2011 at 6:00 PM.
**************************************************4. Proposed bills before General Assembly would ease gun control**************************************************
VCDL EM Hal Macklin emailed me this:
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=46rom Huntington-BelleHaven Patch: http://tinyurl.com/4djqbx7
By Kristin RubischJanuary 27, 2011
A retired state trooper, now delegate, from Virginia's fifth district has proposed two bills that would give more freedom to gun owners from other states and restricting federal regulation on Virginia's guns.
Del. Charles "Bill" Carrico's first bill, known as the Virginia Firearms Freedom Act, would prevent federal regulation from being applied to guns, accessories, and ammunition sold or manufactured in Virginia. If passed, the legislation would protect gun owners and manufacturers from federal regulation of firearms under the interstate commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution.
Currently, the bill is awaiting a vote in the Commerce and Labor Committee.
Carrico's second gun-friendly bill would recognize out-of-state conceal permits as long as the carrier is over the age of 21 and has a government-recognized identification card of some kind. Gun advocacy groups like Virginia Citizen's Defense League (VCDL) say this action would create a process through which other states would begin to recognize Virginia permits for carrying a concealed weapon.
The bill is currently awaiting a vote on the Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee, of which Carrico is a member. The VCDL and other pro-gun groups are rallying support for numerous bills and have listed both of Carrico's under their "strongly support" category. His bills were also mentioned favorably by attendees of a gun rights rally in Richmond last week.
Opponents of the bills include Dels. Jennifer McClellan (D-Richmond) and Mamye BaCote (D-Newport News) who have both proposed restrictive anti-gun bills.
Del. Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax) said other states' processes and criteria for permits may be more lenient than Virginia's, and the delegate for the Mount Vernon area doesn't "think it wise to effectively delegate our discretion to regulate CWP's [foreign concealed weapons permits] to Alaska, Arizona or Wyoming."
Opposition to the Virginia Firearms Freedom Act is more intense than that for the bill recognizing out-of-state permits.
Surovell was adamant about voting against the act: "This bill opens a Pandora's Box of issues that are currently not covered by Federal Law without adding any additional measures to Virginia Law."
He specifically cited the dangers of avoiding federal restrictions on the purchase of weapons-such as instant criminal background checks-as a negative possibility if the bill were to pass.
**************************************************5. Concealed machine gun in Virginia? Not happening... yet**************************************************
Dana Reynolds emailed me this. Leave it to the Virginian-Pilot to get lost in left field. They are focused on CONCEALED PERMIT HOLDERS carrying concealed machine guns of all things! The Pilot doesn't seem to care if criminals do so, just permit holders.
Go figure.
=46rom The Virginian-Pilot: http://tinyurl.com/4syz8j2
By Bill SizemoreJanuary 28, 2011
RICHMOND - Guns in the state Capitol? No problem. Guns in public libraries? Bring 'em on.
But there's one line that Virginia's famously gun-friendly legislature apparently is not ready to cross. For now, at least, it will remain impossible to get a concealed-weapon permit to carry a machine gun. That's what Del. Jackson Miller's bill, HB2386, would have allowed. It failed to advance out of a House of Delegates subcommittee Thursday and so is likely dead for this legislative session.
It was the annual meeting of the Militia, Police and Public Safety panel to deal with gun-related legislation, and, as usual, gun-rights enthusiasts and gun-control advocates faced off on every measure with no middle ground.
For the most part, as usual, the pro-gun side prevailed.
The panel made short work of Del. Patrick Hope's bill, HB1813, that would have prohibited firearms in the Capitol and the General Assembly Building, which houses lawmakers' offices and meeting rooms.
The recent shooting spree in Arizona in which a judge was killed and a congresswoman gravely injured underscores the need for such a measure, Hope, D-Arlington County, told the subcommittee.
"Passing this bill will make everyone in this building safer," he said.
The bill included an exemption for legislators and law-enforcement officers.
As Hope made his pitch, several gun-rights supporters wearing holstered pistols sat a few feet away.
"Gun-free zones, generally speaking, do not work," Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah County, told Hope. A "demented, committed person" like the Arizona shooter will find a way to commit mayhem with or without a ban, he said.
The measure was killed on a 3-1 vote.
Outside the room after the vote, Hope shook his head.
"I knew this would be an uphill battle," he said. "It's unfortunate that the gun lobby has such firm control over the General Assembly, but that's the world we live in right now."
Del. Mamye BaCote's bill, HB1600, met a similar fate. Introduced at the request of the Newport News City Council, it would have allowed localities to ban guns in libraries.
"Pistols and shotguns in our libraries are not necessary," BaCote, D-Newport News, pleaded with the panel.
The bill was dispatched with virtually no discussion.
BaCote has carried the same measure in past sessions with the same outcome.
The panel was unwilling, however, to expand gun rights as proposed in Miller's bill. The measure would have allowed concealed-weapon permits to be issued for any legal weapon, not just handguns as under current law.
"I love this bill," said Philip Van Cleave, president of the pro-gun Virginia Citizens Defense League.
Miller, R-Manassas, said he had in mind such weapons as bowie knives and nunchucks.
Lt. W.J. Reed Jr. of the State Police told the panel the measure would also allow permits to be issued for machine guns, which gives the State Police some heartburn.
Reed also said the measure could cause Virginia problems with neighboring states with which it has reciprocal enforcement agreements.
"I'm concerned this bill might have unintended consequences," Gilbert said. On his motion, the panel referred the measure to the State Crime Commission for further study.
"It's a way to kill a bill nicely," Miller said afterward.
Earlier Thursday, advocates for closing the so-called "gun show loophole" urged lawmakers to act favorably on the perennial proposal this year.
Del. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, is again carrying a bill to require that people purchasing guns from a private seller at a gun show undergo a criminal background check.
Under current law, those checks are required only in transactions with licensed gun dealers.
In years past, the House has defeated bills designed to require private sellers at guns shows to conduct the checks.
McClellan argued that people who otherwise would be barred from purchasing a firearm are aware they can avoid a background check if they buy from unlicensed vendors at gun shows.
"Does anybody with half a brain really believe" criminals aren't obtaining guns that way? she said. "It is a moral failure to intentionally ignore the reality of what's going on at these gun shows."
Joining McClellan at a news conference touting her bill were Lori Haas and Andrew Goddard, the parents of two students wounded in the April 2007 mass shooting at Virginia Tech.
McClellan's bill, HB1669, has yet to be called up for a hearing.
**************************************************6. Supporters lobby in Richmond for "gun show loophole" bill**************************************************
VCDL EM Hal Macklin emailed me this:
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=46rom WSLS 10: http://tinyurl.com/4msbm5k
By Associated PressJanuary 27, 2011
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Clergy and family members of victims of the Virginia Tech mass shooting are again calling on legislators to require background checks on all purchases at gun shows.
They gathered Thursday to support Del. Jennifer McClellan's bill to close the "gun-show loophole," which allows private transactions at the events without the background checks that dealers must perform.
The bill has been unsuccessful for years despite an increased lobby after the 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech that killed 32. Seventeen states require the checks.
Opponents argue the shooter didn't buy his weapons at gun shows. They say private sales should be protected.
Supporters say the checks would keep criminals, the mentally ill and others banned from buying guns from getting them at the events.
**************************************************7. Richmond-area public officials ponder need for tighter security**************************************************
Here we go again - Richmond is considering putting metal detectors back in city Hall.
EM Dave Hicks emailed me this:
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=46rom Richmond Times-Dispatch: http://tinyurl.com/4dkm5qm
By Will JonesJanuary 24, 2011
A Richmond City Council member wants to consider reinstalling metal detectors at City Hall in the wake of recent shooting incidents involving a congresswoman in Arizona and a school board in Florida.
"Right now, the way some people's emotions are, maybe we need them," said Councilwoman Reva M. Trammell, who has discussed the matter with Police Chief Bryan T. Norwood.
Her concerns echo those of Henrico County School Board member Diana D. Winston, who raised the issue last week as her board is considering a new location for its meetings. The school division's Glen Echo building is slated for demolition.
While police or other security officers are present at many public meetings locally, only Henrico is using metal detectors. Sheriff Michael L. Wade said scanning people before meetings of the board of supervisors helps to deter crime and to identify who is carrying a weapon without infringing on Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms.
"If something happens and someone jumps out with a gun, you want to know who they are," he said.
Trammell said metal detectors should be considered outside the council's chamber in light of the incidents in Arizona and Florida, as well as situations in which people have been barred from Richmond City Hall for a year after making threats against council, other officials or city facilities. Three people are currently barred by the police department, according to officials.
The city administration is working with the council to re-evaluate the need for security, balancing the potential threats with the deployment of resources, said Tammy D. Hawley, press secretary for Mayor Dwight C. Jones.
"The recent events ... really do underscore the need for realistic assessment," she said.
This month, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., was critically injured and six other people were killed when a man opened fire at a gathering organized by Giffords' office at a suburban shopping center in Tucson. Last month, a man started shooting at a school board meeting in Panama City, Fla., before turning the gun on himself after he was wounded by an armed security guard. There were no other injuries.
Robert A. Gardner, a security consultant based in Santa Paula, Calif., said metal detectors outside public meeting rooms should be considered, but he cautioned that public officials cannot be fully protected.
"If someone is willing to die to commit the assassination, it's almost impossible to stop them," he said.
The heightened concerns come as Richmond's costs of providing police protection for the mayor have increased by 4 percent, from $333,633 in 2009 to $345,568 in 2010, according to the police department.
The cost of the two-officer executive protection unit remains significantly less than it was in 2008, when the department spent $816,260 on security for then-Mayor L. Douglas Wilder. Hawley attributed last year's uptick to increased overtime expenses.
"We're still realizing a greater-than-50-percent reduction in expenses, which was our goal from the beginning," she said.
No other elected or appointed local official in the region receives similar protection.
Metal detectors were installed at the entrance to Richmond City Hall after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York, Arlington County and Pennsylvania, but Wilder ordered them removed after taking office as mayor in 2005, calling them unnecessary.
Councilman Bruce W. Tyler, who has criticized the mayor's security detail as unnecessary pomp, said he does not feel strongly that metal detectors are needed. However, he acknowledged some uneasiness at council meetings.
"I take a look around the room and see who's there," he said.
Although police officers are present at council meetings, Council President Kathy C. Graziano noted that official duties extend well beyond City Hall.
"If you look at what happened in the Arizona case, the people who were killed weren't public officials," she said. "They were just there. How can you protect yourself from someone who is emotionally unbalanced? I think it's difficult."
Petersburg Mayor Brian A. Moore agreed. "As a public official, you're used to going out there, speaking with constituents; I think you have to be aware and take precautions."
Some officials said the incidents in Arizona and Florida have not made them more fearful.
"I'm not any more or less concerned than I was before," said Dorothy Jaeckle, vice chairwoman of the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors. "If there are crazy people out there, what are you going to do? We can't lock them all up. We just have to keep doing what we need to do."
**************************************************8. Gun show loophole debate starts again**************************************************
Bill Hine emailed me this. The so called "gun show loophole" bills have never made it off the Senate Floor and rarely event got out of committee.
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=46rom NBC12.com: http://tinyurl.com/47dv979
By Ryan Nobles & Terry Alexander
RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) Another year, another battle over the so called "gun show loophole" at the state capitol. The latest on this fight was spawned out of the Virginia Tech tragedy.
Every year since that awful day in Blacksburg, democrats in Richmond have put forth a number of bills to curb access to guns. The most controversial has been a plan to force people buying guns at gun shows to go through a background check.
Supporters of the bill, claim it would just be a simple step to keep unlawful and mentally ill people from purchasing guns and then using them for the wrong reasons. Opponents believe it is just another way to take firearms out of law abiding citizen's hands, with a long term goal of shutting down gun shows. Both sides don't appear to be giving in at all.
"There are ways that this can be done that will not overburden any individual vendors or sellers. I have not heard what the big deal is," said Delegate Jennifer McClellan (D) Richmond.
"Their request will never end. It doesn't matter what we give them. Until we hand over our last gun, there will always be another request looking for middle ground. We've given up all we are going to give," said Phillip Van Cleave with the Virginia Citizen's Defense League.
Almost every year since it was originally introduced the bill has gone down to defeat, most times not even making it out of a committee.
Its fate doesn't appear to be much better this year. Especially with a republican governor and a GOP controlled House of Delegates.
**************************************************9. Two states, two approaches to guns**************************************************
=46rom The Washington Post: http://tinyurl.com/49pogjf
By James Morris, LovettsvilleJanuary 25, 2011
William Tunney's Jan. 24 letter regarding the open carry of firearms prompted me to do a little research. According to the FBI Uniform Crime Report for 2009, the latest year for which firm data are available, the commonwealth of Virginia, which permits law-abiding adults to openly carry firearms and has a shall-issue system for concealed-handgun permits, had a rate of 226.8 violent crimes per 100,000 residents. The state of Maryland, on the other hand, with its near-total ban on carrying firearms, had a rate of 589.9 violent crimes per 100,000 residents.
Additionally, Maryland, with nearly 2 million fewer residents than Virginia, had 438 homicides, compared with Virginia's 347.
So it would appear to me that Mr. Tunney has a lot less to fear on the south side of the Potomac than on the north.
**************************************************10. Proposed submission: Amend requirements for carrying handguns in state forests**************************************************
Ron Jenkins emailed me this:
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Philip,
Documentation was completed and the proposed amendment to allow lawful carried open and concealed firearms in STATE FORESTS should be published in the Virginia Register beginning 2/14/2011. The thirty day comment period begins on 2/14/2011.
Ron JenkinsAssistant State Forester
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Watch for un upcoming VA-ALERT action item so we can all bombard them with public comments!
**************************************************11. Who needs a gun at 1 AM?**************************************************
=46rom the Williamsburg Yorktown Daily: http://tinyurl.com/652flla
By WYDaily StaffJanuary 25, 2011
Williamsburg police are looking for two suspects who robbed a College of William and May student at gunpoint early Monday morning.
Police say the student was walking in the 700 block of Richmond Road near the intersection of Dillard Street around 1 a.m. when two men approached on bikes from behind.
Both men were wearing dark clothing with hooded sweatshirts pulled low over their heads; one had a gun. One suspect pushed the student into some bushes, displayed the handgun, then demanded the victim's cash from his wallet. The student complied, and the suspects took off. The student was unharmed.
The suspects are described as about 6'0" to 6'2" tall, with the armed man further described as having a large build of between 220 and 250 pounds, and a deep voice and southern accent.
Police are asking anyone with information to call the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.
In an email Monday to students, staff and faculty, W&M Vice President for Student Affairs Ginger Ambler wrote, "We think of the Williamsburg community as a safe place. And relatively speaking, it is. What happened early this morning, however, is an unfortunate reminder that even in a community as special as ours, crimes can and do occur. There may be nothing we can do to fully insulate ourselves from the reality of crime in our world."
Ambler reminded students in particular to be mindful of their surroundings, and to travel with others whenever possible, and that they may call the campus' free ride service.
**************************************************12. Colonial Heights couple died of blunt-force trauma**************************************************
Edward N Martin Jr emailed me this:
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=46rom Richmond Times-Dispatch: http://tinyurl.com/6hmznqw
By Carol HazardJanuary 23, 2011
An elderly couple found slain Friday in their Colonial Heights home died of blunt-force trauma to the head, according to a source familiar with the investigation.
Joseph Bland, 84, and Evelyn Bland, 80, were found dead Friday night in their home in the 100 block of Conduit Road.
Sgt. Robert L. Ruxer III with the Colonial Heights Police Department said someone had broken into the Blands' home last summer and attempted to steal a safe. The safe was removed from the house and left in the yard. No one was arrested.
All day Saturday, cars streamed by their brick and vinyl house in a quiet neighborhood as police investigated the double homicide. Drivers slowed in front of the house, which neighbors said the Blands had owned for decades.
A family member found the couple Friday evening, Ruxer said.
"We believe they were heading out of town," Ruxer said. "They had another house in Virginia," he said, declining to be more specific.
Ruxer said Evelyn Bland was retired from the city of Petersburg, but said he did not know anything more about her work. Joseph Bland was retired from Central State Hospital and volunteered for the Namozine Fire Department in Dinwiddie County, Ruxer said.
The family member arrived at the Bland house about 6 p.m. Friday. Police were called at 6:26 p.m. and responded to a report of an unresponsive person. Investigators worked through the night and all day Saturday, Ruxer said.
The couple's 2011 Mercury Marquis was missing when police arrived, but it was found later Friday night about three blocks from the Bland residence and seized for evidence.
Investigators are looking for a gold or brown older-model Oldsmobile that was observed near where the victims lived and near where their car was recovered, Ruxer said.
A mail carrier said he always parks his car in front of the Bland residence and that Joseph Bland often came out to chat with him. The carrier said the area was a quiet, older neighborhood made up mostly of retirees.
The houses are small brick and vinyl ranchers. The Blands lived in a corner brick house with a vinyl addition on the back.
"The neighborhood has welcomed me," said Jerry Henegar, who moved into a house near the Bland residence in May. "It's mostly a lot of elderly people." He said he was introduced to the Blands but did know anything else about them.
"Everybody thinks Colonial Heights is a safe, little town, but it is not," said a woman, 55, who declined to give her name but said she grew up in the neighborhood. "It used to be safe, but it is not any more."
Ruxer said police are investigating several leads. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Colonial Heights Police Department at (804) 520-9300 or Chesterfield/Colonial Heights Crime Solvers at (804) 748-0660.
**************************************************13. Who needs a gun at a Va. Beach convenience store?**************************************************
VCDL Board Member Bruce Jackson emailed me this:
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=46rom The Virginian-Pilot: http://tinyurl.com/4ndk7dw
By Kathy Adams & Lauren KingJanuary 27, 2011
VIRGINIA BEACH - The convenience store where a clerk shot at a would-be robber had been robbed about two weeks ago, police said this morning.
About 7 p.m. Wednesday, a man, dressed in black with a bandanna covering his face, entered the Indian Lakes Food Mart in the 1100 block of Indian Lakes Blvd. A clerk saw he was carrying a gun, so he pulled out his own weapon and fired a single shot at the man, police spokesman Sgt. Brian Ricardo said Wednesday night.
The man fled the store on foot. Investigators said there were no indications that he had been injured.
The store had been robbed in the past, most recently on Jan. 10 and possibly by the same person, police spokesman Officer Jimmy Barnes said this morning. The clerk had a concealed handgun permit and was within his rights to shoot at the man, he said.
"Clearly, if you're under the impression you're about to be robbed or shot or killed, you have the right to defend yourself," Barnes said.
However, the Police Department recommends complying in a robbery rather than risking injury confronting the person, he said.
"The Police Department does not encourage producing a weapon or trying to stop the robbery," Barnes said. "Hopefully they're going to obtain what they came for and flee without any confrontation or somebody getting injured."
Police described the man from the Food Mart incident as a black male in his 20s, about 5 feet 7, 140 to 160 pounds and wearing a black hoodie, black pants and a black bandanna on his face.
They ask that anyone with information about the attempted robbery call Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP (562-5887).
**************************************************14. Gun crazy**************************************************
Scott Mercer emailed me this:
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I have never seen so many blatent untruths in a single article.
=46rom Charlottesville News & Arts: http://tinyurl.com/6ykw28b
By Dan CatalanoJanuary 25, 2011
Mr. Smith and Wesson goes to Richmond
In the wake of the recent, horrific attack on Representative Gabrielle Giffords and 20 others in Tucson, Arizona-and with the fourth anniversary of the mass shootings at Virginia Tech fast approaching-the last thing you might expect to see is some dude with a semiautomatic AR-15 rifle slung over his shoulder strolling through the halls of Virginia's State Capitol Building.
But there he was, waiting patiently outside of a state senator's office during last week's annual "Lobby Day," in which citizen activists of all shapes and sizes descend upon Richmond to petition the General Assembly on behalf of their favorite causes.
Outside of the Capitol building, a small group of counter-demonstrators (including a number of Virginia Tech survivors) gathered to urge Virginia's lawmakers to toughen the commonwealth's increasingly lax gun control laws. But they were vastly outnumbered by pro-gun groups such as the Virginia Citizens Defense League, who regard any restrictions on gun ownership as a gross violation of their Second Amendment rights.
Of course, there can be little doubt which side of this argument our current Assembly embraces. Last year was a banner year for pro-gun legislation, with over 60 bills introduced, and the upcoming session looks to be equally active. While the gun lobby scored some significant victories last year (most notably, a law that allows patrons of alcohol-serving establishments to carry concealed weapons), it failed to overturn Virginia's one-handgun-purchase-per-month law, and is surely champing at the bit to take another crack at it.
The scary thing is, it might just happen. Even though a recent study showed that Virginia already provides more guns used in out-of-state crimes than all but two other states, the legislative momentum is toward allowing greater access to deadly weapons, not less. And since Virginia currently permits unlicensed gun show dealers to sell firearms without performing background checks, any law repealing the one-per-month limit should include a clause that officially changes the state motto to "America's Gun Store."
The thing we'll never understand is, why? Why in the world would anyone need to buy more than one handgun per month? And after Virginia Tech (and Tucson, and Columbine, and all of the other heartbreaking massacres), why do people continue to insist that access to extended 30-round bullet clips is an inalienable American right?
Yes, we're fully aware of the argument that if everyone had a gun, nobody would dare use one. (Even though in Tucson, which boasts some of the least restrictive gun laws in the nation, the only bystander with a concealed weapon almost shot the wrong person, and then slammed the guy who had disarmed the killer up against a wall.) But even if Virginia were to pass a law requiring everyone to pack heat, wouldn't it still make sense to limit the amount of damage a lone shooter could do before some law-abiding citizen popped him in the head?
We accept that we are on the losing end of this issue, at least for now. According to Gallup, nearly half of all Americans remain convinced that owning a gun makes them safer, despite all evidence to the contrary, and our powers of persuasion just aren't strong enough to change that. Still, we continue to believe in a utopian future where extensive background checks stop people with documented mental problems from purchasing Glock pistols, and only police and military personnel have access to assault weapons.
So shoot us.
**************************************************15. Boxer to introduce "Common-Sense Concealed Firearms Act of 2011"**************************************************
A VCDL member emailed me this:
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=46rom YubaNet.com: http://tinyurl.com/458wkml
By Sen. Barbara Boxer's officeJanuary 22, 2011
Washington, D.C. =CB=9A U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today announced that next week she will introduce the Common-Sense Concealed Firearms Act of 2011, which would require all states that allow residents to carry concealed weapons in public to have minimum standards for granting permits.
Senator Boxer said, "The tragic events in Tucson earlier this month are a reminder of why we need common-sense gun laws. This measure will establish reasonable permitting standards for Americans who wish to carry concealed firearms. According to a recent poll, more than 60 percent of respondents believe there should be a reasonable permitting process for those who wish to carry concealed firearms."
Senator Boxer's legislation would require all states that allow residents to carry concealed weapons to establish permitting processes that would include meaningful consultation with local law enforcement authorities to determine whether the permit applicant is worthy of the public trust and has shown good cause to carry a concealed firearm.
Currently, two states do not permit residents to carry concealed firearms, while three states, including Arizona, allow residents to carry concealed firearms in public without a permit. The other 45 states require residents to obtain permits to carry concealed firearms, but the majority of these states would not meet the standard set in this bill.
Senator Boxer plans to introduce the legislation when the Senate reconvenes next week.
**************************************************16. White House official: Obama will tackle 'very important issue' of gun control**************************************************
Andy Antonellini emailed me this:
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=46rom The Hill: http://tinyurl.com/4byxl38
By Bob CusackJanuary 25, 2011
A White House senior adviser said Tuesday night that President Obama is "going to address [gun control]."
In an interview with NBC's Brian Williams, David Plouffe responded to criticism that the president did not mention gun control in his State of the Union address. Some Democrats on Capitol Hill and gun-control advocates have called for new legislation in the wake of the deadly shooting that killed six and injured Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) earlier this month.
Plouffe said Obama's speech on Tuesday was focused on the economy. He added that the president has been clear on his views on gun control, citing Obama's position of reinstating the expired assault weapons ban.
"He's going to address this," Plouffe said. "It's a very important issue and I know there's going to be a lot of debate on the Hill."
It's not clear what legislation Obama will urge Congress to pass. Despite his support for reauthorizing the assault weapons ban, he has not made the issue a priority and has been lambasted by gun-control groups during the first two years of his presidency.
Williams said he was told by a senior administration official that Obama will take on gun control at a different venue and later date.
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White House to Push Gun Control
William Taggart emailed me this:
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=46rom Newsweek.com: http://tinyurl.com/4npkszq
Obama intentionally did not mention gun control in his State of the Union, but aides say that in the next two weeks the administration will unveil a campaign to get Congress to toughen existing laws.
Arizona Congressmen Jeff Flake (left) and Raul Grijalva sit next to the empty seat of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on Capitol Hill before President Obama's recent State of the Union address.
At the beginning of his State of the Union address, President Obama tipped his hat to Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who's now recuperating in a Houston medical facility. But throughout the hourlong speech, he never addressed the issue at the core of the Giffords tragedy-gun control-and what lawmakers would, or should, do to reform American firearm-access laws.
That was intentional, according to the White House. An administration official says Obama didn't mention guns in his speech because of the omnipresent controversy surrounding the Second Amendment and gun control. Tuesday's speech was designed to be more about the economy and how, as Obama repeated nine times, the U.S. could "win the future."
But in the next two weeks, the White House will unveil a new gun-control effort in which it will urge Congress to strengthen current laws, which now allow some mentally unstable people, such as alleged Arizona shooter Jared Loughner, to obtain certain assault weapons, in some cases without even a background check [wow, nice spin on that sentence - WKT].
Tuesday night after the speech, Obama adviser David Plouffe said to NBC News that the president would not let the moment after the Arizona shootings pass without pushing for some change in the law, to prevent another similar incident. "It's a very important issue, and one I know there's going to be debate about on the Hill."
The White House said that to avoid being accused of capitalizing on the Arizona shootings for political gain [although that is exactly what they're doing - WKT], Obama will address the gun issue in a separate speech, likely early next month. He's also expected to use Arizona as a starting point, but make the case that America's gun laws have been too loose for much longer than just the past few weeks.
As the White House prepares its strategy, several gun-policy groups are saying they were burned by the lack of any mention of guns in the president's highest-profile speech of the year. "President Obama tonight failed to challenge old assumptions on the need for, and political possibilities of, reducing the gun violence-which he suggested should be done two weeks ago in Tucson," said Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, the nation's largest gun-safety group. No group said it had been consulted by the White House regarding legislative suggestions.
Meanwhile, the National Rifle Association has stayed largely silent following the Arizona shootings. Asked about a specialized White House effort on guns, a spokesman for the powerful gun lobby declined to comment.
**************************************************17. GOP to look at federal gun laws**************************************************
Theron P Keller emailed me this:
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=46rom The Hill: http://tinyurl.com/6kgag93
By Mike LillisJanuary 26, 2011
Staffers from the House Judiciary Committee will meet with Obama administration officials Thursday to examine the effectiveness of federal laws designed to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill, according to a Republican aide with the panel.
The closed-door gathering will focus on whether a federal system of background checks is working to block gun sales to the mentally ill and others barred from owning firearms, the aide said Tuesday. Staffers from both parties will attend, as well as officials from the FBI and possibly the Justice Department, the aide added.
The meeting comes three weeks after a shooting rampage in Arizona killed a federal judge, left a congresswoman seriously wounded and reignited the public debate over whether laws need to be tightened to prevent gun sales to those with mental problems.
Staff at Thursday's meeting will consider whether the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) is effective. The system is an FBI-run database created by the 1993 Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act - a law named after former President Reagan's press secretary, James Brady, who was seriously injured during the 1981 assassination attempt on Reagan.
Under current law, licensed gun dealers are required to screen potential buyers through NICS to ensure they don't fit one of the categories barring them from purchasing firearms, including felons, illegal immigrants, spousal abusers and the mentally ill. The system is largely voluntary, however, as states are encouraged - but not required - to report information to NICS.
The holes in the screening system became evident in 2007, when Seung-Hui Cho, a 23-year-old Virginia Tech student, killed 32 students and teachers in one of the deadliest shooting rampages in the nation's history. Although a judge had declared Cho mentally ill two years earlier, the state did not report its evaluation to NICS, allowing Cho to pass a background check by a licensed dealer.
Following the Virginia Tech tragedy, Congress unanimously passed a law designed to bolster the NICS system by providing states with financial incentives to report records of mental illness (and other red-flag cases) to the FBI. The NICS Improvement Amendments Act was supported by the NRA and signed by then-President George W. Bush in early 2008, but reporting by states remains voluntary.RELATED ARTICLES
* White House adviser: Obama will tackle gun control
Different state privacy laws, budget restraints and political considerations have hampered the effectiveness of the enhanced reporting. Indeed, through August of last year, 10 states had not reported any cases of mental illness to NICS, while 28 states had submitted fewer than 100 records, according to Mayors Against Illegal Guns, an advocacy group.
By contrast, Virginia had reported more than 139,000 records - the highest per capita rate in the country.
The suspect in the Arizona shooting, Jared Lee Loughner, had been expelled from community college for disturbing behavior and denied entrance to the military for a history of drug abuse, according to numerous reports. Yet he was able to buy a firearm and high-capacity ammunition magazines from local licensed dealers.
On Monday, Mayors Against Illegal Guns - a group headed by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino - introduced a proposal to require states to report mental health records, drug-abuse histories, domestic violence cases and other red flags to NICS. The proposal would also require unlicensed gun dealers to perform NICS background checks - a step not mandated under current law.
"While I support the Second Amendment rights of responsible, law-abiding Americans, I also support tough, common-sense laws to keep guns out of the hands of felons, drug abusers, the mentally ill and other dangerous people," Grant Woods, former Republican attorney general of Arizona, said in endorsing the Bloomberg proposal.
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), a staunch Second Amendment defender, has also indicated recently that there might be room for Congress to bolster efforts to keep guns away from the mentally ill.
"He is open to revisiting the [2007] law," Coburn spokesman John Hart said last week. "His goal is to make sure we have a way to ensure that people who are truly mentally ill and are a threat to themselves or others are not allowed to buy a firearm."
NICS funding is also an issue Judiciary will examine Thursday. Although the post-Virginia Tech law authorized $188 million for NICS in fiscal 2009, and another $375 million in fiscal 2010, Congress appropriated only $10 million and $20 million, respectively - or 5.3 percent of each year's authorization.
Rachel Parsons, a spokeswoman for the NRA, said this week that the group lobbies each year for more NICS funding - to no avail.
"The NICS system is only as good as the information that's shared with it," Parsons said Monday in a phone interview. Parsons declined to comment on specific reforms, citing an absence of specific language.
With Republicans controlling the House, even the most vocal gun-control advocates have been pessimistic about the chances of any gun reforms moving in the 112th Congress - even after the near-assassination of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.).
Michael Steel, spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), deflected questions to the Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over the gun-reform issue.
President Obama invoked Giffords's spirit during Tuesday's State of the Union address but made no mention of gun reform - a silence that irritated gun-control advocates on and off Capitol Hill.
"I'm disappointed, but not surprised," Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.), a longtime gun-reform proponent, said after the speech.
David Plouffe, a senior White House adviser, said Tuesday that the disappointment is premature.
"[Obama's] going to address this," Plouffe told NBC's Brian Williams. "It's a very important issue, and I know there's going to be a lot of debate on the Hill."
**************************************************18. Washington Post LTE: Dodge City in Virginia**************************************************
A VCDL member emailed me this:
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The writer is outraged that nobody is outraged that people carry guns at the General Assembly Building and at restaurants
=46rom The Washington Post: http://tinyurl.com/623ut37
By William Tunney, Grantsville, MD
Regarding the Jan. 18 Metro story "Sticking to their guns, pro or con":
A 23-year-old man stands outside the office of Virginia State Sen. Thomas K.. Norment Jr. (R-James City) with a semiautomatic rifle strung over his shoulder, and no one is outraged?
Does the young man have a ho-hum look on his face, a worried look, an angry look? Does the senator have to send someone out to assess his body language before ushering him in for a chat with his representative? What is Virginia coming to?
Recently, The Post published a photograph of several men sitting in a restaurant in the same state wearing side arms and proudly stating their individual rights to do so.
Well! Where is my right to be able to have a meal in a restaurant and not have to worry if Joe Smith, who is packing heat, is going to have a temper tantrum or is sulking over a spat with his wife or his boss and decides to end it all there and take me with him? Where is my right to go into a store and not see a dozen people with guns?
In all my 65 years, I have never witnessed a crime, and I spent most of them in Baltimore. So please spare me the bunch of hypotheticals. Strange men and women walking around with side arms or rifles is scary, unwarranted and a deterrent to spending any time in the neighboring state of Virginia.
**************************************************19. There's lies, damned lies, and carefully researched WaPo articles - Part II**************************************************
VCDL EM Hal Macklin emailed me this:
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This takes a look at the WaPo high-capacity magazines hysteria.
=46rom Planet Moron: http://tinyurl.com/64ap6q3
January 24, 2011
As part of its continuing series investigating the role inanimate objects play in crime, the Washington Post this Sunday made a startling discovery:
When high-capacity magazines are legal, more people have them!
According to the Washington Post's detailed scouring of Virginia police records, the number of guns seized in crimes that have high-capacity magazines is more than it used to be back when they were banned. This was clearly so newsworthy they gave it front-page, above-the-fold treatment for the Sunday paper complete with a dramatic red-colored bar graph to illustrate the increase, detailed statistics on the seizures, and quotes from experts noting that "...after a few years' lag time the prevalence of high-capacity magazines was declining. The increase since the ban's repeal is quite striking."
Stunning Scoop!
We know what you're thinking, "At least you're not writing about scrapple again."
Also, "Wow, the increase since the ban's repeal really is striking. What about the increase in crime and murders and general mayhem?"
Not so striking. In fact, it never really comes up.
Look, the Washington Post has limited resources. They can't be expected to examine every little factoid you might whimsically desire.
Fortunately, here at Planet Moron we have access to advanced research tools including "Google" and the "Intertubes" that are apparently unavailable to a major metropolitan newspaper and found that violent crime rates and murders in Virginia declined both during the ban and after the ban meaning there is no demonstrable link whatsoever between crime, murder, deaths in general, and the number of rounds a magazine can hold. (Unless you want to argue that the increase in murders using "blunt objects" is a direct result of people being hit over the head with high-capacity magazines).
Sure, we may have some fancy-sounding facts on our side, but the Washington Post has something better: Selective anecdotes and guilt by association.
In fact, the Post goes into painstaking detail regarding the use of high-capacity magazines in crimes. How painstaking? Not quite so painstaking that they note the equal use of standard-capacity magazines in those very same crimes.
For example, in the Columbine shootings the Washington Post helpfully notes that police recovered "unspecified high-capacity magazines," but forgot to mention (as we did last week) the very-much-specified low-capacity 10-round magazines used to equally deadly effect by one of the shooters.
And in discussing the Virginia Tech Shootings, the Washington Post notes that "Police recover three 15-round magazines." (Emphasis in the original.) The Washington Post did not note that police also recovered a bunch of 10-round magazines.
Maybe the Internet was down that day.
The Post does quote the author of a 2004 study saying,
"Tentatively I was able to show that guns associated with large-capacity magazines tended to be associated with more serious crimes, more serious outcomes."
How tentatively? So tentatively that his conclusion in the actual study (remember, we have Xfinity!) was:
It is Premature to Make Definitive Assessments of the Ban's Impact on Gun Crime
Because the ban has not yet reduced the use of LCMs[large capacity magazines] in crime, we cannot clearly credit the ban with any of the nation's recent drop in gun violence.
Undeterred, the Post also cites a number of additional examples when guns with high-capacity magazines were used in crimes, such as the man who shot his girlfriend, two people at a convenience store and himself, and the guy who shot a police officer and then killed himself.
In fact, most of the crimes the Post uses as examples end with the killer shooting himself.
The only obvious conclusion?
High-capacity magazines ensure criminals will always have enough ammunition to kill themselves.
Now THAT would have been a headline.
Given the Washington Post's rigorous approach to statistical analysis and its dramatic interpretation of data that doesn't appear to mean anything in particular, we look forward to the following headline:
In Virginia, high-capacity iPhone seizures rise
IPHONES INTROUCED IN '07
Flash drive capacity tracked by police.
---
Link to Part I article: http://tinyurl.com/28ebyzt
**************************************************20. Tucson shooting spotlights US shift on gun control**************************************************
James D Durso emailed me this:
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=46rom The Christian Science Monitor: http://tinyurl.com/62x2sse
By Patrik JonssonJanuary 24, 2011
Atlanta - Far from launching a flurry of comprehensive gun-control bills in Congress and statehouses, the Jan. 8 mass shooting in Tucson, Ariz., has instead only emphasized how entrenched gun rights have become in America during the past 20 years.
The 1994 ban on assault weapons which has since lapsed remains the last major piece of gun-control legislation passed by Congress. While a number of gun-control measures are now being proposed on Capitol Hill in the aftermath of the attack on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D) of Arizona, none is sweeping and each could well fail.
Meanwhile, states are actively expanding gun rights. Even in the days after the Tucson attack, Arizona legislators moved forward with a plan to allow guns on college campuses.
The national recalibration on gun control comes as Americans' interpretation of the Second Amendment has shifted embracing the right to "keep and bear arms" as a fundamental expression of individual rights. Within conservative groups like the tea party, gun rights has become a primary symbol of the pushback against the steady expansion of the federal government's purview.
This has helped gun-rights advocates maintain their momentum despite other mass shootings, such as the ones at Virginia Tech in 2007 and at Columbine High School in 1999.
Yet polls suggest that support for gun rights is not absolute. Even gun owners support certain gun-control measures, such as increasing the amount of information fed into the federal background-check database.
As it considers new gun-control measures post-Tucson, Congress is seeking to find where, exactly, that balance now lies.
Gun-support "polls have dipped a blip after Virginia Tech or Columbine, but the long-term trend is still one that's fundamentally moving toward less support for gun control and more support for gun rights," says Charles Franklin, a pollster at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. "Now, if you phrase questions about extreme forms of gun rights automatic weapons or open carry the support is shakier."
A recent poll, jointly conducted by Democratic polling firm Momentum Analysis and Republican firm American Viewpoint, points to where gun-control laws might be successful.
Some 85 percent of gun owners (and 89 percent of Americans) would endorse a bill to require background checks for all guns sold at gun shows. An even larger share of gun owners 90 percent would support a bill to beef up background-check databases to better prevent the mentally ill and drug abusers from buying guns.
Members of Congress seeking to increase gun control are similarly aiming at niche issues. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D) of New York wants to ban extended magazines like the ones used in the Tucson shooting. Sen. Charles Schumer (D) of New York wants the federal background-check database to include people rejected by the military for drug use a measure that would have prevented Tucson suspect Jared Lee Loughner from buying a gun legally.
But larger gun-control priorities have mostly been abandoned. President Obama came into office promising to restore the assault-weapons ban. He has instead signed two gun-rights laws, allowing licensed guns on Amtrak trains and in national parks.
"You have to pick your fights, and I think [Obama] just decided [gun control] was a losing battle," Rep. James Moran (D) of Virginia told The Hill newspaper recently.
The Arizona shootings provided no boost for gun-control advocates. Only 1 in 5 Americans believes stricter gun laws could have prevented the shooting, Gallup reported.
At the state level, gun laws are expanding. For instance:
Bills have been filed in the Texas Legislature to allow college students and professors to carry guns on campus.
Florida state Rep. Jose Diaz (R) proposed a bill that would waive roadblocks for Floridians buying guns in Georgia and Alabama. Also in Florida, Republican lawmakers filed a bill that would prohibit doctors and their staff from asking patients if they own guns.
In Wisconsin, momentum is building under newly elected Republican Gov. Scott Walker to end the state's ban on concealed weapons. Wisconsin, Illinois, and the District of Columbia are the only states and federal jurisdictions that currently have such a ban.
Arizona's pro-gun legislature is also expected to take up debate on two bills filed before the Tucson shooting, including one that would allow gun owners to display a weapon in self-defense.
In Virginia, the legislature is on track to address a number of gun-rights bills, including a proposal to end Sunday hunting bans and a reciprocity law that would force the state to honor concealed-carry permits from other states.
Indeed, state expansion of gun-carry rights has become the norm. The number of states that automatically issue concealed-weapons permits after a background check has gone from nine in 1980 to 37 today. Twenty-four states allow people to openly carry guns, 11 of which require no permit to do so. And 25 states now have "castle doctrine" laws that protect homeowners from the legal ramifications of shooting intruders on their property.
"The pro-gun, pro-Second Amendment [set] has won the day in the court of public opinion," says Mr. Franklin. "There's zero evidence, at this point, that shootings and mass killings have had any real effect on that."
The National Rifle Association (NRA) has played its part in promoting gun rights. Observers say it has consistently stoked fears among its members that Democratic administrations intend to curtail Second Amendment rights. President Wayne LaPierre famously said at a Phoenix convention in 2009, "The people with the guns make the rules."
The NRA's growing political clout is witnessed by the speaker list at its last two annual conventions. It included Sarah Palin, presumed 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney, then-Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, and Republican Governors Association head Haley Barbour of Mississippi.
Yet, in many ways, the NRA is merely seeking to corral a grass-roots revolt.. Through the blogosphere and talk radio, gun-rights advocates have returned the gun-rights movement to its Second Amendment core: that gun rights are a bulwark against the perceived expansion of government power =CB=9A a basic tenet of America's unique tradition of rugged individualism.
"The gun has become the symbol of the conservative vision of freedom," Joan Burbick, author of "Gun Show Nation: Gun Culture and American Democracy," told the Monitor in 2009.
At a pro-gun rally at the Virginia capitol on Jan. 17, gun-toting protester D.J. Dorer told The Associated Press that incidents like the Tucson shooting should not be used as an excuse for "destroying the Constitution."
To some, such as the liberal filmmaker Michael Moore, such reactions are evidence of national paranoia, rooted in irrational fears of minorities and a predilection for violence. "[We're] a nation that invades other countries, that has a huge weapons budget, seems so intent on violence being the answer, and I think that's the thing we want to dance around," he told MSNBC's Rachel Maddow after the Tucson shootings.
But evidence that guns promote violence is mixed. Only 1 percent of gun deaths come from people protecting themselves from attack, according to a 2009 study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
During an assault, the same study found, a victim with a gun is 4-1/2 times more likely to get shot than an unarmed one. In all, 100,000 people are injured or killed by gunfire every year in the US, and the gun-homicide rate here is 20 times higher than it is in most other developed countries.
Yet Arizona, which more than any other state, perhaps, embodies America's Old West credo, has less gun violence per capita than does Washington, D.C., where guns are far more restricted.
The next frontier for gun-rights advocates is "open carry," epitomized last year by protests in which permitted gun owners carried firearms in plain view at Starbucks coffee shops. But the gun-rights community is split over the issue, keenly aware that a misreading of the American public's view of the Second Amendment could backfire.
"The idea that we should look like the Old West, with everybody carrying a pistol on their hip, that's where public opinion is not yet clearly ready to go," says Franklin. "Open carry is out there on the frontiers and it's not clear [gun-rights advocates] have won the public on that issue."
**************************************************21. Gun laws were tougher in old Tombstone**************************************************
EM Sandy Ferris emailed me this:
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=46rom The Los Angeles Times: http://tinyurl.com/6y6qjrr
By Bob DroginJanuary 23, 2011
Reporting from Tombstone, Ariz. A billboard just outside this Old West town promises "Gunfights Daily!" and tourists line up each afternoon to watch costumed cowboys and lawmen reenact the bloody gunfight at the OK Corral with blazing six-shooters.
But as with much of the Wild West, myth has replaced history. The 1881 shootout took place in a narrow alley, not at the corral. Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday weren't seen as heroic until later; they were initially charged with murder.
And one fact is usually ignored: Back then, Tombstone had far stricter gun control than it does today. In fact, the American West's most infamous gun battle erupted when the marshal tried to enforce a local ordinance that barred carrying firearms in public. A judge had fined one of the victims $25 earlier that day for packing a pistol.
"You could wear your gun into town, but you had to check it at the sheriff's office or the Grand Hotel, and you couldn't pick it up again until you were leaving town," said Bob Boze Bell, executive editor of True West Magazine, which celebrates the Old West. "It was an effort to control the violence.."
A national debate over gun control has flared since a gunman killed six people and wounded 13 others, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, two weeks ago in Tucson. The suspect, Jared Lee Loughner, is accused of firing 31 shots from a Glock semiautomatic pistol with a high-capacity ammunition magazine.
Hours after the rampage, Pima County Sheriff Clarence W. Dupnik appeared to partly blame Arizona's lax gun laws for the violence, saying he opposed "letting everybody in the state carry weapons under any circumstances that they want, and that's almost where we are."
"I think we're the Tombstone of the United States of America," he declared.
Dupnik's dig didn't go down well here.
Deep in the desert southeast of Tucson, Tombstone is tucked in a sere landscape of gullies and gulches, sagebrush and sorrel. About 1,500 people call it home, though the population swells each day as tourists clomp down wooden sidewalks, munch buffalo burgers and shop for cowboy kitsch.
Dupnik has "bank robberies and murders every week up there," fired back Ben Traywick, 83, a Tombstone historian who keeps a pistol on his desk and a shotgun nearby. "And he's bad-mouthing us? If you wanted to commit a crime, would you go to a town where everyone carries a gun? We have no crime."
But that's another Tombstone myth.
Local crime is low by big-city standards. But given the size of its population, with two rapes and 10 assaults in 2009, the last year for which figures are available, the town's violent-crime rate was higher than the state's average on a statistical basis. Similarly, with 88 crimes total, the town's crime index per 100,000 was higher than the national average, 475.5 compared with 319.2.
Arizona's gun laws are among the most lenient in the nation. Under legislation passed last year, guns are permitted almost everywhere in the state except doctors' offices and some businesses. It is one of three states, along with Alaska and Vermont, that allow people 21 or older to carry concealed weapons without a permit. Concealed guns may be carried into bars as long as the gun owner isn't drinking, and guns are permitted on school grounds as long as the weapon is unloaded and the owner remains in a vehicle.
Any law-abiding citizen 18 or older may buy or possess a rifle or shotgun. To buy a handgun, federal law requires a minimum age of 21. Firearms may be sold 14 hours a day, seven days a week, except Christmas.
Arizona's love of guns is rooted in its rugged rural history and enshrined in the state's constitution, drafted in 1910. "The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself or the state shall not be impaired," it reads. The state celebrates its independent spirit and a culture of individual rights and distrust of government.
Given its lurid past, Tombstone may not be a typical community. But it provides vivid evidence of what state law allows in practice.
"In this town, pretty much everyone carries a gun," said John Wiest, 65, a storekeeper who patted a Ruger semiautomatic pistol on his side.
"I carry it into the bank when I go in to make a deposit each morning," said Dave Ericson, 60, a California native who moved here last year and wears a working reproduction of an 1873 Colt Peacemaker in a hand-tooled holster on his hip. "No one even looks up."
A few shops and restaurants in the historic district, including Big Nose Kate's Saloon, remain true to the Old West gun ordinances that were common on the frontier and have posted "No Weapons Allowed" on their doors. A block away, the OK Corral gunfight site similarly bars anyone from bringing a real gun to the fake gunfight.
Still, many here view the idea of gun control even restricting sales of the extended-ammunition magazine used in the Tucson shootings as little better than cattle-rustling.
"Once you take something away, it's just a foot in the door," said G.T. Amell, 64, who retired here from North Carolina and who wore a leather-fringe jacket and a handlebar mustache. The Tucson killer, he said, "is just one nut in 310 million people. It's just going to happen."
Out on Boot Hill, where rocky graves still mark the remains of the three men killed in the 1881 shootout, as well as others who were shot, stabbed, hanged and, in one case, "taken from the county jail and lynched," Janet Presser, a 47-year-old Nevada visitor, was also skeptical of curbing gun sales.
"My view is any kind of rule limiting guns only limits honest people from getting weapons," she said, snapping photos of Tombstone's tombstones.
In its heyday, Tombstone was a rough-and-tumble silver mining town with more than its share of saloons, gambling dens and prostitutes, then known euphemistically as "soiled doves." But so were lots of other Old West settlements.
So what made it famous? On Oct. 26, 1881, the three Earp brothers and Doc Holliday faced off against four supposed desperadoes in a 15-foot-wide alley between two buildings a block from the OK Corral. "We have come to disarm you," warned Virgil Earp, the marshal, seeking to enforce the town gun ordinance. It was never clear who fired first, but when the dust cleared, three of the cowboys lay dead and their leader, Ike Clanton, had run away.
The gunfight was little known until the 1920s, when a pulp novelist dubbed it the "Gunfight at the OK Corral" and Hollywood turned it into a symbol of the Wild West. That too was a kind of myth.
"Believe it or not, Tombstone had one of the few stand-up fights where men squared off and just shot it out," said Marshall Trimble, Arizona's state historian. "That kind of thing was really rare. Also, it was named Tombstone.. If they had fought it out in Bisbee or Benson, we might never have heard of it."
**************************************************22. The perfect living definition of a hero**************************************************
Howard Roland emailed me this:
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Philip,
You know.... it's funny, the stories never seem to change much, just the names of the people and names of the town.
Howard
=46rom 11alive.com (WXIA): http://tinyurl.com/4j8mlcq
By Kevin RowsonJanuary 18, 2011
STONE MOUNTAIN, GA -- Every once in a while a hero steps into someone's life. One stepped into Heather Kloer's life on January 6th. It happened in the parking lot of an Office Depot on Memorial Drive in Stone Mountain. Kloer was walking to her car when she was approached by a man with a knife.
She is alive to talk about it because of a knight in shining armor that came to her aid. "He is my hero," Kloer said. "Talk about a perfect, living definition of a hero."
She is talking about Rob Strickland of Stone Mountain. Strickland owns Strickland Security & Safety Solutions, a security and safety company. He is trained and licensed to carry a gun.
Kloer said a young man approached her and asked her if he could use her phone. She said she knew right away something was wrong. "He said look here, I've got a knife and I'm going to kill you," she said. But Kloer didn't believe him. "I looked at him and said, you do not have a knife, get away from me, get away from me right now."
Kloer said the suspect pushed her into her car and tried to get in. She made the decision that if the suspect got in her car she would never survive. "So I started kicking at his face and his head as hard as I could," she said. "And I started screaming and he got really mad at that and he reached in and he socked me in the face."
Someone heard her screams. "Her screams brought a sense to me that I needed to do something," said Strickland. He was pulling into the parking lot when he saw the suspect force Kloer into her car.
Strickland rushed to her aid with his gun. "And I had the gun in a holding position yelling at him to get out of the car and stop," he said. Strickland said he was able to get the suspect on the ground and hold him until DeKalb County Police arrived. Alex Taylor, age 20, of Tallahassee, Florida was charged with armed robbery and aggravated assault.
Strickland said it was all a blur at first. "But when I saw her face and she came over, we hugged and we cried for a few minutes together, and she was just so thankful," he said.
Kloer said the timing of Strickland's arrival was too coincidental. "He is an angel, a guardian angel," she said.
Strickland said he had no choice but to react the way he did. "That could have been my wife," he said. "It could have been my daughter, my mother, and when I saw Heather, I saw every face related to me."
"He lived it, he walked the talk, and I will be forever grateful, Kloer said. "Every day of my life I will pray for him and his family."
Strickland said the lesson people should learn from what happened is that we all need to get involved. Those are words from the mouth of a hero.
**************************************************23. WaPo inflames with biased reporting of MPPS #1 hearing**************************************************
VCDL EM Hal Macklin emailed me this:
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Freddy Kunkle refers to Dennis O'Connor as "a member of the public who was carrying a handgun and two extra ammo clips on his hip" -- implies Dennis was intimidating.
Also mentioned that Josh Horwitz actually claimed that gun owners have intentionally threatened or intimidated him by brandishing their arms.
=46rom The Washington Post: http://tinyurl.com/4gcbhaa
By Freddy KunkleJanuary 27, 2011
[SNIP]
"Passing this law will make everybody in this building safer," Hope said. He proposed that those who were carrying handguns legally to check them in lockers outside. He also said he had sponsored the bill before the mass shooting in Tucson that killed six, wounded others, and gravely injured Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
Josh Horwitz, executive director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, told the panel that a ban would not affect gun owners' rights. And he said it might make gun control advocates more comfortable exercising their rights in the Capitol. ***He told how some gun owners have flashed their weapons at him, evidently in an attempt to intimidate him***.
....
At one point, a member of the public who was carrying a handgun and two extra ammo clips on his hip stood to speak against the bill. Hope, who was seated about two feet away, turned to listen, his eyes ticking between the gun and the man's face.
"I knew this would be an uphill battle," Hope said afterward. "I just think it's something that has to be done. You don't know who's coming through the door."
==================
More on Josh:
"Churches The Next Battleground In Post-Tucson Gun Rights Debate"
http://tinyurl.com/5r3wr99
[SNIP]
The shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and 18 others in Tucson nearly three weeks ago may have seemed like the sort of incident that would incite a push for stronger gun-control laws. But in certain parts of the country it's had just the opposite effect, inspiring increased sales of firearms and new legislative efforts to expand gun rights.
....
"This just goes back to the 'guns at any time, anywhere and by any person' mentality," said Josh Horwitz, executive director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. "It's what seems to be sweeping some legislatures. The perceived power of the N.R.A has made some legislatures goes[sic] crazy ... I'm not sure who wants it or who thinks church is dangerous. BUT THE POINT IS TO NORMALIZE THE CARRYING OF GUNS IN AMERICA."
The common thread, as Horwitz notes, is the belief that the best antidote to gun violence is gun ownership and, more broadly, that the Obama administration is hell-bent on restricting Second Amendment rights. The latter point has been disproved over time. And despite some anecdotal evidence to the contrary, gun-control advocates argue that the former point is also based on a dubious proposition.
**************************************************24. Impose limits on high-capacity ammunition clips**************************************************
Dana Reynolds emailed me this. Not mentioned by the Virginian-Pilot is that the very long 32 round magazine used in Arizona gave one of the intended victims a chance to grab it. She would never have had that chance with a 10 round magazine.
I wonder if the Pilot would want a law only allowing cars to have 5 gallon fuel tanks or have their engines limited to 55 miles per hour? Might save some lives and would slow criminals fleeing from state to state because they would have to re-fuel much more often?
--
=46rom The Virginian-Pilot: http://tinyurl.com/47wj9ub
January 28, 2011
In its landmark rulings in the Heller and McDonald cases, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed Americans' right to bear arms but noted it was not "a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose."
Instead, the court's majority said, the right to bear arms could be limited under certain circumstances, particularly when the safety of the public is at risk.
It's not clear what kind of new "reasonable regulations" might be upheld by the court, but a proposed law before Congress aimed at protecting the public certainly seems like it would pass muster.
New York Rep. Carolyn McCarthy has introduced a bill that would ban high-capacity ammunition magazines like the one used in the recent deadly shooting in Tucson. She has offered similar legislation, without success, in years past.
Her proposal makes sense, and not just because she has been directly affected by the equipment she wants to ban. McCarthy's husband was among six killed in 1993 when a gunman armed with a semiautomatic pistol and 15-round magazines opened fire. He was finally stopped as he tried to reload.
The federal ban on assault weapons, which took place a year later, outlawed the manufacture of magazines that held more than 10 rounds. Here in Virginia, the magazines have been used in dozens of fatal shootings. But during the decade-long ban, the number of high-capacity magazines seized by police dropped significantly, according to a Washington Post report this week.
The trend reversed in 2004, when the ban expired, and ever since, police have increasingly found the high-capacity magazines on the street. In 2009, the last full year in which data were available, officers confiscated more of the magazines than they did in 1994.
Those figures argue the ban may have been effective after all, despite gun rights proponents' claims to the contrary.
Of course, no law will stop a criminal intent on committing an illegal act. In the case of the Tucson shooting, a ban on high-capacity magazines likely wouldn't have stopped the gunman from shooting at his intended target, Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
But just one high-capacity magazine allowed him to fire 31 shots, killing six and wounding 13, including Giffords, before he stopped to reload. It was only then that bystanders were able to tackle him and end the rampage.
If high-capacity magazines had been banned, the suspect, Jared Loughner, wouldn't have been able to buy one at the sporting goods store where he bought his Glock 9 mm in November. And if he had needed to reload after 10 shots instead of 31, bystanders would have had the chance to stop the shooting much earlier.
McCarthy's proposal seeks to ensure that gunmen aren't able to fire dozens of shots uninterrupted. It doesn't infringe on Americans' right to bear arms, but it certainly restricts their access to weapons that facilitate mass killing.
Sounds reasonable.
**************************************************25. Summary of Maryland gun bills for 2011**************************************************
Maryland Shall Issue emailed me this:
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=46rom The Maryland General Assembly: http://tinyurl.com/6ja5fdc
**************************************************26. Delegate wants to allow MD neighbors with gun permits to bear arms here **************************************************
VCDL Board Member Bruce Jackson emailed me this:
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=46rom CityBizList Baltimore: http://tinyurl.com/4zneb9y
January 26, 2011
Del. Michael Smigiel wants people who have been issued a permit to carry a firearm in Maryland's border states to have the Second Amendment right to carry them here.
But the Maryland State Police, which handles gun permit requests, vehemently opposes Smigiel's proposed legislation.
At Tuesday's hearing in the House Judiciary Committee, Smigiel, R-Cecil County, and supporters presented his bill that would allow people who have been issued permits, including concealed-carry permitted in Delaware, Pennsylvania and Virginia, to carry guns into Maryland.Smigiel said voting against the bill would violate the oath of office legislators take.
"When we tell people who have been vetted in their states that they don't have the right to exercise the Second Amendment, we are violating our oath that we took to uphold that constitution, to uphold Maryland's constitution," Smigiel said.
The residents of Maryland's border states have the ability to carry firearms, and will not travel to Maryland if they feel their right to keep and bear arms is being taken away from them once they cross state lines, Smigiel said.
"Why would we infringe upon of the rights of those of our neighbors?" he asked
Not everyone at the hearing took as literal of an approach to the Second Amendment as Smigiel.
"My awareness of the Supreme Court's ruling on the interpretation of the Second Amendment, the ruling has not been as definitive as you might indicate," Maryland State Police Lt. Jerry Beason said. He added that the court has allowed states the freedom to decide how they administer the amendment.
The State Police oppose the bill because of the varying standards for permit approval between the states, Beason said. Maryland conducts a more comprehensive background check than Pennsylvania, Virginia or Delaware.
Virginia doesn't require fingerprints for its applications, while Maryland and Delaware do. Pennsylvania doesn't require a picture on its application, something that both Maryland and Delaware require.
Maryland also requires that every applicant demonstrates a "good and substantial reason" for his or her request - something that proved to be a point of contention during the meeting since no one had a definition for the term.
Since the definition for "good and substantial" has not been legislated, the 3-man gun-permit unit has to use court decisions when make its decisions, State Police Cpl. Aaron Knaub said.
"We try to handle these as consistently as possible across the board because no two people are the same, Knaub said.
Smigiel said he has persistently asked the police for a definition for good and substantial reason, but they won't define it.
During the State Police's presentation, Smigiel asked Judiciary Chairman Joseph Vallario-D Prince George's, if there was a definition for the term and was told there wasn't one.
"If that was defined for us as good and substantial reason by you all, then that would make our lives easier as well," Knaub said.
"Do the Maryland State Police accept the Constitution and the Bill of Rights as a good and substantial reason?" Smigiel asked. He said he listed the Second Amendment as his reason for wanting a permit, and was told it wasn't a good and substantial reason.
"I would just like everybody here and everybody viewing to know that in fact the Maryland State Police do not accept the Constitution or the Bill of Rights Second Amendment as a good and substantial reason," Smiegiel said.
"How you're applying the second amendment is not necessarily how the Supreme Court has looked at it," Knaub fired back.
The police have asked for guidance in defining the term, Beason said.
The more than 10 people who turned out in support of the bill said it has as much to do with trust as anything else.
Dr. Ray Miller said he got his permit in Florida and to do so he had to undergo mental and physical evaluations as well as legal training, in addition to other requirements. Because he completed the training, 32 states believe believe him to be "an honest, law-abiding citizen with a squeaky clean record."
"But not the state of Maryland," he said. "That's one of the few states, my own state, that doesn't trust me when 32 others do."
"I believe it's a matter of the government trusting its citizenry," Maryland resident Scott Miller said about states that have liberal gun laws.
Four people, including the Rev. Madeleine Beard from the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, came to the hearing to oppose the bill.
**************************************************27. Lawsuit challenges W.Va. city gun laws**************************************************
The West Virginia Citizens Defense League is making some legal waves in their state!
VCDL Board Member Bruce Jackson emailed me this:
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=46rom necn.com: http://tinyurl.com/669zsjq
January 24, 2011
CHARLESTON, W.Va.(AP) A pro-gun lobbying group sued Monday to overturn gun-control laws in Charleston, South Charleston, Dunbar and Martinsburg.
The first lawsuit filed by the West Virginia Citizens Defense League, several members and a gun dealer challenges prohibitions against carrying firearms on the cities' property. It also challenges Charleston's limits on the number of handguns a person can buy in a month and prohibitions on selling firearms to people who've been treated for mental illness or charged with crimes.
A second lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Martinsburg challenges that city's ban on guns in city buildings.
Lawyer James Mullins said the group wants to vindicate people's right to carry firearms.
"No criminal or deranged lunatic is going to be deterred from committing a crime on public property by the prospect of a whopping 30 extra days in jail for violating a municipal ordinance," Mullins said in a statement. "Neither will a criminal wait while his intended victim goes through the 3-day waiting period Charleston imposes on buying a handgun."
Charleston Mayor Danny Jones promised to fight the lawsuit. Jones was named a defendant in the lawsuit, along with the mayors of Dunbar and South Charleston. Neither man had immediate comment.
A message left with the mayor of Martinsburg was not immediately returned.
Jones noted the lawsuit was filed in the Charleston federal courthouse where firearms are prohibited.
"All we want is what they have. We want to be able to control our own property," Jones said. "I don't know how far these people want to go."
Prospects for challenging local gun control ordinances got a boost last year when the U.S. Supreme Court held that Americans have the right to own a gun for self-defense anywhere they live. The ruling overturned Chicago's blanket ban on handguns.
The court made it clear in that decision that prohibiting felons and the mentally ill from having firearms and barring guns from schools and government buildings were OK. The same was true of laws imposing conditions and qualifications on sales, according to the decision.
The lawsuit contends that Charleston's law bars the plaintiffs from carrying guns at the city's civic center and various city parking garages, which the lawsuit calls "non-sensitive locations." The ban violates the 2nd and 14th Amendments to the Constitution, according to the lawsuit.
**************************************************28. Detroit's police chief releases video of shootout at police station
**************************************************
Tommy Carroll emailed me this. Took a while for the bad guy to die after being shot. One officer was damned lucky he wasn't blown away toward the end before an earlier shot took effect.
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=46rom brightcove.com: http://tinyurl.com/4qn9end
**************************************************29. BATFE to study importability of certain shotguns**************************************************
A VCDL member emailed me this:
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Sir,
I saw this on a forum last night. It appears that BATFE is doing a study on the importation of certain shotguns, with the apparent intention of banning the importation of shotguns not suited for sporting purposes. They are considering "evil characteristics" such as collapsible stocks, box-fed magazines, accessory rails, etc. They seem to be going after Russian Saiga shotguns in particular, though they do not say so. These shotguns have become popular for self/home defense and for sporting competitions such as shotgun combat shooting, 3-Gun shooting, etc.
I suggest that VCDL members might be interested in this issue, and might want to submit reasoned, well-thought-out opinions to BATFE.
A discussion of this issue can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/4c4rhe2
=46rom atf.gov: http://tinyurl.com/69c6og7 (PDF 1.3Mb)
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02/05/11 - VCDL Update 2/5/11
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