Not Now, Eric: Barack Hussein Obama's Attorney General Eric Holder naively blurted out the other day that he was going to lead the charge to get the so-called "Assault Weapons Ban" reinstated... Attorney General Holder's main argument? To help the Mexican government fight drug cartels... Holder's rookie presentation came off so lame and fundamentally misdirected that many Liberals in Congress must have cringed and gritted their teeth. So... the very next day, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi completely refuted Holder's plan! It was an intriguing slap on the wrist for Holder, and perhaps a valuable insight for American gun owners. Pelosi's implied message to Holder was: "Not now, Eric. The time is not yet ripe." Friends, you must understand that the victim disarmament crowd absolutely MUST have another Columbine or Stockton Schoolyard or shopping mall semi-automatic RIFLE massacre to grease the skids of their agenda. As I've said before: They don't want the handguns nearly as fervently as they want the semi-auto rifles... http://www.jpfo.org/kirby/kirby-not-now.htm --- Don't Confuse Me with Facts: ...In truth, Mexican violence is perpetrated not by semi-automatic "assault weapons" but instead by real military arms. Says a State Department travel warning: "Some recent Mexican army and police confrontations with drug cartels have resembled small-unit combat, with cartels employing automatic weapons and grenades." "Automatic weapons" (i.e. machine guns) and grenades have been restricted in the U.S. since 1934. That Mexican authorities refuse to release serial numbers of seized guns suggests that rather than coming from the U.S., guns - and smugglers themselves - hail from the Mexican military. Equally noteworthy is a Bureau of Justice Statistics report entitled "Firearm Use by Offenders" which found that only 1.7% of armed criminals in the U.S. used military-style semi-automatic firearms while committing crimes, meaning no domestic rationale can be found for banning them... (Even is military-banning seizing them for the law-abiding.) http://www.examiner.com/x-2698-Charlotte-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m3d2-Eric-Holders-sour-note-on-assault-weapons --- What Has This Guy Been Smoking?: ...Attorney General Eric Holder is discussing reinstituting the ban on assault weapons, and with good reason. On the Mexican border, law enforcement agencies are dealing with a spillover of violence spreading north because of warring drug cartels. Assault weapons are typically part of the deadly violence and as many as 6,500 people have been killed in 2008. If these weapons begin to increase in sales because gangstas are overwhelming Johnny Law we'll begin to see repeated scenes from No Country for Old Men. But with a collapsing economy, it likely won't stop at border towns as criminals will see opportunities to run guns into urban (and suburban) areas, much as they did during the 80s and early 90s at the height of the crack epidemic. And if you're thinking that your 12-gauge is any match for a Bushmaster M17s wielded by a dope dealer, think again! ... (So now the Mexican drug gangs will be delivering guns to American communities instead of buying them to take to Mexico? Which is it going to be?) http://www.blackvoices.com/blogs/2009/03/01/ban-on-assault-weapons-a-good-idea-for-gun-nuts/ --- What Will It Be in DC?: For the next three years, as many as 15 D.C. residents will enjoy a right denied their neighbors - the right to own recently banned semiautomatic weapons. A discrepancy between D.C. laws approved last year enabled the residents to register semiautomatic firearms now listed as illegal in the nation's capital. D.C. Attorney General Peter J. Nickles said roughly 15 weapons registered in the city "sit in this zone of uncertainty." The city's statutes now state residents must register their guns every three years. Mr. Nickles said those who have the semiautomatics will be prohibited from renewing their registrations, meaning the weapons would no longer be legal in the District. The loophole is the result of the District's repeated attempts to comply with the Supreme Court ruling in June that struck down the city's decades-old ban on handguns... (I think it would be more accurate to ascribe this situation to the District's attempts to circumvent the Supreme Court ruling.) http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/mar/03/loophole-lets-15-semiautomatics-in-dc-for-3-years/ --- DC Gun-Ban Repeal Faces House Fight: By a resounding vote of 62 to 36 last week, the U.S. Senate has approved an amendment, offered by Senator John Ensign of Nevada, to repeal the D.C. gun ban. Congratulations! But the battle is not over. This week, the House will take up the D.C. voting legislation. And anti-gun Speaker Nancy Pelosi is angling to impose a "gag rule" on the House, so that D.C. gets its unconstitutional representative, while continuing its draconian anti-gun laws (like microstamping). So here's the deal: The House will be asked to consider a "rule" which establishes the time for debate and provides for which amendments may be considered - and which may not. It is expected that the Pelosi rule will seek to deny the House any vote on the D.C. gun ban and thereby strip the repeal of the ban from the House bill... http://gunowners.org/a030209htm.htm --- The Beat Goes On: Tammy Wilson still has handguns for sale. But lately she's had trouble keeping them in stock. "Handguns are crazy right now," said Wilson, manager of Express Huntin' N Fishin', a sportsman's supply store in Sebastian. "A lot of them are on back order." The owners of many Treasure Coast gun and pawn shops say they've also seen a jump in gun sales, fueled by fears the new presidential administration will impose new regulations on gun ownership. The economy is also a factor, as homeowners arm themselves against a perceived spike in home break-ins tied to the rising unemployment rate... http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2009/mar/01/treasure-coast-gun-dealers-seeing-jump-sales/ --- Illinois CCW Debate Heats Up: Arguments are reaching a fever pitch in Illinois - and are being ratcheted up in other states - over gun rights, following last year's U.S. Supreme Court opinion in the Heller case that the Constitution does acknowledge an individual's right to be armed. Illinois is one of two states where carrying concealed weapons is banned outright, with Wisconsin being the other. But the Land of Lincoln soon could be joining 48 other states where the procedure is regulated but allowed. "I think it will reduce crime," St. Clair County Sheriff Mearl Justus, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He said he used to oppose concealed carry permits, but now supports the idea. "Forty-eight states can't be wrong," he told the newspaper. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=90486 http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2009/03/concealed-gun-r.html --- One in Four Tennessee Legislators Has Carry Permit: Tennesseans may want to treat their state legislators with a little more respect in the future: Records show one out of every four members of the Tennessee General Assembly has a state-issued permit to carry a loaded handgun. Thirty-four of the legislature's 132 members hold handgun-carry permits, according to Department of Safety records cross-referenced with other available information such as home addresses. That comes to 25.75 percent of the membership of the House and Senate, a figure about five times the percentage among the state's general population... (Apparently this information was available because the Tennessee legislature has not yet banned its public disclosure.) http://timesfreepress.com/news/2009/mar/01/1-4-state-legislators-holds-gun-permit/ --- Georgia Bill Would Delete Permit Requirement for Open Carry: Unlike most states, Georgia requires a permit to carry an unconcealed handgun. But now Georgia State Representative Tim Bearden (R - Carroll and Douglas Counties) seeks to change that by introducing HB 615. Already attracting 5 co-sponsors in the Georgia legislature, HB 615 does a number of things to comprehensively reform Georgia's onerous gun carry laws, but the centerpiece of the bill is Section 3 which repeals the requirement to have a permit to carry an unconcealed handgun. Bearden, a former police officer and rising star in the eyes of gun rights experts, has a good track record at getting good gun bills passed. Just last year this junior legislator's HB 89 repealed Georgia's gun carry bans in state parks, airports, as well as restaurants serving alcohol... http://www.examiner.com/x-2782-DC-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m3d2-Georgia-legislator-introduces-bill-to-repeal-permit-requirement-to-open-carry-handguns --- Utah Bill Would Decriminalize Vehicle Carry: A bill that would allow a law-abiding citizen to carry a loaded gun in a car - if that person owns the car or has permission from the owner - passed a House committee Monday. HB357, sponsored by Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, R-Orem, also makes it legal to have a loaded weapon in a home, which is currently against the law without a permit. The bill originally allowed a person to keep a loaded gun in a car's glove box or central console. But that provision was removed after resistance from state law-enforcement organizations. Sandstrom said the new version helped clarify what he called an ambiguous law... http://www.sltrib.com/ci_11820384 --- Olofson Awaits Appeal Decision: A Wisconsin man sent to prison for having a malfunctioning semi-automatic rifle is awaiting word from the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on whether he'll have to serve the rest of his 30-month term. Constitutional lawyer Herb Titus, who recently argued on behalf of David Olofson before the appellate judges, told WND a ruling is expected at any time, although there's no immediate deadline. The focal point of the case was the malfunctioning weapon, which Olofson had loaned to an acquaintance. The transaction prompted federal charges for transferring a "machine gun." According to the government, Titus said, "Olofson's malfunctioning semi-automatic rifle functioned as a machine gun because it fired more than one shot at the single pull of a trigger." ... http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=90583 --- Oops, Wrong House: A teenage boy was killed over the weekend during a gun fight inside a Western Heights home, according to Knoxville [TN] police. Jamodd Mack, age 16, was killed early Saturday morning after he and another person allegedly broke into the residence at 1304 Iredell Avenue by kicking in the door. Police say the teenager, who was carrying a gun, exchanged gunfire with a man inside the home. Mack was shot multiple times and died on the scene. The person who was accompanying Mack fled and is being sought by police. Officials say the investigation into the shooting is ongoing. http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=55187 -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .