Website Update: A few days ago I updated the Point Shooting page. Primarily a reorganization, to more closely reflect what I actually teach these days, I have also provided a better perspective on how I finally came about to teach this stuff. Included is a link to Mike Conti's excellent book Police Pistolcraft: The Reality-Based New Paradigm of Police Firearms Training, of which I only recently became aware. Mike played a crucial role in my re-evaluation of the role of point shooting, as I describe on the page. http://www.spw-duf.info/point.html --- States Challenging Feds over Gun Laws: A new Montana gun law puts the state at the forefront of a national bid to restore states' rights by attacking up to a century of federal court decisions on Washington's power. Two other states - Alaska and Texas - have had favorable votes on laws similar to Montana's, declaring that guns that stay within the state are none of the feds' business. More than a dozen others are considering such laws, and more-general declarations of state sovereignty have been introduced this year in more than 30 legislatures... "What's going on is that people all over the country have decided, 'Enough is enough,' " said Kevin Gutzman, a professor at Western Connecticut State University and the author of "Who Killed the Constitution?" "This is supposed to be a federal system, but instead Congress seems to think it can legislate anything it wants." ... http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jun/15/gun-law-challenges-federal-powers/ --- Capitalizing on Tragedy: Politics overwhelmed common sense in the aftermath of Wednesday's shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Less than two hours after the attack, gun-control groups were lobbying for strict new gun regulations to avoid more such tragedies. Gun control is not the solution and would not have prevented last week's carnage... A few facts are useful to dispel some gun-control myths. The District already bans civilians from carrying guns in public places. Wednesday's shooter, James W. von Brunn, is a convicted felon who spent more than five years in prison for, among other charges, attempted armed kidnapping of federal officials. Because he was a felon, it would be illegal for him to own a gun even if ordinary law-abiding citizens could. Mr. von Brunn broke numerous laws in the course of his rampage. Current gun regulations didn't stop the attack, and neither would new ones... http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jun/14/politicizing-tragedy/ --- Prior Restraints on Speech and Guns: We've seen how some would like to exploit the Holocaust Museum shooting to erode liberty. We've seen how some would like to enact preventive measures against what they perceive as "hate speech" to the point of rounding up it's "promoters." Which brings us to a question I said I'd explore today: At what point do others have a right to intervene with our freedom of expression? And what does that have to do with "gun rights"? ...The point being, you need to do the crime before you do the time. If you harass, intimidate or terrorize someone with menacing words or demeanor, or if what you say or write is false and done with malice or reckless disregard, you've got a world of hurt coming your way, and deservedly so. Like it or not, and those who would disregard it most certainly do not, the same holds true for the Second Amendment. You bet there are legitimate and just restraints that society can impose once you menace or harm someone, or otherwise prove yourself to be incompetent or untrustworthy. But until such time as you do, your right to keep and bear arms may not be infringed... http://www.examiner.com/x-1417-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m6d14-Prior-restraints-on-speech-and-guns-enable-tyranny --- Why Have We Stopped Talking about Car Violence?: Yesterday Columnist Bill Moyers, a senior writer at PBS, wrote a commentary in the wake of last week's crazy man's attack on the Holocaust Museum here in Washington, DC entitled "Why have we stopped talking about guns?" Moyers mounts the tragedy as if it were a literary tree stand to blast pretty much every group or politician who is not taking action to curtail gun rights. Moyer's double barreled shotgun blasts reached far and wide, attacking President Obama, the Congress, and even Virginia's Democratic nominee for Governor Creigh Deeds because deeds is "a man who supports allowing concealed weapons in restaurants that serve alcohol and opposes limiting handgun purchases to one a month." ... http://www.examiner.com/x-2782-DC-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m6d14-Why-have-we-stopped-talking-about-cars The Moyers Screed: http://www.consortiumnews.com/2009/061309a.html And From England...: These are baffling times on the front lines of America's great culture wars. Half a dozen states have now approved gay marriage, the very mention of which is anathema to social conservatives. In contrast, another great cause of conservatives - to make abortion illegal - seems to be making headway. In May, Gallup found that more Americans considered themselves pro-life than pro-choice, the first time this has happened since the polling organisation began asking the question in 1995. But on the third major battlefield, there is no doubt. More than ever, guns are in... http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/rupert-cornwell/rupert-cornwell-guns-still-control-the-ballot-box-in--the-age-of-obama-1704667.html --- And Then There Were Nine: In the famous Agatha Cristie novel And Then There Were None a group of people on an island mysteriously begins to die off due to accident or foul play. Thankfully, this is happening in real life today with state bans on carrying concealed handgun guns for lawful purposes in alcohol serving restaurants. Last year Georgia repealed its ban on concealed carry in restaurants, and today Tennessee's ban died as well after an historic veto override by the legislature. That means there are only 9 states left banning concealed carry in alcohol serving restaurants. And Virginia is widely expected next year to repeal there "restaurant ban" as its legislature has passed such legislation twice in the past 2 years only to be vetoed by Governor Kaine. Republican and Democratic party Gubernatorial nominees Bob McDonnell and Creigh Deeds both support repeal of the restaurant ban on concealed carry... (If a picture is worth a thousand words, click on the link to see the map. This issue is currently pending before the Arizona legislature.) http://www.examiner.com/x-2782-DC-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m6d14-And-then-there-were-nine --- AK-47 Was Smuggled Across Border: While President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton continuously blame America for the weapons in the hands of Mexican criminals - guns they claim are smuggled from the US into Mexico, the US Border Patrol sent a report to the National Association of Chiefs of Police that paints a different picture: Wednesday morning, US Border Patrol agents arrested a suspected robber on Otay Mountain, California. The suspect allegedly used an assault rifle to rob a group of illegal aliens. At around 4 AM (pt), Border Patrol agents observed a group of suspected illegal aliens about four miles east of the Otay Mesa port of entry and nearly 100 yards north of the International border. Agents encountered five Mexican nationals and discovered an AK-47 assault rifle with two full magazines lying nearby. Border Patrol agents were able to establish that the weapon belonged to a 17-year-old Mexican national who had just robbed the other members. Agents also determined that the bandit had an accomplice who ran back into Mexico armed with a handgun... http://www.examiner.com/x-2684-Law-Enforcement-Examiner~y2009m6d12-Border-Patrol-arrests-illegal-alien-with-AK47-coming-into-US --- The Beat Goes On: ...A Shillington resident, Korecky is worried that if he uses up his ammunition, he'll have a really hard time getting more. And he has reason to be concerned. Demand for ammo - particularly for handguns and rifles - is so strong that retailers can barely keep it in stock, and some are even resorting to rationing. Prices are skyrocketing, too. The start of the shortage can be traced back a few years, when military demand for ammunition was very high because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But the election of President Barack Obama has apparently worsened the situation, with fear spreading among firearms owners that his administration will pursue gun control measures, including a new ban on assault rifles. Post-election gun sales also are booming for that reason. The ammo pinch is affecting some police departments as well, creating longer delays for orders to be filled... http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/238809 --- Celebrity Gun Case Postponed: The weapons-possession case against the former New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress was adjourned on Monday until Sept. 23. Mr. Burress, 31, shot himself in the thigh with an unlicensed gun on Nov. 29 while in a Manhattan nightclub. He was charged with criminal possession of a weapon and faces up to 3½ years in prison. Judge Felicia A. Mennin of Manhattan Criminal Court adjourned the case until September, when it will be presented to a grand jury. Mr. Burress, who made a brief appearance before the judge on Monday, has pleaded not guilty and is free on $100,000 bail... The gun was registered in Florida, but not in New York, which does not recognize out-of-state gun permits. (To my knowledge, Florida has no registration of firearms but, as I recall, Burress had an expired Florida CWFL at the time of the incident.) http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/15/burress-gun-case-adjourned-until-september/ --- Can Peoria Help Legalize CCW in Illinois?: Three, maybe four times every year, Wolf Hollow Archery in Chillicothe hosts classes for local residents to get certified to carry a handgun when walking on the sidewalk, driving down the street, or going to the grocery store. At the most, the class has attracted 20 people. An instructor will guide the attendees through a daylong course in handgun laws, proper handling of a gun, and the locations where it's OK to possess a handgun. If they pass the course, attendees will get a permit valid to carry a concealed weapon in Utah. Derek Howald of Chillicothe has had his Utah permit for four years. It's reciprocal (that means it's a valid permit) in 29 other states. In Illinois, it's worthless.. The divisive statewide issue of concealed carry has gained a lot of attention in the Peoria area in recent weeks after Mayor Jim Ardis said he wants to see Peoria serve as a pilot city for some sort of responsible state law... Peoria serving as a test city for an Illinois concealed carry gun law is a unique idea and could potentially add another twist in the ongoing Chicago versus downstate debate on gun rights... http://www.pjstar.com/news/x952878219/How-long-a-shot-is-concealed-carry --- Oops, Wrong House: An Oakland, Tennessee man fatally shot an intruder trying to climb in his window early Monday morning. The incident occurred on the 400-block of Bell Grove Road. The homeowner heard what sounded like a knock on his window around 12:30am. When the noise grew, the homeowner found a neighbor, 32-year old Anthony Webb, breaking through his window with a rake. The homeowner tells FOX13 that he told the man repeatedly to stop, but Webb's reply was "What are you going to do?" The intruder was shot three times, and was declared dead upon arrival by local police. The homeowner also tells FOX13 that the intruder's father was a high school classmate of his. http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/dpp/news/local/060109_Oakland_Man_Fatally_Shoots_Intruder --- Bear Attacks on the Rise: Bobby Koger was deer hunting on a Kentucky hillside when a black bear gave him the fright of his life. A 300-pound animal, apparently unhappy that an intruder was on his turf, came charging and didn't stop until Koger raised his .50 caliber muzzleloading rifle and fired from point-blank range. A hunting companion who witnessed the attack from a distance also shot the bruin, which wheeled, ran a short distance and collapsed... With black bear populations rising, run-ins have become almost commonplace - more than 15,000 in the past year in states east of the Mississippi River according to a survey of state wildlife agencies... The U.S. bear population more than doubled between 1989 and 2006, rising from 165,000 to over 350,000, according to The International Association of Bear Research and Management, a bear conservation nonprofit that takes a periodic census of the animals... (Yet the prohibitionists decry the forthcoming legalization of firearms in national parks. Personally, I add a six-shot .44 Special revolver when I hike in the woods with my dog - black beaer are fairly small around here.) http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090613/ap_on_re_us/us_bear_encounters --- H.L. Mencken on Firearm Prohibition: The eminent Nation announces with relish "the organization of a national committee of 100 to induce Congress to prohibit the inter-State traffic in revolvers," and offers the pious judgment that it is "a step forward." "Crime statistics," it appears, "show that 90% of the murders that take place are committed by the use of the pistol, and every year there are hundreds of cases of accidental homicide because somebody did not know that his revolver was loaded." The new law - or is it to be a constitutional amendment? - will do away with all that. "It will not be easy," of course, "to draw a law that will permit exceptions for public officers and bank guards" -- to say nothing of Prohibition agents and other such legalized murderers. "But soon even these officials may get on without revolvers." ... (This was written in 1935 and the essay is substantially longer than this opening paragraph.) http://www.tysknews.com/Depts/2nd_Amend/uplifters_try_it_again.htm -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .