No Surprise - Senate Confirms Sunstein: The U.S. Senate confirmed Cass R. Sunstein to a top federal regulatory post on Thursday over the objections of some conservative organizations and commentators who had sought to brand the prominent legal scholar and political theorist as a liberal extremist on animal rights, gun control, and other issues. The Senate voted 57 to 40 to confirm Mr. Sunstein as head of the White House's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs following eight months of debate over his writings as a professor of law at Harvard University and, before that, as a professor of law and political science at the University of Chicago. The Senate's confirmation followed a 63-to-35 vote Wednesday to preclude a potential filibuster over the matter. In deliberations leading up to Thursday's vote, it was clear that many senators remained strongly opposed to Mr. Sunstein's selection based on his past academic writings... http://chronicle.com/article/Cass-Sunstein-Is-Confirmed-to/48359/ --- Health Care Bill Could Fine Gun Owners up to $3,800: By now, members of Gun Owners of America should have received pre-written postcards opposing the anti-gun health care bills that are floating around on Capitol Hill. Please send in those postcards - as it's very important for legislative offices to see mounds of gun owners' mail being dumped on their desks! Now that Congress is back in session - and the President has given his televised push on health care - it is time for us to redouble our efforts... Every major health care bill being considered in Congress would require many (if not most) Americans to be covered by insurance policies written by the Obama administration - so-called ObamaCare. Among other things, ObamaCare will almost certainly require, by regulation, that all gun-related medical data be fed into a federal health database - pursuant to a $20 billion program Obama insisted be included in the $787 billion stimulus bill... Well, anti-gun Democrat Max Baucus (D-MT) has a question for you: "How would you like to pay a $3,800 a year fine?" That's right. In a legislative draft released this week, Baucus would fine you up to $3,800 for not buying precisely the insurance policy which Barack Obama orders you to buy... http://gunowners.org/a091009.htm --- DC Seeks Dismissal of CCW Suit: D.C. Attorney General Peter J. Nickles filed a motion in U.S. District Court Thursday to dismiss a lawsuit brought by four gun advocates who are seeking the right to carry their weapons outside their homes. Mr. Nickles argues that current city gun laws, which allow licensed gun owners to keep weapons in their homes for their personal protection, fall under the category of "reasonable restrictions" permitted by the court. The current laws were enacted after the Supreme Court struck down the District's decades-old gun ban in its June 2008 ruling on the District v. Heller case. "The District's regulation of handguns at issue here is squarely in the mainstream and eminently reasonable, minimally intruding on the right announced in Heller to bear arms for the protection of 'hearth and home,' while at the same time safeguarding public safety under traditional police powers," Mr. Nickles wrote... http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/sep/11/district-seeks-dismissal-of-gun-lawsuit/ http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dc/2009/09/nickles_responds_to_gun_suit.html --- Capitol Security: U.S. Capitol Police have arrested a Virginia man for purportedly trying to get into a secure area near the Capitol with a gun in his car as the president gave his health care address to Congress. Police spokeswoman Kimberly Schneider said Thursday that Joshua Bowman, 28, of Falls Church, Va., was arrested at about 8 p.m. Wednesday. Ms. Schneider said Mr. Bowman approached a security checkpoint near the Cannon House Office Building in a 4-door Honda Civic and told officers he wanted to park. People who want to get into the area must have a permit and have their vehicles searched. The timing of the request raised an officer's suspicion, Ms. Schneider said, and Mr. Bowman consented to a vehicle search. Ms. Schneider says a shotgun and ammunition were found in Mr. Bowman's trunk. She said Mr. Bowman was charged with having an unregistered firearm and ammunition. (Why would this system be compromised by licensed CCW?) http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/sep/10/police-man-gun-arrested-during-obama-address/ --- Investigate F Troop Corruption: On Monday, we asked if ATF could be reformed, and highlighted legislation supported by the National Rifle Association promising to do just that. On Tuesday, we checked in with Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership, which thinks the agency should be "booted," not made over. And yesterday, we heard from disgruntled ATF employees themselves, who have a list of grievances they want to see "cleaned up." All approaches have their critics. The reform effort is reacted to by some with derision - I've had comments posted dismissing it as "lipstick on a pig" and "rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic." The "boot" option is dismissed by those who don't see any chance of it happening. And ATF employees who wish to continue their work in a kinder, gentler environment are met by many with contempt, not sympathy. The agency, its activities and its history foster no goodwill among many gun rights activists, who would like to see ATF hirelings go into a different line of work altogether -and who would prefer to see some of them behind bars... http://www.examiner.com/x-1417-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m9d10-Demand-hearings-into-ATF-corruption-allegations --- The Beat Goes On: Whether it is the tough economy or the threat of stricter gun control, applications for concealed firearm permits are on the rise in St. George [UT]. President Barack Obama stated in an interview with NPR on Sept. 13, 2004, that he supports a federal ban on concealed firearm permits. Since being elected as the 44th president, requests for permits soared throughout the country. Sophomore Richard Jordan, an undecided major from Washington, said banning the permit to carry is unconstitutional and would eventually lead to government corruption and tyranny. "The Second Amendment states we as citizens have the right to keep and bear arms," Jordan said. "The founders of the Constitution knew very well that banning arms and allowing them only to the use of the government would give the government too much power over law abiding citizens." Another reason linked to the rise in applications for permits is the rise of crime in a sour economy... (Actually, I don't believe we have seen the anticipated rise in crime, possibly because of all the publicity about people arming against it.) http://sun.dixie.edu/index.php?pg=story&storyid=4222 --- Another Mayor Leaves Bloomberg Group: Last month, Buckeye Firearms Association broke the news that Village of Walton Hills, OH Mayor Marlene Anielski had submitted to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg her resignation from the gun control front group known as Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG). The news of Anielski's decision spread far and wide, and Anielski gave some high-profile interviews to further explain her motivations for the resignation. Today, we can report that yet another mayor has notified us of her decision to resign from Bloomberg's MAIG charade. Mayor Patricia J. Shontz, of Madiera Beach, FL, copied Buckeye Firearms Association on the following letter to Mayor Bloomberg... If your mayor is a member of MAIG, and/or if you'd like to help inform more MAIG members of the groups' true anti-rights nature, please contact them today! (Click here to download a letter the NRA provides to those who wish to contact their mayors.) http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/6869 --- Upstate New York Mayor Denies Membership in Bloomberg Group: Warsaw Mayor Ernie Wiggins wants to clear his name. Wednesday he said he is not a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition. Wiggins contacted the Times-Union Wednesday morning stating he received inquiries from local residents about whether or not he was a member of the coalition. He requested his secretary, Michelle Bormet, on his behalf Wednesday morning, to fill out information on the coalition's Web site to remove his name from the coalition membership and no longer send him e-mails or information. Wiggins' photo and name was on the site Wednesday, but was not on the site this morning. Bormet said she received a confirmation e-mail Wednesday afternoon from coalition officials stating Wiggins' name had been removed from the coalition membership list. "First of all, I respect anyone's right to own a gun, and I think it is within every citizen's right to do that, and I would never support anything that restricts that ability," Wiggins said... http://www.timesuniononline.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=224&ArticleID=42551 --- South Carolina Candidate Offers Firearm as Prize: Page One in Dean Allen's playbook "How to win public office in South Carolina": Give away a big gun. Page Two: Get your buddies together at the shooting range and throw a party. Unconventional? Yes, but Allen, of Greenville, is grabbing attention for a little-known statewide office, adjutant general. The adjutant general is in charge of the South Carolina's Army and Air National Guard, serves on the board of visitors for The Citadel and holds many other related responsibilities... Allen, also a Republican, will hold his "Machinegun Social" fundraiser from 1 to 5 p.m. Sept. 26 at Allen Arms Indoor Range, 1210 Poinsett Highway in Greenville. Allen is a combat veteran who served in Korea and Vietnam. The campaign will give away a $700 semi-automatic AK-47 after the event. To get a chance to win the gun, sign up for the free giveaway by filling out an entry form at Allen Arms (the owner is no relation to the candidate)... http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/sep/10/candidate-offering-chance-to-win-a-gun/ --- Attention Nevadans: The following is based on a mailing from Gun Owners of Nevada - The Nevada Sheriffs and Chiefs Association will hold its annual CCW forum Tuesday, September 15, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. The actual meeting will take place in Carson City, Legislative Building, Room 1214. It will be teleconferenced in Las Vegas at the Grant Sawyer Building, 555 E. Washington Avenue, Room 4401. This is the group that determines how Nevada's CCW law and many related firearm laws, including recognition of out-of-state permits, are interpreted. If you are unable to attend, you may e-mail questions and comments to unable to Frank at fadams@nvsca.com --- Oops, Wrong House, Tennessee Version: On Tuesday morning, 14-year-old Ta'veon Tashawn Mason should have been at his desk at Austin High School, but he and two friends skipped school. Police said the ninth-grader died in a Southwest Decatur backyard from a single gunshot wound. A press release said a resident shot him inside the house during a burglary at about 10:30 a.m. Noel Mclean at 1432 Fifth Ave. S.W. said he shot Mason. He said he was awakened by the intruders and he shot out of fear. Lt. Jonathan Green, public information officer, said Mason was one of three teen boys suspected in the break-in. Police said the trio broke a window at the back of the house and entered. "The homeowner was asleep inside and was awakened by the intruders," said Sgt. Rick Archer, supervisor of the Violent Crimes Unit. "He retrieved a handgun and confronted them." Archer said the man fired one shot, striking Mason, and the two other teens fled the house. Outside the home, a white sheet covered Mason's body as it lay in the grass near the window where police said the break-in occurred... http://www.decaturdaily.com/detail/42806.html --- Oops, Wrong House, Florida Version: The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office is investigating a late night shooting at a residence in the 1400 block of The 12th Fairway. A homeowner claims that two suspects broke into his residence just before 11:00 p.m. Thursday. One of the alleged intruders was shot during a struggle. The person who was shot ran away but later turned up at nearby Wellington Regional Medical Center. He was then transferred to the Delray Medical Center, where his condition is not known. The second suspect also fled, but remains at large despite a ground and air search. Friday afternoon the sheriff's office identified the homeowner as Jonathan A. Babilonia. (I'm sure that Mr. Babilonia appreciates having his name shared with the media.) http://www.wptv.com/mostpopular/story/Wellington-homeowner-shoots-intruder/d_T1H9bIB0Kfgmgfa8LIyQ.cspx --- Oops, Wrong Burglar: A Lithonia [GA] homeowner who shot a man who allegedly tried to burglarize his home will face charges. The shooting happened Thursday morning on Gadwall Circle in Lithonia. Police said it appeared that the suspect was outside of the house... The shooting happened Thursday morning when police said the burglar entered a house located a couple of doors down from where Thomas lives. Police said the unidentified homeowner interrupted the burglar and apparently shot him as he fled. DeKalb County police said the homeowner who shot the suspect was charged with aggravated assault because the shots were fired outside of the home... http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news/Homeowner_Charged_for_Shooting_Intruder_091009 --- Oops, Wrong Jewelry Store: A jewelry store owner who was faced with a man trying to rob him at gunpoint reached for his own gun and shot the suspect Wednesday. The suspect is believed to be from Zion. Kenosha Police Department officials said that two men with partially concealed faces entered the Jewelry Exchange at 2400 52nd St. around 12:30 p.m. and confronted the 55-year-old owner. Police said one suspect pointed a handgun at the owner, but the owner drew his own handgun from under the desk where he was sitting and shot the suspect once in the chest. The two men fled without taking anything. Police found the wounded suspect laying on the grass next to a curb on the 2400 block of 51st Street. He was conscious and there was a .44 magnum revolver on the ground next to him. He was taken to Kenosha Hospital and Medical Center where he was in stable condition. He was expected to undergo surgery, police said... http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/news/1762597,5_1_WA10_ZIONSHOT_S1-090910.article --- Rule Two Reminder: Lance Cpl. Patrick Malone was relaxing on his bunk at an Iraqi combat base when a direct superior interrupted his late-night movie. It was time for a game Marines sometimes play to build confidence in colleagues: Point a gun at a comrade and ask, "Do you trust me?" Cpl. Mathew Nelson raised his weapon - and the 9 mm pistol went off, striking Malone in the head. The higher-ranking Marine rushed to the wounded man's side and tried to perform CPR, but Malone was mortally wounded. The game, which has cropped up in barracks across Iraq and Afghanistan, is supposed to make a serviceman feel comfortable enough with a comrade that he would stare into the other Marine's gun barrel. But it violates the military's basic weapon-safety rules. "I can't believe the Marines, these professional soldiers, are playing these games," said Damian Malone, father of the slain 21-year-old... (Rule Two: Never let the muzzle cross anything you're not prepared to shoot.) http://townhall.com/news/us/2009/09/11/marines_take_risks_with_deadly_trust-building_game?page=full --- Kahr Offers Modified PM9: Kahr Arms is proud to introduce a new model of their popular PM9 pistol. The new model, available as the PM9193 and PM9193N, includes a loaded chamber indicator and external safety feature... The new model is designed to provide physical indication if there is a casing loaded in the chamber... When a shell casing is chambered the casing pushes the lever upward and out of position. The operator will visually see the lever as it is raised up... The new model has, in addition to the internal safety, an external safety that will prevent the firearm from firing when the safety is in safe position. The product has an external lever with two settings. When the lever is pushed up the red dot is visible; the firearm is in the armed position and ready to fire with the pull of the trigger... (It sounds as though these features may be intended to make the pistol California-compliant - not many other people see a need for a safety lever on a DAO pistol.) http://www.ammoland.com/2009/09/10/kahr-arms-pm9-pistol/ --- The Beat Goes On - in Afghanistan: The reliable measure of stability in many countries is the value of the currency or the price of equities, bread or fuel - but not in Afghanistan: here the key indicator that nearly every Afghan keeps tabs on is the price of a Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle. And the bad news is that the market is bullish. The stepped-up Taliban offensive and mounting discord over the outcome of last month's election have seen the price of a Chinese-made AK smuggled in from Pakistan rise to $400 from $150 in just three months. "People are arming themselves," a Western official in Kabul noted with alarm. The surge in the Kalashnikov Index is likely to be sustained by the results of the Aug. 20 elections, widely perceived by Afghans, diplomats and foreign observers as marred by fraud. Fictitious polling booths were set up, and in some places, vote riggers were so brazen they did not even bother to remove the individual ballots from the booklets in which they were printed before marking them... http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20090910/wl_time/08599192163300;_ylt=AuTVIOnfUbSnsFR6dYwohqQGw_IE;_ylu=X3oDMTJqc2FiMjNjBGFzc2V0A3RpbWUvMjAwOTA5MTAvMDg1OTkxOTIxNjMzMDAEY3BvcwM0BHBvcwM0BHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcmllcwRzbGsDZ3VucHJpY2Vzc29h -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .