The 2012 NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits will be an exciting weekend as thousands of NRA members will come together April 13 - 15 in St. Louis, Missouri. You can contribute to the success of our meeting by participating as an Annual Meeting Volunteer.
If you can spare a half-day or more while attending the St. Louis Annual Meeting, you can assist the NRA staff in making this year's Annual Meeting our best yet! You will find that to participate in the Annual Meeting as a volunteer is one of the most satisfying and enjoyable activities you will ever experience as an NRA member.
Volunteers are needed in a wide variety of activities including the NRA Store, Membership Services, the Airgun Range, Firearms Inspectors and many others. The store requires lots of manpower; especially needed are volunteers who have cashier experience. Membership Services is a busy place as many members renew or upgrade their memberships. And we will need many NRA-certified instructors to assist young people at the Airgun range. There are other jobs, too, and we can usually find one that you will enjoy.
For more information, contact Gayle Carter-Cook, Volunteer Coordinator, at 208-274-2670 or nravolunteer@gmail.com. ...
Read the whole story here from the NRA Annual Meeting website
Posted Thu Jan 26 17:06:03 CST 2012
Gary, Ind., Fast Food Worker’s Concealed Gun Helps Foil Robbery
GARY, Ind. (CBS) – The Indiana law that allows licensed residents to carry concealed firearms has apparently helped break up what could have been a bloody robbery.
As CBS2’s Mike Parker reports, Gary police said two armed men wearing ski masks burst into the Rally’s at Broadway and Washington on Jan. 11 and tried to rob the place.
During the attempted heist, one of the employees pulled out a gun he was carrying and shot one of the would-be thieves. They both took off and one of them collapsed and died outside the restaurant. ...
BREAKING: Issa demands access to another US Attorney in F&F probe
Congressman Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, is demanding that Attorney General Eric Holder make available for questioning a second U.S. attorney be “made available” for questioning in the committee’s probe of Operation Fast and Furious.
Issa wants to question Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Morrissey, who was under Cunningham’s supervision in Phoenix. ...
Read the whole story here Dave Workman Seattle Gun Rights Examiner
Posted Thu Jan 26 16:57:35 CST 2012
The Glock Family Feud A divorce by the patriarch of gunmaker Glock sparks a clash within his clan
A legal shootout has erupted within Austria’s wealthy Glock clan, makers of the well-known semiautomatic pistol of the same name. Sold to governments and civilians throughout the world—and used by two-thirds of U.S. police departments—the Glock handgun made its inventor, Gaston Glock, one of his country’s leading industrialists and a very rich man. Now Glock’s marriage to a woman 51 years his junior has ignited litigation and raised questions about the manufacturer’s future.
In December, Helga Glock, Gaston’s wife of 49 years until they divorced earlier in 2011, filed a civil lawsuit in an Austrian court seeking to regain a significant stake in the Glock corporate empire. She claims her stake was improperly shifted from her by advisers to her 82-year-old ex-husband. Helga, 71, alleges that the trouble began in October 2008, when Gaston suffered a stroke. One of his nurses, Kathrin Tschikof, “seemingly developed a close personal relationship” with the patient, the 58-page suit says. Soon, it adds, Helga was denied access to Gaston’s hospital room and then locked out of the family mansion. Helga claims it took her a year to recover her clothes and personal items from the lakeside villa in southern Austria. ...
Read the whole story here By Paul M. Barrett, Bloomberg.com
Posted Thu Jan 26 16:52:25 CST 2012
What NOT to expect from State of the Union message
An estimated 40 million Americans, including Washingtonians from Pend Oreille to Pacific Beach, will be viewing Tuesday evening when President Barack Obama delivers his third State of the Union address to Congress, and it is virtually guaranteed he will not mention gun rights or gun control, as that will open the Pandora’s Box of Operation Fast and Furious.
As Obama tries to make a case for his administration’s handling of the economy – an economy that has put millions of gun owners, along with a lot of other citizens, out of work or at least left them worse off than they were three years ago – he may once again try to blame Bush for the nation's economic woes. He will want to “tax the rich” so that they pay their “fair share” and redistribute their wealth to people who pay no taxes at all because they don't earn enough.
But he will avoid Fast and Furious like the plague on his presidency that it is. ...
The earthquake irony of ‘Taking the Fifth’ in Fast & Furious
Northwest gun rights activists are already talking about the revelation that Patrick Cunningham, chief of the criminal division of the U.S. Attorney’s office in Phoenix, will invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination during a deposition scheduled Tuesday with Congressional investigators.
There is no small mount of irony in this, since one suspects there may have been times in Mr. Cunningham’s career when, as a federal prosecutor, he suggested to a defendant that “If you have nothing to hide…” and so forth. ...
Read the whole story here by Dave Workman, Seattle Gun Rights Examiner
“I was like a kid in a candy store when I saw this. I wanted a pink gun,” said Stolfa-Kiper as she completed paperwork for the 12-ounce “Pink Lady” at Smiley’s Sports Shop in Bloomington.
Stolfa-Kiper, of Normal, is among several women who visit the store each month to purchase handguns for home protection. She also would like to carry the gun concealed, in public.
“I would love it if they passed concealed carry in Illinois. I hope I never have to use this...
Before students in Sue Darnall’s gun safety class learn how to load and fire a weapon they are given advice that could affect their decision to pull the trigger in a stressful situation.
“You have to answer the question: do I have it in me to take someone else’s life? We don’t know. We can train for that possibility but we never know until we have the experience. Firearms should always be considered a tool of last resort,” Darnall told a group attending a recent personal protection class at the shooting range and training center she and her husband, Ron, own west of Bloomington...
Personal bias is something journalists are trained avoid when they cover the news.
When I started working on a story about the controversial issue of concealed carry of weapons in Illinois, I was forced to face my own bias. I have never lived in a home with guns and considered myself the quintessential anti-gun nut...
Fast & Furious follow-up: Cunningham to take Fifth!
LAS VEGAS — Fox News has reported, and this column has confirmed that Patrick J. Cunningham, chief of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s office in Phoenix, will invoke his right to remain silent under the Fifth Amendment, and not testify before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform or its investigators about his role in, or knowledge about, Operation Fast and Furious.
This column reported the Cunningham story yesterday. Today it is likely to be on the minds of many people in the firearms industry who feel wrongly smeared by the Obama administration over gun trafficking to Mexican drug cartels. They are meeting here for the final day of the 2012 Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show. ...
Read the whole story here by Dave Workman, Seattle Gun Rights Examiner
Posted Fri Jan 20 09:22:29 CST 2012
Issa subpoenas Phoenix DOJ official over Fast & Furious
LAS VEGAS — A top official with the U.S. Attorney’s office in Phoenix, AZ who has repeatedly declined to voluntarily testify to Congressional investigators about Operation Fast and Furious has been subpoenaed, according to the office of Congressman Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
The development comes as the American firearms industry is gathered here at the Sands Convention Center for its annual Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show, and Fast and Furious is a hot topic. This announcement will make it hotter, primarily because the industry, and particularly gun dealers from across the Southwest, have been blamed by the Obama administration for the flood of firearms heading south to Mexico. ...
Read the whole story here by Dave Workman, Seattle Gun Rights Examiner
Posted Fri Jan 20 06:56:53 CST 2012
EDITORIAL: D.C. cleans up its gun ban District realizing its Second Amendment restrictions go too far
The nation’s capital is home to some of the most restrictive gun laws in the country. Washington city leaders intentionally crafted convoluted regulations to make it difficult for citizens to own firearms legally. Now that these obstructionist rules are in the spotlight, the D.C. Council realizes it needs to clean up its act.
The Washington Times’ Emily Miller has been closely documenting each step required in the process of exercising her Second Amendment right to keep arms. One of these is the mandatory gun “safety” course consisting of four hours of classroom instruction and one hour on the shooting range. For this, the city hands prospective gun owners a long list of instructors who have been certified by the Metropolitan Police Department to teach the class. ...
URGENT ALERT – FUNDING BADLY NEEDED TO CONTINUE COURT FIGHTS FOR YOUR RIGHTS COOK COUNTY AND CHICAGO POLITICAL MACHINES HOPE TO BLEED ISRA DRY
As many of you know, the freedom-loving citizens of Illinois are saddled with an ardent gun-grabber for a governor and a state legislature that is absolutely worthless when it comes to protecting the citizen’s innate right to keep and bear arms.
The courts are the last hope for Illinois citizens who honor this nation’s traditions and respect our Constitution. At the very least, the courts provide a pathway for justice to be served as we saw in the Heller and McDonald decisions.
Right now, the ISRA is locked in battle with the gun-grabbers in the Wilson v. Cook County lawsuit. This suit seeks to overturn Cook County’s arbitrary gun ban which prohibits Cook County residents from owning popular hunting and target shooting firearms. On Wednesday, Jan 18, 2012, the Illinois Supreme Court heard arguments in the case. You can watch and listen to the proceedings at the two links below.
Watching and listening to the courtroom activities will give you a flavor for the intensity of the battle to save your rights. All out legal warfare is not cheap – and we’re spending a lot of money on your behalf. Our financial reserves are running short so, if we are to continue battling for your rights in the courts, we need your generous donation.
The gun owners of Illinois badly need your support. If our legal funds run dry, the well-moneyed gun haters will run all over the top of us and then you can kiss what little rights you have left good bye. So please click the link above and make a generous donation. The future of gun ownership is counting on you to help, today. Just a reminder, donations to the ISRA are not tax deductable.
Posted Thu Jan 19 07:12:11 CST 2012
Firearms industry celebrates, solidifies with elections on horizon
LAS VEGAS — Encouraging unity as the nation faces what many here believe will be a critical election, National Shooting Sports Foundation President Steve Sanetti made it clear that the association — while not presuming to tell its members how they should vote — will let its position on issues be known.
Sanetti, speaking to a sell-out audience at the NSSF’s annual State of the Industry dinner, noted that law-abiding American citizens will continue exercising their constitutional right to use firearms for “all legitimate purposes…including self-protection.” While NSSF cannot engage directly in election politics, nothing is going to prevent members from becoming grassroots activists as this column suggested, and while this week's trade show will see millions of dollars worth of business transacted, people roaming the miles of aisles represent a culture that is built on tradition, and willing to defend it. ...
Read the whole story here Dave Workman, Seattle Gun Rights Examiner
Posted Wed Jan 18 09:55:52 CST 2012
Gun ban lobby’s worst nightmare: SHOT Show opens
LAS VEGAS — The annual Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show opens today in the Sands Convention Center, a two-level event that might just translate to the worst nightmare of the gun prohibition lobby.
Why? Because this show represents not only a vibrant industry that has remained healthy during the on-going recession, but also represents all that is good about shooting, hunting and the outdoors, bringing it all together under one roof. ...
Read the whole story here Dave Workman, Seattle Gun Rights Examiner
Posted Tue Jan 17 09:20:22 CST 2012
Groan..not again! Operation ‘White Gun’ another ATF foul-up?
The Los Angeles Times is reporting that yet another gun trafficking sting operation mounted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives called “White Gun” possibly allowed guns to “get away” into Mexico.
The Times notes that White Gun had been “previously unreported.” It appears to have been on a much smaller scale, and the newspaper says there were three arrests.
Reportedly mounted at the same time as Operation Fast and Furious, the White Gun investigation is on the radar screen of congressional investigators who have been working on the Fast & Furious scandal. Some familiar names surface right up front, according to the L.A. Times: ...
Read the whole story here Dave Workman, Seattle Gun Rights Examiner
Posted Fri Jan 13 12:52:54 CST 2012
UPDATE: Foul-mouthed Canton cop fired, plans to appeal
The foul-mouthed Canton, OH police officer who threatened to shoot an armed citizen in the head over his concealed pistol last summer has been fired, but he reportedly plans to appeal.
News of the firing of Canton officer Daniel Harless has already hit some of the gun rights forums, such as GunRightsMedia.com and Gun-Politics.org. Members on both forums are elated. This column first discussed the case back in July after video from Harless’ dash camera became public. The case ignited a fury among gun owners all over the country, including the Pacific Northwest. ...
Read the whole story here Dave Workman, Seattle Gun Rights Examiner
Posted Fri Jan 13 08:37:44 CST 2012
Some Fast & Furious documents relating to Terry murder could be released
The Washington Times is reporting that some of the documents relating to the slaying of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry – the event that ignited the Fast and Furious scandal – may soon be unsealed, provided the court agrees.
It would be the first opportunity for public access to at least some of the facts uncovered during the investigation into Terry’s death in a southern Arizona canyon gunfight that involved at least five armed gunmen in December 2010. If the documents do become public in time for review before Attorney General Eric Holder testifies before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Feb. 2, it could open up a new line of questioning. ...
Read the whole story here by Dave Workman, Seattle Gun Rights Examiner
Posted Thu Jan 12 20:50:32 CST 2012
How will CeaseFire spin this? Homicide no longer among leading death causes
A blockbuster revelation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reported by both the Seattle Times and Tacoma News Tribune, shows that homicide is no longer among the top 15 causes of death in the United States, during a period when firearm ownership and concealed carry is increasing.
This poses a dilemma for gun prohibitionists at Washington CeaseFire, the Violence Policy Center and Brady Campaign. Of course, all three include firearm-related deaths from suicide and accidents (both still in the Top 10) as “gun violence,” but that may be a bit misleading. It depends upon one’s personal and political perspective. ...
Read the whole story here Dave Workman, Seattle Gun Rights Examiner
Posted Thu Jan 12 17:23:24 CST 2012
Canton police officer who threatened to execute concealed carry licensee should be fired
The Canton Repository reported recently that notorious Canton Police Officer Daniel Harless, who was caught on his own police dash cam video verbally assaulting a concealed carry license holder, was a no-show at his latest disciplinary hearing. So, despite berating an honest citizen for lacking responsibility, when faced with taking responsibility for his own actions, Officer Harless chose to be cowardly and hide.
Officer Harless claims to be mentally disabled and unable to help with his own defense. Yet, the Canton Police Department deemed him well enough to testify at a recent murder trial. So, he either testified at a murder trial despite a serious mental issue, or he is exploiting the idea of being mentally ill for his own gain.
Neither option reflects well on Harless, or the people advising him.
Part of the pact between citizens and law enforcement is the belief that the rule of law matters in a civilized society. Just as important is the notion that law enforcement is restrained at all times by the limits determined by the People. Therefore, it is never acceptable for a police officer to step over the line crossed by Officer Harless, who clearly believes he is above the law.
Otherwise, he would have testified at his disciplinary hearing, just as he testified at the murder trial.
The Canton Police Department and Officer Harless can't have it both ways. They can't expect the public to believe he is suffering from mental illness, making him unable to help with his own defense, and is still competent to testify at a trial that might put someone in prison for life. ...
Read the whole story here from the Buckeye Firearms Association
Posted Tue Jan 10 13:21:29 CST 2012
An Open Letter To The Anti-Gun Folks
I came here purely out of a desperate need.
A need to save my life.
What I found here is rare.
The gun community is a generous community. It is unlike any other I have been associated with. ...
Read the post in its entirety here. (external link)
Posted Tue Jan 10 08:46:05 CST 2012
Feds find failures in Cook Co. homeland security project
Instead of the Illinois State Police making millions of dollars by issuing Concealed Carry permits to Illinois citizens, something that has been proven to reduce risk to citizens, police departments in Cook County instead squander over 40 million dollars of homeland security money:
Project Shield was supposed to make citizens safer. But in the end, the $45-million Homeland Security program more resembled a disaster, wasting taxpayers’ dollars and failing to make a single citizen more secure.
The failed Cook County initiative was replete with equipment that failed to work, missing records and untrained first responders according to a report by the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The report, to be released Monday but obtained by The Sun-Times and NBC5 News, found “millions of tax dollars may have been wasted.” ...
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Posted Sun Jan 8 11:20:30 CST 2012
ISRA Featured in Latest NRA Club Connection!
The ISRA is featured in the latest NRA Club Connection State Association Spotlight piece. Read about it on pages 18 through 21! ...
Read the whole story here from NRA Club Connection
Posted Fri Jan 6 13:40:32 CST 2012
Correction and apology…and some questions about Fast & Furious
When you make a mistake, you admit it up front.
Thursday evening this column mistakenly headlined a breaking story in the on-going gunwalking investigation mounted by Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley linking a document dump to Operation Fast and Furious when, in fact, the e-mails quoted specifically mentioned Operation Wide Receiver.
That headline has been corrected, and we sincerely apologize to Sen. Grassley and his staff, who have been working tirelessly for nearly a year to uncover the truth about Fast and Furious. Sloppy reporting and headline writing does not do that effort any good. The headline was sloppy, and carried with it the wrong impression.
This column also offers an apology to my readers and my colleagues who have been working diligently on this story. I will say this up front, also: Embarrassment sucks and this writer is embarrassed.
This column will endeavor to do better with a story that is so monumental in its proportions that it has led to two congressional investigations – Sen. Grassley’s and the concurrent probe by California Congressman Darrell Issa and his colleagues on the House Committee for Oversight and Government Reform – and an investigation by the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General. Plus, the subject was raised during a Republican primary debate and it could become a campaign issue.
This column will take a little break from the Fast and Furious story.
[-BREAK-]
There, that felt good. ...
Read the whole story here Dave Workman, Seattle Gun Rights Examiner
Posted Fri Jan 6 12:34:05 CST 2012
Grassley: New docs prove Admin knew about Fast & Furious
New documents obtained from the Justice Department Thursday prove that the administration knew that guns were being walked as part of Operation Fast and Furious, Senator Charles Grassley said in a press release, and then he reiterated his call for Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer to resign.
The documents include e-mails and copies of letters sent to Grassley by Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich, including a Feb. 4, 2011 letter that insisted that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had never “sanctioned or otherwise knowingly allowed the sale of assault weapons to a straw purchaser who then transported them into Mexico…” That letter has been “withdrawn” because facts uncovered over the past 11 months clearly show that guns were walked, and the ATF let it happen. ...
More women than ever are picking up rifles, shotguns, and handguns. And target shooting is one of the fastest-growing female sports.
But, looks can be deceiving. We're not talking "Dirty Harriet" here, notes "Early Show" contributor Katrina Szish.
Female participation in target shooting in the U.S. has nearly doubled in the last decade, growing to nearly five million women since 2001.
Pistol-shooting mommas and rifle-wielding yoga instructors may not be the type of woman who comes to mind when you hear about female shooters, but they're dominating the sport.
They say they shoot not only for self-protection, but because it relieves stress, helps them find peace and concentration and - feel feminine.
For instance, Deirdre Gailey, who says, "I'm a yoga instructor, I work at a vegan bakery -- and I also like to shoot guns." ...
BREAKING: Holder to testify Feb. 2 before House Oversight Committee
Embattled Attorney General Eric Holder will testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, chaired by Congressman Darrell Issa, on Thursday, Feb. 2.
He had initially been asked to appear on Jan. 24.
Holder is under fire for his handling of the Justice Department’s response to the Operation Fast and Furious scandal, and for being less than forthcoming to congressional investigations launched by Issa and Senator Charles Grassley. Many members of Congress have called on him to step down.
According to a House committee press release, Holder will be “asked to address management deficiencies within the Department that occurred both during and after the conclusion of Operation Fast and Furious.” Translation: Who knew what and when did they know it? ...
Read the whole story here Dave Workman, Seattle Gun Rights Examiner
Posted Wed Jan 4 13:15:20 CST 2012
Gun owners coming through for ranger’s family; killer ‘kind of a jerk’
Firearms owners are digging into their pockets and wallets to support a benefit fund, announced Tuesday on SeattleGuns.net, for the family of fallen Mount Rainier National Park Ranger Margaret Anderson.
She was killed Jan. 1 in a confrontation with Benjamin Colton Barnes, the 24-year-old suspect in another shooting earlier in the day in the Skyway district between Seattle and Renton. Barnes was found dead Monday morning, face-down in a snowy creek, wearing a T-shirt, jeans and one tennis shoe. An autopsy revealed that he drowned, and hypothermia was a contributing factor.
After this column reported the SeattleGuns.net fund, about $1,500 had been raised in small contributions in less than 24 hours, the largest being $100 and most have apparently been in the $10-$50 range. The donations, through PayPal or in checks, will be gathered and donated to the family in one lump sum, according to Wesley Sage, who initiated the effort and Norm Gildroy, who owns the forum. ...
Read the whole story here Dave Workman, Seattle Gun Rights Examiner
Posted Wed Jan 4 13:12:10 CST 2012
Mount Rainier shooting opens door for agenda pandering
Four people shot in Skyway and hours later, the same “person of interest” is allegedly involved in the slaying of a Mount Rainier National Park ranger, and in the aftermath, a debate is erupting over a 2010 law that allowed private citizens to carry loaded firearms in national parks in accordance with the laws of the state in which the park is located. ...
Read the whole story here Dave Workman, Seattle Gun Rights Examiner
Posted Mon Jan 2 14:21:25 CST 2012
D.C. Ordered to Pay $1M in Historic Gun Case
WASHINGTON – The District of Columbia has been ordered to pay more than $1 million in attorneys' fees as a result of a historic gun case that was ultimately decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Dick Heller sued the city in 2003 over its ban on handgun ownership and the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the ban in June 2008, saying it violated the Second Amendment.
A federal judge on Thursday issued an opinion awarding Heller's attorneys $1,137,072.27 in fees and expenses. The attorneys had argued they should be awarded $3.1 million. Attorneys for the city said the figure should be closer to $840,000. ...
President Obama's Anti-Gun Agenda Shows No Sign of Stopping
President Obama keeps pushing for gun control. "I just want you to know that we are working on [gun control]. We have to go through a few processes, but under the radar,” President Obama told Sarah Brady, the former president of the Brady Campaign, this past spring.
His push as been quiet but relentless.
Just this past week Obama signaled that he was going to just ignore two new parts of the 2012 Omnibus Spending bill. Although he signed the spending bill into law, he simultaneously issued a so-called "signing statement," a note that presidents have started attaching to legislation stating how they interpret the law they are signing or whether they believe part of it is unconstitutional.
Obama’s statement claimed that Congress couldn’t put restrictions on how he wanted to spend to fund lobbying for gun control and the National Institute of Health studies of gun control.
But why should the federal government use taxpayer dollars to pay for lobbying? Obama has had numerous false starts on gun control. Just in November, his administration moved to ban target practice on public lands, but the opposition was so swift and strong they immediately backtracked. ...
Read the whole story here by John Lott Published December 28, 2011 | FoxNews.com
Posted Wed Dec 28 17:47:35 CST 2011
CBS News: More and more women embracing gun ownership
(CBS News) The face of the American gun owner is changing.
More women than ever are picking up rifles, shotguns, and handguns. And target shooting is one of the fastest-growing female sports.
But, looks can be deceiving. We're not talking "Dirty Harriet" here, notes "Early Show" contributor Katrina Szish.
Female participation in target shooting in the U.S. has nearly doubled in the last decade, growing to nearly five million women since 2001.
Pistol-shooting mommas and rifle-wielding yoga instructors may not be the type of woman who comes to mind when you hear about female shooters, but they're dominating the sport.
They say they shoot not only for self-protection, but because it relieves stress, helps them find peace and concentration and - feel feminine.
For instance, Deirdre Gailey, who says, "I'm a yoga instructor, I work at a vegan bakery -- and I also like to shoot guns." ...
Read the whole story and watch the video at CBS News.
Posted Wed Dec 28 11:13:15 CST 2011
SAF, Calguns Foundation Sue California Over Firearms Statute
BELLEVUE, Wash., Dec. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Second Amendment Foundation has joined the Calguns Foundation and three California citizens in a federal lawsuit against the California Department of Justice and Attorney General Kamala Harris, challenging the state's requirement that gun owners wait at least ten days before taking possession of an additional firearm.
The case is known as Jeff Silvester et.al. v Kamala Harris, et.al.
"We've joined in this lawsuit because it makes no sense for California to require a gun owner who already possesses a firearm from buying another one within a few days," said SAF Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb. "We recall what Dr. Martin Luther King said, that 'A right delayed is a right denied.'"
"Laws that infringe on the right to purchase arms have to be more than just merely rational and must directly serve important governmental interests," added Gene Hoffman, chairman of the Calguns Foundation. "Here, the law is not just irrational but actually contradictory. We filed this case right before Christmas in the hopes that, by next Christmas, gun owners will not suffer this continuing infringement on their right to acquire firearms."
"The State has absolutely no reason to infringe the rights of California gun owners who already possess firearms when they buy another one," said attorney Jason Davis who is representing the plaintiffs. ...
Is Microsoft showing some hypocrisy with gamer gun flap?
Microsoft, that Redmond-based multi-billion-dollar software giant, is in the middle of a flap amongst video game aficionados because of a restriction that reportedly takes effect Jan. 1 that prohibits video game players from arming their avatars with anything that looks like a gun.
This controversy erupted after a writer with PCMag.com reported this:
You can shoot your friends with all sorts of awesome and painful weaponry across Microsoft's Xbox Live service; you just can't give your virtual representation a digital gun—that's a no-no.—David Murphy, PCMag.com
That’s not going down too well with devoted video game players, including one close to this column, who matter-of-factly note that many if not most video games available on the Xbox platform involve some kind of shooting, often via what our source called a “first person shooter” type scenario. That is, the video game begins and you’re looking at the screen over the sights of some kind of gun, blasting away at assorted combatants or other targets to rack up a score. ...
Read the whole story here by Dave Workman, Seattle Gun Rights Examiner
Posted Tue Dec 27 21:00:38 CST 2011
Top gun rights stories of 2011, Pt. II
Earlier, this column noted that after the erupting Operation Fast and Furious scandal, all other gun rights stories of 2011 pale by comparison.
Yet here in the Pacific Northwest, there have been issues that raised eyebrows and the consciousness of gun owners considerably, not to mention their blood pressure.
Perhaps the first story is one that wasn’t told: Washington State’s mainstream press outlets completely ignored a top story of 2010 with direct Northwest links: The Supreme Court affirmation that the Second Amendment applies to citizens all over the United States, leading to the repeal of a municipal handgun ban in Chicago.
Continue reading on Examiner.com Top gun rights stories of 2011, Pt. II - Seattle gun rights | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-seattle/top-gun-rights-stories-of-2011-pt-ii#ixzz1hmQOfTiT ...
Read the whole story here Dave Workman, Seattle Gun Rights Examiner
Posted Tue Dec 27 17:19:13 CST 2011
The ISRA Board of Directors, its Staff and our families, would like to wish all of our Members, Supporters and their families a very safe and Merry Christmas!
Sincerely, Don Moran ISRA President
Posted Sat Dec 24 22:26:22 CST 2011
One snowy night in late December...a shooter's Yule by Dave Workman, from Gun Rights Examiner & SAF
‘Twas the night before Christmas, with a chill wind a-blowing A glance out the window confirmed it was snowing I was out in the workshop, cranking hard on the press, The bullets were Nosler; the dies? RCBS!
My new Lyman tumbler was shining the brass As hard flakes of white stuff kept tapping the glass A glance at the mercury showed the temperature was dropping And it seemed a good plan that I soon would be stopping ...
Gowdy and Greta: Who is Holder protecting in Fast & Furious?
South Carolina Congressman Trey Gowdy threw a grenade into the Fast and Furious scandal Monday night when he raised the possibility that Attorney General Eric Holder has been resisting Congressional inquiries into the scandal because he is protecting someone.
Late in the 7½-minute exchange on Fox News’ On The Record program with Greta Van Susteren, Gowdy suggested that Holder may be protecting someone “out of misguided loyalty." ...
Read the whole story here Dave Workman, Seattle Gun Rights Examiner
Posted Wed Dec 21 13:22:36 CST 2011
The Racist Origins of Gun Control Laws Designed To Disarm Slaves, Freedmen, And African-Americans
Before the Civil War ended, State “Slave Codes” prohibited slaves from owning guns. After President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and after the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolishing slavery was adopted and the Civil War ended in 1865, States persisted in prohibiting blacks, now freemen, from owning guns under laws renamed “Black Codes.” They did so on the basis that blacks were not citizens, and thus did not have the same rights, including the right to keep and bear arms protected in the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, as whites. This view was specifically articulated by the U.S. Supreme Court in its infamous 1857 decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford to uphold slavery. ...
Read the whole story here from Rev. Ken Blanchard, Black Man With A Gun
Posted Tue Dec 20 12:13:28 CST 2011
(Reuters) - The United States has 90 guns for every 100 citizens, making it the most heavily armed society in the world, a report released on Tuesday said.
U.S. citizens own 270 million of the world's 875 million known firearms, according to the Small Arms Survey 2007 by the Geneva-based Graduate Institute of International Studies.
About 4.5 million of the 8 million new guns manufactured worldwide each year are purchased in the United States, it said.
"There is roughly one firearm for every seven people worldwide. Without the United States, though, this drops to about one firearm per 10 people," it said.
India had the world's second-largest civilian gun arsenal, with an estimated 46 million firearms outside law enforcement and the military, though this represented just four guns per 100 people there. China, ranked third with 40 million privately held guns, had 3 firearms per 100 people.
Germany, France, Pakistan, Mexico, Brazil and Russia were next in the ranking of country's overall civilian gun arsenals.
On a per-capita basis, Yemen had the second most heavily armed citizenry behind the United States, with 61 guns per 100 people, followed by Finland with 56, Switzerland with 46, Iraq with 39 and Serbia with 38.
France, Canada, Sweden, Austria and Germany were next, each with about 30 guns per 100 people, while many poorer countries often associated with violence ranked much lower. Nigeria, for instance, had just one gun per 100 people.
"Firearms are very unevenly distributed around the world. The image we have of certain regions such as Africa or Latin America being awash with weapons -- these images are certainly misleading," Small Arms Survey director Keith Krause said.
"Weapons ownership may be correlated with rising levels of wealth, and that means we need to think about future demand in parts of the world where economic growth is giving people larger disposable income," he told a Geneva news conference. ...
Anti-gun New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s latest gun sting is a new approach to pushing the same old agenda, in this case a requirement that background checks be conducted for all gun sales, including private transactions.
That doesn’t seem to have stopped people from killing one another in California, where it is already the law. Yet, the “private sale loophole” has now replaced “the gun show loophole” as the loophole du jour for gun prohibitionists looking to score a quick headline and some sympathetic reporting.
The Washington Arms Collectors has remedied the alleged “gun show loophole” by mandating that no sales can be made to non-members, and all members must clear a simple background check when they join and get a badge. This didn’t stop David Devenny of Olympia from selling guns at his residence to undercover informants who claimed they couldn’t pass a background check, but apparently it did stop him from doing the transactions at WAC’s Puyallup gun show. ...
Read the whole story here by Dave Workman, Seattle Gun Rights Examiner
Posted Fri Dec 16 08:16:29 CST 2011
John C. “Jack” Cantillon Visitation Arrangements Announced
As previouosly noted, John C. “Jack” Cantillon, a dedicated volunteer for the ISRA for years and mostly remembered as the ISRA Range Safety Officer passed away on Sunday, December 11th. Here is arrangement information:
Visitation: Thursday, December 15, 2011 from 3PM – 9PM at Zimmerman & Sandeman Funeral Home, 9900 W 143rd Place, Orland Park (708-460-7500)
Funeral Mass: Friday, December 16, 2011 at 11:15 at St. Julie Billiart Church, 7399 W 159th St., Tinley Park
Posted Wed Dec 14 09:07:15 CST 2011
Fast and Furious Scandal Gives Rise to Gun Regulation Debate
As a candidate, Barack Obama once endorsed a ban on handguns and favored restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms. So when gun owners heard of Operation Fast and Furious, many feared the worst.
Now, newly revealed emails suggest that if the gun-running operation didn't start out with that intent, as administration officials insist, the program certainly led to discussions on new gun regulations.
"There's a lot of talk that President Obama stated that he is working for gun control with alternative methods," said Arizona gun dealer Jeff Serdy. "I hope this isn't one of them."
Serdy and others suspect the Obama administration used the gun-running operation to support regulations Congress would not even consider, namely, a rule requiring gun stores in the Southwest to report anyone who tries to buy multiple "long guns," or rifles, in a one-week period.
"If the American people learn that the motivations for all of this was to make a case to deprive them of their Second Amendment rights or to make a case to further the (Justice) department's ability to further regulate gun rights within the United States, that would make them very angry," said Arizona Republican Rep. Trent Franks. ...
Grassley: ‘DoJ needs to provide straight answers, not spin’
The Department of Justice “needs to provide straight answers, not talking points and spin” when it responds to congressional inquiries about Operation Fast and Furious, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) said today, on the one-year anniversary of the slaying of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry, the incident that ignited the Fast and Furious investigation.
This column discussed the anniversary and what has developed over the past year.
In a prepared statement, Grassley detailed his frustration with the Justice Department, reiterating his reasons for calling on Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer to resign. ...
Read the whole story here by Dave Workman, Seattle Gun Rights Examiner
Posted Thu Dec 15 07:44:34 CST 2011
Exclusive: Texas Rep. Poe: ‘F&F a ruse to go after U.S. gun sales’
Texas Congressman Ted Poe is convinced there is more to Operation Fast and Furious than just a monumental screw-up by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and he said so in an exclusive Monday afternoon interview with this column.
The fourth-term Congressman had just gotten off an airplane when he chatted briefly via telephone. He is still astonished that Attorney General Eric Holder, after several months of Fast and Furious headline news and alleged investigation, cannot pin down who was ultimately responsible for allowing the facilitation of weapons smuggling into Mexico, where the body count keeps rising. ...
Read the whole story here by Dave Workman, Seattle Gun Rights Examiner
Posted Tue Dec 13 08:37:31 CST 2011
The Passing of John C. “Jack” Cantillon
It is with great sorrow that I inform you of the passing of John C. “Jack” Cantillon. Jack was stricken Sunday afternoon December 11. 2011.
Many of you may remember Jack as the Range Officer at the ISRA range. When the funeral arrangements are made we will make that public.
Richard A. Pearson Executive Director Illinois State Rifle Association
Posted Mon Dec 12 15:26:02 CST 2011
U.N. de-funding bill picks up co-sponsors
Legislation that would strip U.S. funding from the United Nations if that world body adopts an international gun control treaty that threatens Second Amendment sovereignty is picking up co-sponsors and gathering Northwest support.
It is now no secret that the Bellevue-based Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms was deeply involved in helping draft H.R. 3594, which was submitted on Dec. 7 by Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh, who delivered the keynote address at the Gun Rights Policy Conference in late September in Chicago. The GRPC is co-sponsored by the CCRKBA, along with its sister organization, the Second Amendment Foundation.
This column broke the news about Walsh’s legislation. ...
Read the whole story here by Dave Workman, Seattle Gun Rights Examiner
Posted Mon Dec 12 10:28:26 CST 2011
National Concealed-Carry Act Reintroduced By Illinios GOP Rep. Tim Johnson
Rather than reignite the debate over concealed carry in the last state to ban it outright, members of the Illinois' Republican Congressional delegation will attempt to force the state's hand with the introduction of a federal concealed-carry bill in the House.
The measure, H.R. 3543, was introduced by U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson (R-Ill.) from the 15th District and would allow nonresidents with valid permits in their home states to carry concealed weapons in Illinois.
In a press release on his website, Johnson called Illinios' concealed carry ban a violation of the 14th Amendment validated by "100 years of Supreme Court rulings."
"Forty-nine other states understand this and have reasonable policies in place to ensure that only law-abiding people willing to go through authorized safety training are permitted this right," Johnson said in a statement. "The only reason Illinois is the exception is Cook County. This is not acceptable."
Johnson's bill is similar to H.R. 822, which would allow people living in "constitutional carry" states to bring their concealed weapons into states with stricter gun laws and has already been referred to the Senate from the House. H.R. 822 would not impact Illinois, however, as a state must have some sort of concealed carry law on the books in order to participate -- which is where Johnson's bill comes in.
Colleen Daley, executive director of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence, told CBS Chicago that Johnson's bill would put Illinois residents at risk, without protective resources.
"You've got states like Arizona and Florida where you essentially mail in an application for a concealed carry permit," she told CBS. "You want people like that coming into our state, with no laws to protect them?" ...
Read the whole story here from the Huffington Post.
Posted Sun Dec 11 19:40:06 CST 2011
Rep. Issa: Government Used Fast And Furious To Limit Second Amendment Rights
"Very clearly, they've made a crisis and they're using this crisis to somehow take away or limit people's second amendment rights," Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Cali.) said on "Hannity" tonight.
Issa was explaining how Fast & Furious is being used to expand databases on gun owners and other ways the government is using the crisis. ...
Buddhist Packing Bond Pistol Shows American Warm Embrace of Guns
Bloomberg [surprize!] news article shows gun ownership as mainstream USA activity crossing cultural boundaries
Dec. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Robin Natanel picks up a compact black pistol, barrel pointed down range. Gripping the gun with both hands, left foot forward, she raises the semi-automatic and methodically squeezes off five shots. The first one creases the left edge of a red bull's-eye on a target 25 feet away. The four others paint a three-inch pattern around the first. If the target were a person's head or heart, he'd probably be dead.
Natanel is a Buddhist, a self-avowed "spiritual person," a 53-year-old divorcee who lives alone in a liberal-leaning suburb near Boston. She is 5-foot-1 (155 centimeters) and has blonde hair, dark eyes, a ready smile and a soothing voice, with a hint of Boston brogue. She's a Tai Chi instructor who in classes invokes the benefits of meditation. And at least twice a month, she takes her German-made Walther PK380 to a shooting range and blazes away.
Two years ago, an ex-boyfriend broke into her house when she wasn't home. The police advised a restraining order. Instead, she bought pepper spray and programmed the local police number on her cell phone's speed dial. "I was constantly terrified for my safety," she says ...
5SharePrintEmail. Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee rushed to the defense of Attorney General Eric Holder this morning as Republicans put him under the microscope about his handling of the Operation Fast and Furious fiasco.
Holder told the committee that “I have no intention of resigning,” and he also said that based on the information he currently has, there is no reason for Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer to resign, as demanded Tuesday by Senator Charles Grassley. This column reported that development.
Ranking member John Conyers (D-MI) opened up with praise for Holder and called for adoption of new gun trafficking legislation. ...
Read the whole story here by Dave Workman, Seattle Gun Rights Examiner
Posted Fri Dec 9 08:08:52 CST 2011
Holder Suggests 'Fast and Furious' Guns Will Be Used in Crimes for 'Years to Come'
Attorney General Eric Holder suggested Thursday that weapons lost during the course of the failed "Fast and Furious" gunrunning operation will continue to show up at crime scenes in the U.S. and Mexico "for years to come."
Holder, in testimony on Capitol Hill that comes as the congressional investigation into the program expands, decried the "gun-walking" tactic used in the operation as "inexcusable" and "wholly unacceptable." But a day after an influential senator called for the resignation of one of Holder's top deputies over the scandal, Holder denied department leaders played any role in the crafting of "Fast and Furious."
He continued to assert that top Justice officials were not told about the "inappropriate tactics" until they were made public.
Still, the top law enforcement official in the country conceded that, as a result of "Fast and Furious," guns lost by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives remain in the hands of criminals.
"Although the department has taken steps to ensure that such tactics are never used again, it is an unfortunate reality that we will continue to feel the effects of this flawed operation for years to come," he said. "Guns lost during this operation will continue to show up at crime scenes on both sides of the border."
Congress has been investigating "Fast and Furious" for nearly a year. Scrutiny of the program intensified after guns from the program were found at the scene of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry's murder.
Republican lawmakers in recent weeks have complained about inconsistencies in the Justice Department's public accounting of the program over the past year. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Wednesday pointed to those alleged inconsistencies in calling for the resignation of Lanny Breuer, chief of the department's criminal division. Grassley accused Breuer of withholding information about gunwalking tactics used in a Bush administration-era program known as Wide Receiver, and of not being forthcoming about whether he saw a Justice letter to Congress in February that inaccurately claimed ATF was not letting illegal guns walk across the U.S.-Mexico border. ...
FLASH! Walsh submits bill to withhold U.N. funds; CCRKBA helped draft
Legislation that would withhold United States funds from the United Nations if the U.N. pushes an arms treaty that threatens the Second Amendment has been introduced by freshman Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh, and the Bellevue-based Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms helped draft it.
CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb has more than just a passing interest in this issue. For the past couple of years, he’s been investing hundreds of hours of time, and tens of thousands of air miles flying to Europe to meet with gun rights activists there, and helping to form an international gun rights organization. ...
Read the whole story here by Dave Workman, Seattle Gun Rights Examiner
Posted Thu Dec 8 10:02:23 CST 2011
BREAKING: Grassley calls for Lanny Breuer’s resignation from DoJ
Senator Charles Grassley has called on Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer, who heads the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, to hand in his resignation over his apparent mishandling and misleading testimony about his involvement in the oversight of Operation Fast and Furious. ...
Read the whole story here from Dave Workman, Seattle Gun Rights Examiner
Posted Wed Dec 7 15:42:32 CST 2011
ATF used "Fast and Furious" to make the case for gun regulations
Documents obtained by CBS News show that the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) discussed using their covert operation "Fast and Furious" to argue for controversial new rules about gun sales.
In Fast and Furious, ATF secretly encouraged gun dealers to sell to suspected traffickers for Mexican drug cartels to go after the "big fish." But ATF whistleblowers told CBS News and Congress it was a dangerous practice called "gunwalking," and it put thousands of weapons on the street. Many were used in violent crimes in Mexico. Two were found at the murder scene of a U.S. Border Patrol agent.
ATF officials didn't intend to publicly disclose their own role in letting Mexican cartels obtain the weapons, but emails show they discussed using the sales, including sales encouraged by ATF, to justify a new gun regulation called "Demand Letter 3". That would require some U.S. gun shops to report the sale of multiple rifles or "long guns." Demand Letter 3 was so named because it would be the third ATF program demanding gun dealers report tracing information. ...
COURT SIDES WITH ILLINOIS STATE RIFLE ASSOCIATION IN PROTECTING IDENTITIES OF LAWFUL FIREARM OWNERS
PEORIA, IL - - The following was released today by the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA):
Lawful firearm owners across the state may rest a little easier tonight knowing that their sensitive personal information is finally safeguarded from release under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Earlier this week, the Honorable Michael E. Brandt, Chief Judge of the 10th Judicial Circuit of Illinois, Peoria County, signed an order permanently barring the Illinois State Police from revealing the identities of the state’s 1.5 million law-abiding firearm owners. This order extends to prohibit the release of information contained in Firearm Owner ID (FOID) applications and Firearm Transfer Inquiry Program (FTIP) background checks. The ISRA is characterizing the issuance of this permanent injunction as a major victory for Illinoisans concerned about their personal privacy.
Judge Brandt’s order stems from a lawsuit filed earlier this year by the ISRA against the Illinois State Police. The ISRA filed the lawsuit upon learning that Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan had ruled that FOID information was releasable under the FOIA and that the Illinois State Police must honor a FOIA request for such information filed by a newspaper reporter. Lawful firearm owners were appalled and angry over the prospect of their private information being released to the media. The ISRA’s response attacked this problem on two fronts. First our lobbyists quickly got the legislature to pass H.B. 3500, a bill banning the State Police from releasing the FOID information and second the ISRA successfully sought a temporary restraining order to halt the release of firearm owner personal information until the Legislature could do their work. Monday’s action by Judge Brandt makes the provisions of that restraining order permanent and goes further, now also protecting the FTIP information which adds one more layer of protection from any future overzealous anti-gun legislatures or Attorney Generals.
“Gun control organizations and their friends in the press have been trying for years to get the names and addresses of firearm owners,” commented ISRA Executive Director Richard Pearson. “For some reason, they think that the public has a right to know who in their city, town or social organization owns guns. Thus, they would like nothing more than to see the names and addresses of gun owners along with detailed inventories of privately-held firearms plastered across every newspaper in the state. For years, the State Police correctly and successfully resisted calls for the release of such information. Well, then along comes Attorney General Lisa Madigan.”
“Lisa Madigan is well known as a staunch supporter of efforts to ban civilian firearm ownership,” continued Pearson. “In fact, Madigan routinely receives recognition and awards for her anti-gun activities from Illinois’ largest gun control organization. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Madigan would break with tradition and direct the release of gun owners’ personal information to the public. Judge Brandt’s order has put the kibosh on Madigan’s abuse of power.”
“The most important outcome of Judge Brandt’s order will be the restoration of peace of mind among the state’s gun owners,” said Pearson. “No longer will they have to fear that Lisa Madigan will target their homes for burglary. They won’t have to worry that gun control extremists will “occupy” their front yards or harass their children on the way to school. Yes, the state’s gun owners will be quite content in the knowledge that the court has declared that the choice to own firearms is nobody’s business but their own.”
The ISRA is the state’s leading advocate of safe, lawful, and responsible firearms ownership. For more than a century, the ISRA has represented the interests of millions of law-abiding Illinois firearm owners.
Posted Wed Dec 7 10:47:53 CST 2011
Judge's Final Order Issuing Permanent Injunction Preventing Release of FOID info Available for Viewing
SENATE LISTENS TO CCRKBA, VOTES ‘NO’ ON OBAMA COURT NOMINEE
BELLEVUE, WA – Grassroots power has helped derail President Obama’s nomination of anti-gun extremist Caitlin Halligan to the District of Columbia Circuit Court, with keystone opposition from members and supporters of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
“We sent out more than one million e-mail alerts to gun owners across the country, warning them of Halligan’s anti-gun philosophy,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, “and it is clear from today’s 54-45 Senate vote against cloture, thus rejecting Halligan’s nomination, that their voices were heard loud and clear.”
The CCRKBA mailing identified Halligan as a “liberal agitator and a fervent gun hater” who “pushed to bankrupt gun manufacturers in New York with frivolous lawsuits.”
“After the disastrous appointments of Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court,” Gottlieb said, “we could not stand silently while Obama put forth his most radical anti-gun nominee for a lifetime appointment to one of the most influential federal courts in the nation.
“Tuesday’s vote,” he continued, “is proof that gun owners are wise to Obama’s anti-gun strategy. He may not be able to pass legislation, but his legacy could be a federal court system stacked with gun-grabbing judges who will do whatever it takes to erase the landmark Second Amendment victories before the Supreme Court in the Heller and McDonald cases.
“We are delighted and proud that our members and supporters told the Senate that this is where it ends,” Gottlieb said. “We are not going to allow President Obama the chance to saddle our country and our Constitution with people like Halligan, who are clearly hostile to the Second Amendment. ...
Read the whole story here from our friends at CCRKBA
Posted Tue Dec 6 21:50:44 CST 2011
Ready, aim ... buy? Why gun sales spiked on Black Friday
By Martha C. White
Americans spent some $52 billion on Black Friday weekend. In addition to sweaters and iPods, though, shoppers were scooping up something else in large numbers: guns.
According to the FBI, which processes requests for background checks of prospective gun buyers, 129,166 such checks were performed on Black Friday, Nov. 25, breaking the previous single-day record -- set on Black Friday 2008 -- by nearly a third. The surge in gun sales was initially reported by USA Today.
Analysts who focus on firearms say this increase is part of a years-long trend toward increasing gun ownership. In a recent Gallup poll, 47 percent of respondents said there was a gun in the household, up from 41 percent just one year ago. More people are buying guns these days, particularly handguns, said Cai von Rumohr, managing director at investment company Cowen & Co. For all of November, the number of background checks processed by the FBI rose by around 16 percent vs. year-ago levels.
"These numbers have been relatively strong, and I think more of it has been the trend towards lower-priced, smaller weapons," von Rumohr said. For the most part, it's unlikely these weapons are being bought to wrap up and put under a Christmas tree; many states have laws that prohibit buying a gun for someone else. ...
Read the whole story here from the Bottom Line on MSNBC.com
Posted Tue Dec 6 21:46:37 CST 2011
80-Year-Old Priest Severely Beaten In Rectory
CHICAGO (CBS) — It was a scene of sheer terror overnight, two men accosted an 80-year-old Roman Catholic priest as he lay sleeping in his South Side rectory and brutally beat him.
As CBS 2′s Susanna Song reports, police say shortly before 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, the suspects broke into the rectory at St. Margaret of Scotland Church, at 9849 S. Throop St. in the Longwood Manor neighborhood, and found the Rev. Dan Mallette sleeping.
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart is a parishioner at the church, and was with Father Mallette since early Tuesday morning. He said Mallette was the victim of “a vicious, vicious assault.”
“He was completely taken by surprise,” Dart said. “He was sound asleep in his bed, and was awoken by two people standing there demanding money and threatening to kill him.”
Dart says Mallette was beaten severely, and suffered broken ribs and facial injuries.
As of Tuesday morning, Mallette was back home in his rectory after being treated and released from Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. Police say the robbers did get away with some money. ...
Issa turns up heat on Holder as Judiciary hearing looms
Three days before he is scheduled to appear before the House Judiciary Committee, Attorney General Eric Holder came under intensified criticism by Rep. Darrell Issa as the California congressman announced he is launching an investigation of the Drug Enforcement Administration for alleged money laundering. ...
Hunting Is Safer Than Golf and Most Other Activities (Not to Mention Football, Basketball and Soccer)
NEWTOWN, Conn. -- Don't let anyone tell you otherwise: Hunting with firearms is safe; in fact, hunting with firearms is one of the safest recreational activities in America.
With hunting season in full swing across the country, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms industry, has compiled data that shows hunting ranks third in safety when compared to 28 other recreational pursuits, ranging from baseball to wrestling. Hunting with firearms has an injury rate of 0.05 percent, which equates to about 1 injury per 2,000 participants, a safety level bettered only by camping (.01 percent) and billiards (.02 percent). For comparison, golf has an injury rate of 0.16 percent (1 injury per 622 participants), while tackle football topped the list of activities with an injury rate of 5.27 percent (1 injury per 19 participants).
"Many people have the misconception that hunting is unsafe, but the data tells a different story," said Jim Curcuruto, NSSF's director of industry research and analysis. "Comprehensive hunter education classes that emphasize the basic rules of firearm safety and a culture of hunters helping fellow hunters practice safe firearms handling in the field are responsible for this good record." ...
Read the wholestory from NSSF @ Constant Contact, and check out the Hunting Injury Fact Sheet!
Posted Mon Dec 5 16:52:43 CST 2011
Legal people buying legal firearms sparks "investigation" at ABC7
December 2, 2011 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- In this Intelligence Report: Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is traditionally one of the biggest shopping days of the year, but this year Illinois residents weren't just looking for deals on TVs and toys.
On Black Friday, guns appear to have been popular gift purchases. According to Illinois State Police records, there was a giant jump in gun owner background checks on Black Friday. And, if all those gift guns are used on Christmas, it may be anything but a silent night.
As Illinois shoppers fanned out to malls and stores to search for that special holiday gift, for a record number of people, that purchase was a Glock, Smith and Wesson or some other gun ...
Read the whole story at ABC7. Webmaster's note: It looks like they have confused FTIP calls with FOID applications.
Posted Mon Dec 5 08:53:48 CST 2011
Newly-released documents reveal Fast & Furious falsehoods
Just hours before Friday’s massive Operation Fast and Furious “document dump” by the Justice Department, Senator Charles Grassley asserted in an on-line commentary that a department official knew that a denial of “gunwalking” was “clearly false.”
Grassley provided documentation to back that up.
Now, in the wake of the document release — timed just six days before Attorney General Eric Holder is scheduled to testify before the House Judiciary Committee — more questions are being raised about who knew what and when they knew it about the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ gun trafficking sting that has turned into a massive scandal for the Obama administration.
Grassley, writing in his running commentary on the Fast and Furious investigation under the heading “Facts are Stubborn Things,” recalled a Feb. 4, 2011 letter signed by Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich that insisted to Grassley that ATF had not deliberately allowed guns to “walk” into the hands of illegal gun traffickers. But newly-recovered e-mail exchanges say otherwise. Here’s what Grassley wrote Friday: ...
Happy Birthday to Jim Vinopal! ISRA Past President, current lobbyist and patriarch turns 84 today!
Jim Vinopal was born on this day, December 3, in 1927. In that year, Trans-Atlantic feats captured the attention of the nation: Lindbergh's non-stop solo flight from New York to Paris, and the first phone call from New York to London.
Jim was the president of ISRA during a turbulent time in the 1960's as Illinois faced the grim specter of a complete ban on handguns in response to the high profile assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr and Robert F Kennedy. The threat of a handgun ban was averted, and the ISRA grew into a role protecting the rights of Illinoisans to keep and bear arms.
Over 40 years later, Jim's service to ISRA continues, remaining active as a trusted adviser and as one of the ISRA's lobbyists in Springfield.
Happy Birthday, Jim, with many more to follow!
Posted Sat Dec 3 09:06:39 CST 2011
Read the Full Bill: H.R. 822 National Concealed Carry as Passed by House of Representatives
City Council puts its support behind Concealed Carry
The Quincy City Council Monday night passed a non-binding resolution supporting a Concealed Carry handgun law.
It also ratified the Quincy Firefighters Local 63 contract and heard from the president of the Postal Workers Union Local 77 regarding the support for Quincy's processing and distribution facility.
Alderman Mike Rein (R-5) put the resolution before the Council. He said he wanted to get the conversation rolling because it's an important one. Illinois is the only state that doesn't allow Concealed Carry.
After Rein made a motion for his resolution - which mirrors that of the one the County passed in May - Alderman Tony Sassen (R-4) seconded. But Alderman Steve Duesterhaus (R-2) had a few questions for Rein.
Duesterhaus said he didn't have an issue with supporting the resolution - his concern was with the language. The resolution states the Council believes the prohibition is "in direct violation of the Constitution of the United States."
"What support do you have in calling it unconstitutional ... or is there a constitutional scholar that is giving you advice?" he said to Rein. "So that is your opinion?"
Rein replied that it wasn't his opinion - that it was the Second Amendment.
"So the fact that restrictive law is unconstitutional is your opinion, since the (Supreme) court had the opportunity to declare it as such and did not do it ...?" Duesterhaus said. "...That doesn't make it unconstitutional. It just means we don't have it." ...
HR-822: House passes concealed carry reciprocity bill
The House of Representatives passed a measure Wednesday that would make a permit to carry a concealed firearm from one state valid in any state that allows citizens to carry concealed weapons. The vote was 272 to 154.
The National Rifle Association-backed measure had the backing of the vast majority of Republicans along with a coalition of pro-gun rights Democrats.
A matching bill has not been brought forward in the Democrat-led Senate. But gun rights advocates have previously nearly-successfully attempted to attach a similar measure to unrelated legislation.
Every state except Illinois and the District of Columbia allow residents to carry concealed weapons, the Associated Press reports, but states have varying standards for issuing permits to do so.
Backers of the measure say concealed carry permits should be treated the same as drivers' licenses, and argue that Second Amendment rights should not be constrained by state boundaries ...
Rep. Johnson's Bill Broadens Conceal-Carry H.R. 822
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Rep. Timothy V. Johnson is offering an amendment today to the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011, which would extend to Illinois citizens the fundamental right to carry a concealed weapon under property permitting limitations.
The amendment would supersede the Illinois Legislature’s refusal to allow this right, which is enjoyed by citizens in all other states of the union.
“This legislation gives me the opportunity to correct a longstanding flaw in Illinois law,” Rep. Johnson said. “The right to bear arms is an individual American right expressed in the Constitution, not a right to be abridged at the whim of the state. Illinois is the only state in the Union that does not have a provision to allow citizens a conceal-carry permit. Finally, this amendment would correct that injustice.”
The bill is scheduled to be voted on in the full House of Representatives on Tuesday.
Cosponsors of the amendment include Illinois Congressmen Bobby Schilling, Aaron Schock, Randy Hultgren and Adam Kinzinger.
The National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011, or H.R. 822, would allow any person with a legally recognized carrying permit of another state to be recognized in other states that also have permitting laws. However, the bill excludes Illinois and the District of Columbia because they have no conceal-carry rights whatsoever.
Under Rep. Johnson’s amendment, Illinois and D.C. residents would be able to obtain a permit in another state, in accordance with that state’s background checks and safety training requirements, and use that permit in Illinois or D.C. ...
This week, Representative Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) sent a letter to the anti-gun Brady Campaign’s acting President Dennis Henigan in response to a previous Brady Campaign release regarding the Congressman’s statements from an October 3, 2011 letter. In this week’s letter, Rep. Walsh was very critical of Brady Campaign’s release, saying “In your response to my recent letter, you have once again drawn false and illogical conclusions from my statements.” ...
Read the entire post and letter at the NRA-ILA (external link)
Posted Thu Nov 10 17:25:23 CST 2011
For this deer season, a new (Wisconsin) law allows transporting of uncased long guns
Concealed carry wasn't the only notable firearm law passed this year in Wisconsin.
Senate Bill 228, which attracted much less attention but has much more to do with hunting than any handgun legislation, was signed into law last week by Gov. Scott Walker.
The law makes it legal to transport uncased long guns and bows in vehicles. In addition, it allows loaded, uncased long guns in or on stationary vehicles. ...
Feinstein Uses 'Fast and Furious' to Make Case for National Gun Registration
(CNSNews.com) – Making a case for national gun registration, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said “perhaps mistakes were made” in the botched gun-walking program known as Fast and Furious, but she said trying to assign blame misses the larger problem.
“This is a deep concern for me. I know others disagree, but we have very lax laws when it comes to guns,” Feinstein, an advocate of gun control, said during Tuesday's hearing of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism.
“My concern, Mr. Chairman, is that there’s been a lot said about Fast and Furious, and perhaps mistakes were made,” Feinstein said. “But I think this hunt for blame doesn’t really speak about the problem. And the problem is, anybody can walk in and buy anything.”
In Operation Fast and Furious, a Justice Department program that began in September 2009, law enforcement knowingly allowed about 2,000 U.S. guns to flow to Mexican drug cartels, with the intent of tracking the weapons and making arrests. However, law enforcement lost track of most of the weapons. The program was halted in December 2010 after two weapons from the program were found at the murder scene of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. ...
NSSF Legislative Alert: Protect Pro-Gun Provisions in Conference
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) -- the trade association for the firearms industry -- is encouraging all sportsmen, gun owners and firearms enthusiasts to contact members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees today and urge them to vote to protect House-passed pro-gun provisions in an upcoming Conference Report on H.R. 2112. This is the legislative vehicle for the annual Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS) and Related Agencies Appropriations Act that funds the ATF.
Here's the background: The House-passed CJS Appropriations bill made permanent nine separate pro-gun, pro-industry protections, such as the "Tiahrt Amendment" -- detailed below. Unfortunately, anti-gun politicians in the Senate successfully blocked a bipartisan amendment offered by Sen. Orin Hatch (R-Utah) that, like the House-passed bill, would have made these needed provisions permanent law. The Senate version makes these protections good for only one fiscal year, meaning anti-gun politicians can come back year after year and try to strip away these pro-gun provisions.
The fight now moves to conference where the House and Senate versions will be reconciled. This will happen today at 5 p.m.
Please contact both the Senate and House conferees TODAY (202-224-3121) and urge them to keep the House-passed firearms provisions in the upcoming Conference Report on H.R. 2112:
Senators: Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) and Richard Shelby (R-Ala.).
Representatives: (Partial List) Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.), Bill Young (R-Fla.), Frank Wolf (R-Va.), Jack Kingston (R-Ga.), Tom Latham (R-Iowa), Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.), Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.), John Culberson (R-Texas), John Carter (R-Texas), Steven LaTourette (R-Ohio) and Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.).
The House-passed CJS appropriations bill would make permanent the following vital pro-gun, pro-industry protections:
1. Firearms Trace Data Disclaimer. A requirement that any trace data released must include a disclaimer stating such trace data cannot be used to draw broad conclusion about firearms-related crime. This provision has been included since FY 2005.
2. Firearms Database Prohibition. A prohibition on the use of funds to create, maintain or administer a database of firearms owners or their firearms. This prohibition has been in place since FY 1979 and prevents the federal government from establishing a national gun registry.
3. Physical Inventory Prohibition. Prohibition on a requirement to allow a physical inventory of Federal Firearms Licensees. The Clinton Administration proposed a rule in 2000 to require an annual inventory by all licensees. While the Bush Administration eventually withdrew the proposal, Congress has still passed this preventive provision every year, beginning in FY 2007.
4. Firearms Parts Export to Canada. A prohibition on the use of funds to require an export license for small firearms parts valued at less than $500 for export to Canada. This provision removed an unnecessary and burdensome requirement on U.S. gun manufacturers that was imposed under the Clinton Administration. It has been included since FY 2006.
5. Business Activity. A prohibition on the use of funds to deny a Federal Firearms License (FFL) or renewal of an FFL on the basis of business activity. This provision prohibits ATF from denying federal firearms license applications or renewals based on a dealer's low business volume alone. Congress added this general provision in FY 2005.
6. Information Retrieval Prohibition. A prohibition on the use of funds to electronically retrieve personally identifying information gathered by federal firearms licensees. This provision prohibits the creation of a gun registry from dealers' records that are required by law to be surrendered to the federal government when a dealer goes out of business. This provision has been included since FY 1997.
7. Information Gathering Prohibition. A prohibition on the use of funds to maintain any information gathered as a part of an instant background check or to maintain information for more than 24 hours. This provision protects the privacy of law-abiding gun buyers by prohibiting information about legal gun purchases from being kept by government authorities. It has been included since FY 1999.
8. Curio and Relic Definition. A prohibition on the use of funds to change the definition of a "curio or relic." This provision protects the status of collectible firearms for future generations of firearms collectors. This provision has been included since Fiscal Year 1997.
9. Importation of Curios and Relics. A prohibition on the use of funds to arbitrarily deny importation of qualifying curio and relic firearms. This provision insures that collectible firearms that meet all legal requirements for importation into the United States are not prevented from import by executive branch fiat. This provision has been included since FY 2006 ...
Posted Fri Nov 4 08:01:40 CST 2011
Oak Park Exploring New Gun Rules
More than a year after the the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its long-standing ban on handguns, Oak Park officials are looking for new ways to limit potential firearm owners.
This time, they'll approach gun ownership as a public health issue.
Why? Because organizations as varied as the American Public Health Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics have for years said that the gun-associated violence is a public health epidemic in the United States. ...
The state Court of Appeals affirmed Monday that Seattle's gun ban in parks is illegal, more than a year after a King County judge sided with gun-rights advocates and the city appealed.
In 2008, then-Mayor Greg Nickels enacted a rule that banned guns and "dangerous weapons" from city parks, community centers and other city properties. In 2009, the city added another rule that banned guns from parks where kids are "likely to be present." The rules followed a shooting at the Northwest Folklife festival that injured three people.
They also prompted a lawsuit by a group of gun-rights advocates who had concealed weapons permits. In February of last year, King County Superior Court Judge Catherine Shaffer ruled that state law prohibits cities from enacting laws that regulate the possession of guns.
The city then appealed. In affirming the trial court's decision, a three-judge Court of Appeals panel wrote:
Except as expressly authorized by the legislature, municipalities are prohibited from regulating the possession of firearms at city-owned park facilities open to the public. ...
Liberal Courts Still Gunning Against Second Amendment Rights
Does the Second Amendment right to bear arms for self-defense extend outside the doorway of our homes? Well, no — at least not according to rulings of judges in California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York and Virginia. Although 40 states currently mandate that permits shall be granted to allow all competent, law-abiding adults who seek them to carry concealed loaded firearms, California, Illinois and Maryland deny permits to all but those who can show they face specific dangers.
Moreover, an Oct. 4 ruling by the Federal U.S. Court of Appeals found the Washington, D.C., ban on even owning “assault weapons” and large-capacity magazines doesn’t violate constitutional rights of residents living in the nation’s capital. The 2-1 judge decision also upheld registration requirements for handguns put in place after a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2008 ended the city’s near total ban on firearms, and ordered a lower court to review other aspects of their gun control law, such as limits on multiple purchases as well.
Judge Douglas Ginsburg defended the ruling, writing, “The District has carried its burden of showing a substantial relationship between the prohibition of both semi-automatic rifles and magazines holding more than 10 rounds, and the objectives of protecting police officers and controlling crime.” Judge Brett Kavanaugh dissented, stating that he would have thrown out the ban on assault weapons and the registration requirements. He wrote: “This case concerns semi-automatic rifles. It would strain logic and common sense to conclude that the Second Amendment protects semi-automatic handguns but does not protect semi-automatic rifles. ...
Just across the river, in East St. Louis, Illinois, a man thought to be the frontrunner for the position of police chief might have a serious skeleton in his closet. From the Belleville News-Democrat:
" The man who many said was being eyed as the next East St. Louis police chief is no longer allowed to carry a gun or serve as a police officer.
Alorton Police Chief Michael Baxton had his state certification rescinded because the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board determined he had been convicted of robbery in 1982, according to the letter dated Friday. It states continuing as a law enforcement officer would constitute a felony." ...
Michelle Obama’s warning to gun owners "Let’s not forget what it meant when my husband appointed those two brilliant Supreme Court justices"
Nearly three years into President Obama’s first term in office, Michelle Obama finally said something with which I can agree.
At a recent fundraiser for President Obama’s re-election campaign in Providence, Rhode Island, the first lady told her audience:
“We stand at a fundamental crossroads for our country. You’re here because you know that in just 13 months, we’re going to make a choice that will impact our lives for decades to come … let’s not forget what it meant when my husband appointed those two brilliant Supreme Court justices … let’s not forget the impact that their decisions will have on our lives for decades to come.”
This was music to the ears of the small, affluent crowd of admirers who cheered and applauded. But to gun owners, Michelle Obama’s remarks should sound like a warning bell, alerting us to the danger ahead should Barack Obama win re-election and get the opportunity to alter the current make-up of the Supreme Court. ...
A ban on semi-automatic rifles and large-capacity ammunition magazines in the capital city got a boost on Tuesday from a U.S. appeals court that upheld the prohibition as constitutional, a setback for gun rights activists.
The ruling upheld a lower court decision that found the ban and regulations by the city of Washington did not violate the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment that permits individuals to possess firearms.
The U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled 2-1 in favor of the city's ban, which is one of the toughest in the United States and also includes a prohibition on semi-automatic pistols and shotguns.
"The District has carried its burden of showing a substantial relationship between the prohibition of both semi-automatic rifles and magazines holding more than ten rounds and the objectives of protecting police officers and controlling crime," said the majority opinion.
It was written by Judge Douglas Ginsburg and he was joined by Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson. Judge Brett Kavanaugh dissented, saying the ban was unconstitutional. All three were appointed by Republican presidents.
The two judges who upheld the ban also backed some registration requirements under D.C. law, but sent some back to the district court for further proceedings.
The challenge to the assault weapons ban came from Dick Heller -- the lead plaintiff who successfully challenged the city's law prohibiting handguns that was ultimately ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
The high court in 2008 issued a landmark ruling that the constitutional right to keep and bear arms applies to individuals and allows them to use guns for lawful purposes such as self-defense in the home.
REGISTRATIONS REJECTED BY POLICE
In this latest case, Heller and two others tried to register semi-automatic rifles but were rejected by Washington police because the rifles were deemed to be assault weapons. Heller also tried to register a pistol but that too was rejected because it had a magazine that held 15 rounds.
Heller's legal team had argued that semi-automatic rifles are often used for home protection and sport. They also contended that the high-capacity magazines were needed because otherwise they would have to pause to reload in a stressful situation.
The city countered that the weapons were not protected by the Second Amendment of the Constitution. The latest FBI crime statistics showed that 99 of the 131 murders in Washington in 2010 were a result of firearms and of the approximately 3,900 robberies last year, 40 percent were with firearms.
"As the District points out, the plaintiffs present hardly any evidence that semi-automatic rifles and magazines holding more than ten rounds are well-suited to or preferred for the purpose of self-defense or sport," the majority opinion said. ...
Legislators prepare for potential concealed carry vote
Next month, the Illinois House could revisit House Bill 148, seeking to bring the state in line with all 49 others with a law giving citizens some form of concealed possession of a handgun.
The idea of being able to legally carry a handgun is OK with William Bradley – on the one hand.
The 68-year-old retiree wants to be able to walk out of the Chatham home where he and his wife reside, without fear for his personal safety. Right now, he said he doesn’t have that comfort. ...
FBI Stats Correlate with CCW Popularity, notes Gun Dean
"Recent FBI reports show a four-year drop in violent crime," gun law expert John M. Snyder said here today. "This correlates with the popularity and enactment of state concealed laws," he added. He is the Gun Dean, notes Human Events.
According to FBI statistics, murder dropped 4.2 percent last year from the previous year. Robberies dropped 10 percent and rapes five percent.
Snyder (www.GunRightsPolicies.org) noted that, "over the past 25 years, there has been an increase in the number of states that allow qualified citizens to carry concealed firearms. Forty-nine states permit this in one way or the other. Only Illinois does not.
"What's needed is a law to allow a man or woman who has a state issued permit to carry a concealed firearm in one state to carry in other states. This could reduce further the rates of violent crime. Criminals generally don't want to attack armed citizens."
Snyder said this would be similar to the current reciprocity that allows an individual with a license to operate an automobile in one state to drive his or her car in other states.
"The idea meets with the approval of the nation's law enforcement command officers," Snyder indicated. "A survey of American chiefs of police and sheriffs conducted by the National Association of Chiefs of Police (NACOP) shows this. Seventy-nine percent think general national recognition of CCW permits issued by a state would facilitate the crime-fighting potential of the professional law enforcement community.
"Seventy-four percent of the command officers think qualified, law-abiding armed citizens can be of assistance to the professional law enforcement community in promoting justice and reducing criminal activity."
"Fortunately," Snyder continued, "there is a bill in Congress, H.R. 822, by Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL), the proposed National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act. This would allow Americans who hold state-issued permits to carry concealed firearms to carry their guns across state lines.
"Congressman Stearns has been proposing similar legislation for a decade or so. There are over 240 bi-partisan cosponsors of the bill, which Rep. Stearns introduced this year with Rep. Heath Shuler (D-NC). Recently, the House Judiciary's Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security held a public hearing on H.R. 822, a first for Rep. Stearns' proposal."
"H.R. 822 enjoys a lot of public and congressional support," said Snyder. "Citizens who believe in the right to keep and bear arms can take action. Citizens who want to see violent crime take an even further nose dive can take action. Now is the time for American citizen-voters to contact their Representative, both of their Senators and the White House to demand positive action of H.R. 822 as soon as possible."
NRA-ILA news of 2nd Amendment Litigation Across the Nation
Introducing the NRA-ILA Legal Update! To give NRA members and gun owners the latest information on Second Amendment cases filed or supported by the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (www.nraila.org), NRA-ILA is pleased to announce a new online newsletter, the NRA-ILA Legal Update.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2008 decision in District of Columbia v. Heller, holding that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to keep and bear arms, hundreds of Second Amendment cases have been litigated in federal and state courts. The pace of litigation has only increased since the Court’s 2010 decision in McDonald v. City of Chicago, holding that the right to keep and bear arms is fundamental and protects all Americans.
Not all of those cases are ours, of course. Many have been brought by other organizations or individuals, or raised by defendants in criminal cases. As with any legal issue that comes up in a large and diverse variety of situations, the arguments put forward range from convincing to frivolous. NRA-ILA’s goal in every case we consider is to strategically advance the rights of gun owners, while not creating bad precedent. To that end, we routinely consider requests from attorneys in the field, as well as seek opportunities to advance key issues with the assistance of some of America’s top appellate lawyers. (See “NRA-ILA Referrals and NRA-ILA Supported Litigation” at the end of this newsletter.)
Depending on the situation, our involvement can range from being a named plaintiff in a suit, to funding and supporting a suit, to intervening and becoming a party, to participating as an amicus, or in some instances to being designated by one of the parties in a suit to lead the oral argument. ...
Group asks federal judge to end Illinois' concealed weapons ban
SPRINGFIELD -- Hoping to bring Illinois in line with 49 other states, gun rights activists asked a federal judge Thursday to lift the state's one-of-a-kind ban on carrying concealed weapons in public.
In testimony before U.S. District Judge Sue Myerscough, attorneys with the Bellevue, Wash.-based Second Amendment Foundation said recent court cases that have tossed out gun restrictions in other jurisdictions provide the legal grounds for changing Illinois gun laws.
Attorney David Jensen said the restrictions deprive Illinoisans of the right of armed self-defense.
The lawsuit, filed by Michael Moore of Champaign, is among at least two cases winding their way through the federal legal system seeking to alter Illinois' status as the lone holdout in the nation when it comes to allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons.
The court battle comes as state lawmakers have been unable to agree on a law legalizing the practice. Earlier this year, a concealed carry proposal fell six votes short of moving out of the House.
In arguing Thursday against lifting the ban, Assistant Illinois Attorney General Terrence Corrigan said the gun rights supporters have no standing to move forward with the case.
"There has been no claim of individual harm," Corrigan said ...
NRA Statement on Obama Administration Decision to Require Rifle Sales Reporting
Monday, July 11, 2011
$40 billion transnational criminal enterprises don't fill out paperwork and are not deterred by paperwork violations. This is a blatant effort by the Obama administration and ATF to divert focus of Congress and the general public from their gross incompetence in the Fast and Furious scandal. This scheme will unjustly burden law-abiding retailers in border states. It will not affect drug cartels and and it won't prevent violence along our borders. ATF and the Administration lacks the statutory authority to do this and the NRA will file suit as soon as ATF sends the first demand letters.
Illinois Now Sole State with Concealed Carry Ban Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signed bill into law on Friday; Illinois feels increased pressure by gun advocates
With Wisconsin's legalization of concealed weapons on Friday, Illinois is now the only state that doesn’t allow concealed carry.
Wisconsin joined 48 other states in legalizing the carrying of concealed weapons when Gov. Scott Walker signed a bill removing the state's ban on Friday afternoon in Wausau. Concealed weapons will be legal to carry in the dairy state starting in November.
Illinois has recently felt pressure to erase its concealed carry laws. The state House rejected a bill for concealed carry on May 5, and the state now faces a lawsuit against the existing ban.
"This good fortune enjoyed by the citizens of Wisconsin underscores the ongoing plight of their neighbors to the south," the Illinois State Rifle Association said in a statement. "Once the Wisconsin governor signs concealed carry into law, Illinois will be the only state in the nation that prohibits its citizens from protecting themselves with the most effective tool available -- the defensive firearm." ...
NRA Files a Motion for an Immediate End to Illinois’ Ban on Right-to-Carry
Fairfax, Va. -- The National Rifle Association (NRA) is filing a motion for an injunction asking the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois to immediately strike down Illinois’ complete and total ban on carrying firearms for self-defense outside the home or place of business.
This week, the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that any violation of the Second Amendment constitutes irreparable harm – a factor needed to receive a preliminary injunction on NRA’s lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Illinois statute prohibiting carriage.
The NRA filed a lawsuit, Shepard v. Madigan, on May 13 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. The lead plaintiff is church treasurer Mary Shepard; joining her is the Illinois State Rifle Association, the NRA’s state affiliate.
Because Illinois statutes prohibit carrying handguns, they infringe on the right of the people, including Mrs. Shepard, members of the ISRA and other law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms as guaranteed by the Second and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution and are thus null and void.
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen's group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation's leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military.
SAF Files for Preliminary Injunction Against Illinois Carry Ban
BELLEVUE, Wash., July 7, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Capitalizing on its federal appeals court victory Wednesday in Ezell v. City of Chicago, the Second Amendment Foundation today moved for a preliminary injunction against the State of Illinois to prevent further enforcement of that state's prohibitions on firearms carry in public by law-abiding citizens.
The motion was filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois in Springfield. Joining SAF in this motion are Illinois Carry and four private citizens, Michael Moore, Charles Hooks, Peggy Fechter and Jon Maier. The underlying case is known as Moore v. Madigan.
Illinois is the only state in the nation with such prohibitions. The state neither allows open carry or concealed carry, which runs afoul of recent U.S. Supreme Court Second Amendment rulings, including last year's landmark ruling in McDonald v. City of Chicago, another SAF case. SAF was represented in McDonald and Ezell by attorney Alan Gura, who noted after yesterday's appeals court win – forcing a temporary injunction against the city's ban on gun ranges that the city immediately changed after the decision was announced – that "Even Chicago politicians must respect the people's fundamental civil rights…Gun rights are coming to Chicago. The only question is how much the city's intransigence will cost taxpayers along the way."
"Now that the Seventh Circuit has recognized that the deprivation of the right of armed self-defense is an inherently irreparable injury, it is clear that Illinois' law-abiding gun owners are entitled to a protective injunction," said attorney David Jensen of New York, who, along with Glen Ellyn, IL attorney David Sigale, is representing SAF and the other plaintiffs.
"Yesterday's win was a wake-up call to Chicago," said SAF Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb. "Today's motion is a signal to the Illinois Legislature that the state's total ban on carrying of firearms for personal protection is counter to both Supreme Court rulings on the Second Amendment, and yesterday's ruling by the Seventh Circuit appeals panel that shredded Chicago's gun ordinance. Our victory Wednesday and today's motion are key components of SAF's overall mission to win back firearms freedoms one lawsuit at a time."
The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nation's oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control. In addition to the landmark McDonald v. Chicago Supreme Court Case, SAF has previously funded successful firearms-related suits against the cities of Los Angeles; New Haven, CT; New Orleans; Chicago and San Francisco on behalf of American gun owners, a lawsuit against the cities suing gun makers and numerous amicus briefs holding the Second Amendment as an individual right.
SAF, ISRA Win Injunction V. Chicago on Gun Range Ban
BELLEVUE, Wash., July 6, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a 3-0 ruling issued this morning, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has reversed a lower court ruling and ordered that court to issue a preliminary injunction against the City of Chicago on behalf of the Second Amendment Foundation that prevents the city from banning gun ranges inside city limits.
Joining SAF in the original lawsuit were Action Target, Inc., the Illinois State Rifle Association and three Chicago residents, Rhonda Ezell, William Hespen and Joseph Brown. Their attempts to obtain a temporary restraining order against the gun range ban were twice rejected by the district court. The Appeals Court ruling is severely critical of the lower court's ruling.
"This is a significant victory that could have strong implications well beyond the Chicago city limits," said SAF Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. "The court is making it clear that cities cannot adopt firearms ordinances that are so deliberately restrictive that they make it impossible for citizens to exercise their rights under the Second Amendment."
Immediately after last year's landmark SAF victory in McDonald v. City of Chicago, the city adopted a handgun ordinance that required special permits and mandated range training, but banned gun ranges inside city limits. The city argued that citizens could fulfill their training requirement by visiting a suburban range. In today's ruling, written by Judge Diane S. Sykes, the Appeals Court observed, "It's hard to imagine anyone suggesting that Chicago may prohibit the exercise of a free-speech or religious-liberty right within its borders on the rationale that those rights may be freely enjoyed in the suburbs. That sort of argument should be no less unimaginable in the Second Amendment context." In a concurring opinion, Judge Ilana Diamond Rovner noted, "…the city may not condition gun ownership for self-defense in the home on a prerequisite that the City renders impossible to fulfill within the city limits."
"What the city tried to do, as the court ruling noted, was 'thumb its municipal nose at the Supreme Court,'" Gottlieb stated. "City governments, no matter how much they abhor the fundamental right of citizens to keep and bear arms, cannot use clever legal devices to prevent the exercise of that right. As Judge Rovner noted, 'the city must come to terms with that reality.'"
In a stunning victory that puts cities on notice they cannot ignore the Supreme Court’s Second Amendment rulings, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has ordered a lower court to grant a preliminary injunction against the City of Chicago’s gun range prohibition, in a case filed last year by the Bellevue-based Second Amendment Foundation.
The case is known as Ezell v. Chicago.
SAF Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb was jubilant after the ruling was delivered in what appears to have been a speedy process to prevent an attempt by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the city council to amend their ordinance and moot the case. The Chicago Sun Times reported Monday that Emanuel was preparing an ordinance for introduction this week that would allow gun ranges. The court ruling, written by Judge Diane Sykes, beat Emanuel to the draw ...
It’s Not What You Said, But to Whom You Said It Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy tells a Black church audience that he thinks gun laws kill Black children.
What do you say to a neighborhood plagued with gun violence over the years? Stop bringing guns into the community—seems simple enough, right? Well, Garry McCarthy, Chicago’s newly appointed police superintendent brought in by new mayor Rahm Emanuel, may have taken his anti–gun violence rhetoric a little too far, according to critics.
McCarthy, who is white, appeared at St. Sabina, a predominately Black church in Chicago’s South side of the city last week. During his remarks McCarthy warned the crowd that he wasn’t afraid to talk about race. To prove just how serious he was, he made a correlation between slavery, segregation, the Black codes and Jim Crow with “government-sponsored racism.”
Although the church’s pastor, Rev. Dr. Michael Pfleger, has been a strong supporter of anti-gun and anti-drug campaigns over the years, McCarthy may have felt a little too comfortable expressing his feelings toward federal gun laws.
"Now I want you to connect one more dot on that chain of the African-American history in this country, and tell me if I’m crazy, federal gun laws,” he started, “... facilitate the flow of illegal firearms into our urban centers across this country, that are killing our Black and brown children."
He may have been cheered on by the worshipers, but not surprisingly McCarthy’s remarks have received very harsh criticism from gun-rights advocates ...
ISRA URGENT ALERT: NEW CHICAGO POLICE SUPERINTENDENT LAUNCHES ATTACK AGAINST LAW-ABIDING FIREARM OWNERS
Fellow Law-Abiding Firearm Owners:
As many of you may already know, Chicago’s new police superintendant, Gerry McCarthy, recently delivered an address on the topic of gun control to the parishioners of Fr. Pfleger’s St. Sabina’s Church. For those of you who have not seen the video of McCarthy’s address, you may find it here.
Certainly, none of us would expect McCarthy to discuss how traditional gun control policies seek to disarm law-abiding citizens while ignoring violent criminals. Likewise, we wouldn’t expect to hear McCarthy place the blame for violent crime on a justice system that woefully fails to apprehend, convict and rehabilitate society’s most dangerous elements. No, we’d never expect to hear McCarthy utter the truth about one of the most contentious issues of the day.
As much as we wouldn’t expect to hear McCarthy speak in opposition to gun control, it is equally certain that few of us were prepared to hear what actually came from McCarthy’s mouth when he spoke to the St. Sabina’s congregation. After several minutes of gratuitous self-promotion, McCarthy launched into a racially-charged tirade in which he accused the NRA and law-abiding gun owners of participating in a government-sponsored program to kill Black people.
Like most of you, we believe an assertion such as McCarthy’s is too nutty to dignify with a response. But listening to McCarthy’s rant causes us to pause and ponder the Chicago Police Department’s own record on race relations. Furthermore, given McCarthy’s background, would any of the readers venture a guess as to who McCarthy blames for crime and violence when he’s safe at home among his family and personal friends?
Gerry McCarthy’s verbal attack on law-abiding citizens serves as an affront to law-enforcement officers everywhere. But, then again, any suggestion that McCarthy is a law-enforcement officer is a sham. Rather, McCarthy is merely another in a long line of political hacks who have resided in the office of police superintendant. McCarthy’s job description has nothing to do with law-enforcement and everything to do with enforcing the political agenda of his boss, Rahm Emanuel. Of course, as we know, Emanuel’s agenda seeks the eventual prohibition of private firearm ownership.
Probably the most ironic thing about McCarthy’s speech to St. Sabina’s parishioners is that McCarthy delivered his address while standing only a few feet away from Rev. Mike Pfleger. Let us not forget that, a few years ago, Pfleger urged attendees at a gun control rally to go out and murder gun shop owners and politicians who vote against gun control laws.
McCarthy’s speech at St. Sabina’s is a mere preview of what law-abiding firearm owners can expect out of the Emanuel administration in the months ahead. Watch the video of McCarthy’s performance at St. Sabina’s and you will see what we’re up against. And, as always, we really need your financial support to help contain and defeat the Emanuel Gun Grabbing Machine. So, once you’ve watched the video, please make a generous donation to the ISRA so that Emanuel’s dream of a gun-free Illinois doesn’t wind up becoming your nightmare.
Also, please pass this alert on to your friends and relatives. Be sure to post this alert to any and all Internet blogs and bulletin boards to which you belong.
Remember, gun control is a disease and you are the cure.
Sincerely,
Richard A. Pearson Executive Director Illinois State Rifle Association
SAF Leads Coalition in Amicus Filing for Colorado Carry Case
BELLEVUE, Wash., June 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Second Amendment Foundation has been joined by 17 other firearms rights groups in an amicus brief filed in a case now before the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, challenging laws that prohibit the carrying of firearms by law-abiding non-resident U.S. citizens in Denver, Colorado.
The case, Peterson v. Garcia, was filed by Washington state resident Gray Peterson, who cannot exercise his right to bear arms because Colorado statute prohibits the issuance of a concealed carry permit to non-residents, and does not recognize Peterson's Washington license or his Florida carry permit because he is not a Florida resident. Denver bans the open carry of firearms, leaving Peterson – who visits Colorado frequently – without any legal means of carrying a firearm for his personal protection.
"This is a case that affects citizens in at least 20 states and the District of Columbia," noted Miko Tempski, SAF legal affairs director. "We've been joined by organizations from 16 of those states in this brief, because they all have members who may travel to Colorado and face the same problem if they enter the City of Denver."
Joining SAF are the Buckeye Firearms Foundation (Ohio), Citizens' Rights Action League (Rhode Island), Commonwealth Second Amendment (Massachusetts), Connecticut Citizens Defense League, Calguns Foundation, Inc. (California), Gun Owners Civil Rights Alliance (Minnesota), Hawaii Defense Foundation, Illinois Carry, Illinois State Rifle Association, Maine Open Carry Association, Maryland Shall Issue, Oregon Firearms Educational Foundation, Wisconsin Carry, Inc., SCOPE, Inc. (New York), Stillwater Firearms Association (Nevada), Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. and West Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. All are state-focused non-profit organizations dedicated to preserving, defending and promoting firearms rights ...
ISRA Press Release: Illinois Legislature Leaves Good Citizens Defenseless Against Brutal "Flash Mobs"
CHICAGO, June 6, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following was released today by the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA):
For the second weekend in a row, visitors to Chicago's posh Gold Coast were terrorized by so-called "flash mobs." For the uninitiated, a "flash mob" is a violent group of dozens of young people who are directed to specific locations by smart phones or social media sites for the purpose of robbing and beating unsuspecting citizens.
On Memorial Day, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel ordered the very popular North Avenue Beach closed. Although the official position of the city was that it was "too hot" for people to be on the beach, indications are that the beach was closed because a flash mob was roaming the lakefront attacking unwary beachgoers.
According to CBS 2 television, several innocent citizens – including a 68-year-old man – were attacked by flash mobs near the upscale Magnificent Mile shopping district early Saturday evening. In both cases, groups of 20 or more young men swarmed their victims – kicking, punching and robbing them. The police were only able to detain 4 of the dozens of participants in the flash mob.
"The growing tide of flash mob attacks in Chicago really drives home the point that the police are not able to defend ordinary citizens from violent crime," commented ISRA Executive Director Richard Pearson. "These flash mobs are like terrorist sleeper cells. They appear out of nowhere, savagely attack their victims, then blend back into the crowd before the police can arrive. So far, these flash mobs appear content with beating and robbing their victims. But, the inability of law-enforcement agencies to protect citizens from flash mobs will only serve to embolden the mob participants. It won't be long until these mobs graduate from robbery to gang rape or even murder."
"It is understandable that Mayor Emanuel and other city officials are in denial over the dangers of flash mobs," continued Pearson. "After all, tourist season is upon us and Chicago cannot afford to have tourists scared away by the specter of a violent mob attack. But whether the mayor and the city council like it or not, flash mob activity will become more commonplace with the tactics of the flash mobs exhibiting an escalation in headline-grabbing violence."
"Earlier this spring, the Illinois General Assembly passed up the opportunity to enact legislation designed to discourage flash mob violence," said Pearson. "If passed and signed into law, House Bill 148 would have allowed well-qualified, well-trained, law-abiding citizens to carry defensive firearms. Certainly, an armed citizen is in a much better position to ward off a violent flash mob attack than an unarmed citizen carrying nothing more than a mocha latte. Unfortunately, members of the gun control movement bullied legislators and the measure fell 6 votes short of passage."
"As far as I'm concerned, anyone injured at the hands of a flash mob has the General Assembly to thank for their suffering," concluded Pearson. "People have the right to defend themselves against flash mob thugs and the state has no business interfering with that right to self defense."
The ISRA is the state's leading advocate of safe, lawful and responsible firearms ownership. For more than a century, the ISRA has represented the interests of millions of law-abiding Illinois firearm owners.
A Message From ISRA Executive Director Richard Pearson
There has been a great deal of conjecture out there about what we are going to do after placing HB148 on postponed consideration. First let me explain what postponed consideration means.
It simply means the sponsor with drew the bill before the vote could be recorded. The bill is still alive and will be until the second Wednesday in January 2013. This means we can bring the bill back during veto session, next session, or next veto session.
You will not see HB148 brought up again before May 31st ,which is the end of the Spring 2011 session. There is no way to do it and have any better results. Long before the vote it was decided that if the bill did not pass we would sue the State of Illinois over the inability of Illinois citizens to defend themselves outside of their home. Illinois is the only state that does not allow either open carry or concealed carry. We have now begun the legal challenges to the Illinois laws with the NRA. The is another challenge from the Second Amendment Foundation on a similar basis. Illinois is now facing two law suits over the inability of Illinois citizens being able to defend themselves outside their homes. Brandon Phelps the CCW sponsor warned the House of Representatives that they would be in court if the bill was not passed. Within seven days we delivered on that promise. If we get CCW by court order I am happy with that. If it comes by court order the legislature will have to still enact some legislation but they will find their hands are tied. We offered a good bill and they turned it down.
These lawsuits will take time to make their way through the court system. There is a great deal of work that goes into these suits every day before they are heard in court. It is not a simple thing to file a law suit. There is always on going work behind the scenes. Be patient.
We promised that in 2011 we would get a up and down vote on CCW and we did. We had to probe and find out the other side’s strengths, weakness, and reactions. We have done that. There were a few surprises but not many. We have a lot of work to do in the next few months. This effort has taken a toll on our resources and our energy. We have to develop new strategies and reinforce old ones that work. We are not quitting. Remember we fiercely believe in the Second Amendment and the right to self defense. We will win this battle. As I reminded one of our opponents – “You don’t defeat us- we just fall back reload and attack again.”
Posted Thu May 26 22:30:20 CDT 2011
NJ JUDGE ISSUES PERMIT TO PLAINTIFF IN SAF LAWSUIT
For Immediate Release: 5/26/2011
BELLEVUE, WA – A New Jersey judge today announced he will issue a gun permit to one of the plaintiffs in a Second Amendment Foundation lawsuit against several New Jersey officials for deprivation of civil rights under color of law, because applicants cannot show a “justifiable need” for a permit.
SAF Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb said today this “clearly indicates that our lawsuit is proper, and we are encouraged to press our case to its conclusion.”
Morris County Superior Court Judge David Ironson announced after a hearing in his courtroom this morning that a permit will be issued to lead plaintiff Jeffrey Muller. His application had languished for six months before Judge Philip Maenza, a defendant in the federal lawsuit, denied the permit without a hearing on the grounds that Muller did not have a “justifiable need.” Muller had been kidnapped by members of a motorcycle gang who threatened to kill him, in a case of mistaken identity. Several suspects have been arrested in that case, and Muller’s application for a permit had gained support from local and state police.
“Finally,” Gottlieb said, “one judge has done the right thing, but it took a federal lawsuit to make it happen. Our other plaintiffs are pushing ahead with the lawsuit so we can put an end to this practice once and for all.”
SAF is joined in the lawsuit by the Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs, Inc. and several private citizens whose applications for permits to carry have been denied generally on the grounds that they have not shown a “justifiable need.” One of the remaining plaintiffs is a part-time sheriff’s deputy, a second carries large amounts of cash in his private business and another is a civilian employee of the FBI in New Jersey who is fearful of attack from a radical Islamic fundamentalist group. They are represented by attorney David D. Jensen.
“We’re moving forward with this case,” Gottlieb stated, “because there are far too many people just like Jeff Muller whose civil rights have been cavalierly denied on the whims of a judge.”
The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nation's oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control. SAF has previously funded successful firearms-related suits against the cities of Los Angeles; New Haven, CT; and San Francisco on behalf of American gun owners, a lawsuit against the cities suing gun makers and an amicus brief and fund for the Emerson case holding the Second Amendment as an individual right.
LA Times OP-ED: Gun control that won't If California bans 'open carry,' it could lead to more permits to carry concealed weapons.
What if we passed a gun control law but it led to more people carrying guns on our streets? That may be exactly what happens if a bill passed last week by the California Assembly becomes law.
AB 144 would prohibit the carrying of visible firearms in California cities. It was inspired by the spectacle of gun-rights advocates showing up last year at Starbucks shops with their handguns prominently displayed. That's legal, as long as those guns are unloaded.
If, however, California bans what is called "open carry," the state will probably have to loosen the standards for people to have permits to carry concealed weapons. In California, gun owners can only legally carry a concealed firearm, loaded or unloaded, if they have a permit. And in cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles, "concealed carry" permits are very difficult to obtain — arguably too difficult, if AB 144 becomes law.
How, exactly, could banning open carry become a wedge that opens the door to more liberal concealed carry laws? It starts with a landmark Supreme Court decision two years ago, District of Columbia vs. Heller, in which the justices clearly held — for the first time in United States history — that individuals have a constitutional right to possess firearms.
Although the court's decision involved only guns kept in the home, most 2nd Amendment experts predict the court will eventually hold that the Constitution also guarantees the right to have a gun for self-defense in public. As the court explained, the 2nd Amendment recognizes not just a right "to keep" arms but also a right to "bear," or carry, arms.
The court decision, however, also suggested that the right to bear arms is not absolute. States may be able to ban people from carrying concealed weapons or prohibit them from carrying them openly, but probably not both. The court cited a number of lower court cases that upheld concealed carry bans on the ground that citizens still had the alternative of openly carrying their guns ...
HB 3500 passes both houses, lands on Governor's desk Bill protects gun owner privacy.
CHICAGO -- Illinois lawmakers voted overwhelming Friday to bar the public from knowing who holds a firearm owner identification card, a victory for gun owners who say they have a right to privacy over open-government advocates who say such records should not be secret.
In a 42-1 vote, the Senate passed a measure overturning a ruling by Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office that said the names are public under the state's open records law. It now goes to Gov. Pat Quinn, who said he agrees the information should remain confidential and will "act accordingly" after reviewing the legislation.
Madigan's office issued the decree earlier this year after the Illinois State Police refused to release to The Associated Press the names of 1.3 million people who are registered to own firearms. The AP's request set off howls of protests from gun owners and the state police, who said they feared criminals would use the information to steal guns or target those who aren't armed.
"We've always felt that the intent of the FOID law was to keep everything private," said Richard Pearson ( PSO - news - people ), executive director of the Illinois State Rifle Association. "We have (privacy laws) for medical records ... anything that could be used to do harm to the public should be kept secure." ...
SAF Adds Plaintiffs in Illinois Firearms Law Challenge
BELLEVUE, Wash.--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--The Second Amendment Foundation announced this morning that it has filed an amended complaint in federal district court in Illinois, challenging the state’s statutory prohibitions on the carrying of handguns for personal protection.
Joining SAF in this amended complaint are Illinois Carry, a volunteer organization founded to educate the public about Illinois gun laws, and two more private citizens, Peggy Fechter of Carmi, and Jon Maier, a resident of Bloomington. Michael Moore of Champaign and Charles Hooks of Percy remain active plaintiffs.
Defendants in the lawsuit are Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and State Police Superintendent Hiram Grau. SAF is represented by attorneys David Jensen of New York and David Sigale of Glen Ellyn. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois in Springfield.
The lawsuit alleges that Illinois statutes that completely ban the carrying of handguns for self-defense deprive the plaintiffs of civil rights under color of law, making them “inconsistent with the Second Amendment.”
SAF Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb welcomed the additional plaintiffs, noting, “After the lawsuit was filed on Tuesday, we were overwhelmed by requests to participate. We want to assure everyone who contacted us that they do not need to be actual plaintiffs in order to benefit from a victory.
“SAF truly appreciates the wave of enthusiasm and support from gun owners all over Illinois,” he continued. “But right now we need to move forward and if people would like to support our lawsuit with a tax-exempt contribution to SAF, we would welcome that. We simply cannot take on more plaintiffs at this point and further delay the process.”
The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nation’s oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control. SAF won the historic Second Amendment victory in McDonald v. City of Chicago.
Washington Times: The right to bear arms Concealed-carry lawsuits challenge Illinois anti-gun laws
Illinois has the worst gun laws of any state. Only police officers and the taxpayer-funded bodyguards for ex-Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley have the right to carry a handgun outside their homes. Everyone else is out of luck - unless a pair of federal lawsuits filed last week succeed in arguing that the Second Amendment right to “keep and bear Arms” means that people can actually bear arms in the land of Lincoln.
Last year, the Supreme Court struck down Chicago’s ban on private handgun ownership, upholding the “keeping” of arms. The National Rifle Association (NRA) and Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) are looking to build on that victory by overturning the country’s most sweeping anti-carry statute to ensure the “bearing” of arms is equally protected.
The NRA-funded suit champions the cause of church treasurer Mary E. Shepard, 71, the victim of a brutal 2009 beating at the hands of a thug with a long criminal record. Under Illinois law, Mrs. Shepard would face felony charges were she to carry a handgun to prevent such an attack in the future. Mrs. Shepard can protect herself in Florida and Pennsylvania, where she has received concealed-carry permits, but she is denied the same right in her home state of Illinois. The SAF suit was filed on behalf of Michael Moore, 60. Earlier in his career, Mr. Moore was a deputy sheriff and could legally carry firearms while off-duty. As the current superintendent of the Champaign County Jail, Mr. Moore can no longer do so. ...
Illinois General Assembly Squanders Opportunity to Improve Gun Buyer Background Check System
SPRINGFIELD, Ill., May 15, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following was released today by the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA):
Illinois gun control advocates and their allies in the General Assembly delivered a "triple-whammy" against public safety recently when they sabotaged passage of HB148.
Under the provisions of HB148, well-trained, well-qualified Illinois citizens would be permitted to carry defensive firearms to protect themselves and their families from violent criminals. At the same time, HB148 would have provided upwards of $40 million in permit fees to the Illinois State Police to pay for upgrades to the state's antiquated gun buyer background check system.
But, thanks to the short-sighted efforts of the gun control movement and its friends in the Illinois House, tens of thousands of law-abiding Illinois citizens will continue to suffer at the hands of murderers, robbers and rapists because they cannot lawfully defend themselves. Likewise, the gun control movement can take credit for saddling the state police with a background check system based on software developed in 1959.
Rounding out the triple whammy-against the citizens of Illinois is the fact that the actions of gun control advocates are to blame for a pair of lawsuits filed this week in federal court against the State of Illinois. Both lawsuits – one filed by the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), the other filed by the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the ISRA – contend that the state is damaging law-abiding citizens by prohibiting the carrying of defensive firearms.
In a nut shell, the gun control movement's efforts the kill HB148 have ensured that Illinois remains one of the most dangerous places to live in the United States. In addition to causing the loss of $40 million for better background checks, the gun control movement is now responsible for Illinois having to shell out millions in taxpayer dollars to pay legal bills related to the SAF and NRA/ISRA lawsuits. Once again, the extremist views of the gun control movement are costing the good people of Illinois dearly.
"The ISRA is very excited about being a plaintiff in the NRA/ISRA lawsuit," commented ISRA Executive Director, Richard Pearson. "This lawsuit defines the cutting edge of one of the most important questions of the day. That is, does the state have the right to decide who is worth defending and who is not?"
"The fact that two lawsuits have been filed against the State of Illinois this week is proof-positive that this issue is not going to go away," continued Pearson. "The behind the scenes political gamesmanship that resulted in the scuttling of HB148 has not diminished the resolve of the good people of Illinois. Whether it is in the courts, in the legislature, or at the ballot box, we will relentlessly push forward until the citizen's right to self defense is restored in Illinois."
The ISRA is the state's leading advocate of safe, lawful and responsible firearms ownership. For more than a century, the ISRA has represented the interests of millions of law-abiding Illinois firearm owners.
NRA & ISRA File Suit Against Unconstitutional Ban on Carrying Firearms for Self-Defense in Illinois
Fairfax, Va. -- The National Rifle Association is funding and supporting a lawsuit that challenges the constitutionality of Illinois’ complete and total ban on carrying firearms for self-defense outside the home. The case, filed today in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, is Shepard v. Madigan. The lead plaintiff is church treasurer Mary Shepard; joining her as co-plaintiff is the Illinois State Rifle Association, the NRA’s state affiliate.
Mary Shepard is an Illinois resident and a trained gun owner with no criminal record, who is licensed to carry a concealed handgun in two other states. Because Illinois remains the only state that completely prohibits all law-abiding citizens from carrying firearms for self-defense outside the home, Mary Shepard also became a crime victim. While working as the treasurer of her church, Mrs. Shepard and an 83-year-old co-worker were viciously attacked and beaten by a six-foot-three-inch, 245-pound man with a violent past and a criminal record. Mrs. Shepard and her co-worker were lucky to survive, as each of them suffered major injuries to the head, neck and upper body. Mrs. Shepard’s injuries required extensive surgery and physical therapy.
“Mary Shepard isn't just a victim of the violent criminal who attacked her," said Chris W. Cox, executive director of NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action. "She is also a victim of anti self-defense activists in the Illinois legislature who have consistently refused to recognize that good people have the right to protect themselves when they go about their everyday business. We're pleased that the legislature has come closer this year than ever before to changing the law, but close isn't good enough for Mary Shepard and the thousands of other Illinois residents who are prohibited by statute from defending themselves outside the home."
Because Illinois statutes prohibit the right to keep and bear arms and the ability to carry handguns in Illinois, they infringe on the right of the people, including Mrs. Shepard, members of the ISRA and other law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms as guaranteed by the Second and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution and are thus null and void.
Cox concluded: "In its historic Heller and McDonald decisions, the U.S. Supreme Court made clear that the Second Amendment protects a fundamental, individual right to keep and bear arms. Mary Shepard's story highlights the need for law-abiding citizens to be able to fully exercise their Second Amendment rights. Whether through the legislature or through the courts, we won't rest until that happens. ...
SAF Sues Illinois Over Ban on Carrying Guns for Self-Defense
BELLEVUE, Wash., May 13, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Second Amendment Foundation has filed suit in federal court in Illinois, challenging the state's complete prohibition on the carrying of firearms in public for the purpose of self-defense.
The lawsuit alleges that Illinois statutes that completely ban the carrying of handguns for self-defense are "inconsistent with the Second Amendment." Joining SAF are two private citizens, Michael Moore of Champaign and Charles Hooks of Percy. Named as defendants are Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and State Police Superintendent Patrick Keen. SAF is represented by attorneys David Jensen and David Sigale. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois.
"Illinois is currently the only state in the country that imposes a complete prohibition on the carrying of firearms for personal protection by its citizens," said SAF Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb. "The state legislature recently stopped, by a thin margin, a concealed carry measure. After the 2008 Heller ruling and last year's McDonald ruling against the City of Chicago that incorporated the Second Amendment to the states, one would think that Illinois lawmakers would act quickly to comply with court decisions and the constitution."
"Illinois is the only state in the country that completely prohibits its citizens from carrying guns for self-defense," Jensen added. "It is incredible that this situation has persisted even in light of the Supreme Court's rulings in Heller and McDonald, and we look forward to vindicating the rights of the people of Illinois."
The lawsuit insists this case is not an attempt to force Illinois into some regulatory scheme, but only to clarify that the state's current regulatory ban on firearms carry is impermissible under the Second Amendment.
"Every other state has some kind of regulatory scenario," Gottlieb noted. "Even in Wisconsin, where there is no concealed carry statute, the state attorney general has recognized that open carry is legal. Only Illinois makes it statutorily impossible for average private citizens to carry firearms for self-defense.
"Whether Illinois lawmakers like it or not," he added, "the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms is the law of the land. A complete prohibition simply does not pass constitutional muster. The state cannot stick it's head in the sand and pretend this problem does not exist.."
Information for You on HB-148 - Family and Personal Protection Act: How Did Your Representative Vote Yesterday?
excerpt: Without an official recording of the vote, some of you are left wondering how your Representative voted on the bill, perhaps depending on who your Representative is or where your district is located.
Thanks to coverage of the Illinois General Assembly by Illinois Statehouse News, you can see how the votes were cast yesterday before being pulled from consideration, in the image below. Green is "Yes", Red is "No" in the votes cast. This picture is taken from a screenshot of a very short video that you can watch at Illinois Statehouse News' YouTube Channel.
Now that you've seen how your Representative voted, what to do? ...
Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police Support Concealed Carry
Chicago - Leaders of the Illinois Assn. of Chiefs of Police voted Wednesday to change their stance on the issue. They now support legalizing concealed carry.
It’s a big boost for those trying to repeal Illinois’s ban on the concealed carrying of handguns. The group of top cops had long opposed the idea. They voted two years to go neutral on the issue.
State Rep. Brandon Phelps (D-Harrisburg) and leaders of the Illinois State Rifle Assn. have been negotiating for months with law enforcement officials across the state. Phelps is chief sponsor of a concealed carry proposal that’s already won approval from a committee of the Illinois House.
Phelps said the measure will likely be amended further. He hopes the General Assembly will send it to Gov. Quinn by the end of April.
As currently written, the Phelps proposal says the Illinois State Police “shall issue” a concealed carry handgun permit within 75 days after an application is submitted. ...
Newly Released Polling Data Points to Solid Support for Concealed Carry Legislation in Key Illinois Senate Districts Held by Democrats
SPRINGFIELD, Ill., March 28, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following was released today by the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA):
According to a recent survey commissioned by the ISRA, legislation permitting qualified citizens to carry defensive firearms enjoys strong support in key Democrat-controlled districts of the Illinois Senate.
Conducted by We Ask America, the telephone poll queried approximately 1,000 adults in each of four Illinois State Senate districts. Respondents were asked four questions related to personal safety, self defense, and concealed carry legislation. Select polling results are as follows:
In the 3rd Senate district, 45.9% of those polled supported concealed carry legislation while 35.3% of those polled opposed such legislation. The 3rd Senate district seat is currently held by Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago).
In the 14th Senate district, a full 50.6% of those surveyed supported concealed carry legislation while 34% of respondents opposed such legislation. The 14th Senate district seat is held by Senator Emil Jones III (D-Chicago).
In the 22nd Senate district, support for concealed carry legislation was found to be 47.4% while opposition to such legislation was found to be 35.2%. The 22nd Senate district is currently held by Senator Mike Noland (D-Elgin).
In the 43rd Senate district, 55% of citizens polled expressed support for concealed carry legislation while 29.3% of those surveyed opposed such legislation. The 43rd Senate district seat is held by Senator A. J. Wilhelmi (D-Crest Hill).
The survey also revealed that between 83% and 88% of citizens polled believe that they have the right to defend themselves and their families from harm. In what will certainly be disappointing news for the Chicago Police Department, only 36.2% of respondents from the 3rd Senate district expressed confidence that police can protect them from being robbed or assaulted. Likewise, only 41.8% of those polled from the 14th Senate district feel that the police are capable of protecting them from harm. All polling results are subject to a +/- 3% margin of error.
Further details about the poll will be made available during a press conference to be held at the Illinois Capitol on Tuesday, March 29th. Final arrangements for the press conference are pending.
"Personal security is a big issue for so many Illinois citizens," commented ISRA Executive Director Richard Pearson. "From our polling data, it is clear that a large majority of citizens believe that they have a right to defend themselves and their families from harm. It is equally clear that a large portion of residents of the senate districts we polled believe that carrying a defensive firearm is a valid way of ensuring that right to self defense."
"We selected these four senate districts for polling because we believe that they serve as a bellwether for both urban and suburban populations on key issues like concealed carry," continued Pearson. "With support for concealed carry this strong in these four districts, it's a given that concealed carry enjoys solid support across northern Illinois and urban centers south of I-80 as well. Legislators in such districts would do well to pay attention to what their constituents are telling them about personal safety and the right of self defense."
The ISRA is the state's leading advocate of safe, lawful and responsible firearms ownership. For more than a century, the ISRA has represented the interests of millions of law-abiding Illinois firearm owners.
An Open Letter from Colleen Lawson, McDonald v Chicago Plaintiff:
Dear Legislator: Could you please help me decide which of my kids lives to save? Here's the problem:
Last night yet another of my kids found himself on the goodbye end of a robber's gun as the robber slowly counted down
"5 . . . 4 . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . "
I know you politicians told us "if it saves one life, then keeping guns away from law-abiding citizens is the right thing to do!" but I'm having a little trouble figuring out which life is the one to be saved. I've had most of these kids for 20 years or more, and I'm rather fond of them all.
My kid last night? It was his third time facing armed robbers in Chicago, in Illinois. Can you tell me how many times is just right and how many times is too many?
The one last night was in a convenience store at the time. He and his friend had gone into the store to buy soda, and they hid as the robber stuck his gun in the face of the store clerk and began counting down.
Do you give classes in hiding? Wait, that can't be right, cause many kids get found anyway, and it's not always easy to stay quiet if your heart is thudding and you're afraid. Maybe you give classes in what kids should do if they find themselves around guns. No, that's not right. State Sen. Annazette Collins proposed that idea, to keep kids safe and deglamorize firearms, and she was roundly trounced for the idea.
Mr. Legislator, all my kids have been robbed at gunpoint on the streets of Chicago -- well, all the young ones, who still live in Chicago. Does that mean that it's better for my kids to live someplace else? Wait, that can't be right, because you keep telling us that Chicago is a good place to raise children. ...
ISRA’s LAWSUIT, INCLUDING TRO RELIEF, HAS EXCELLENT RESULTS Updated!
The lawsuit filed on behalf of ISRA and its members on March 10, 2011, is moving forward with excellent results. After Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced that her office believes that release of FOID information to the public is proper under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, the ISRA filed suit in Peoria (10th Judicial District) seeking a temporary restraining order preventing the release of names of FOID holders.
As previously reported, the temporary restraining order (TRO) was granted by judge Scott Shore, who then scheduled a status hearing for March 15th to set a date set for hearing arguments regarding the issuance of a preliminary injunction, since the TRO normally expires in ten days.
Prior to his court appearance on behalf of ISRA and the member plaintiffs, attorney Stanley Tucker was notified of a letter sent to Attorney General Lisa Madigan that was signed by 12 ( a majority) of the Illinois congressional delegation. The non-partisan letter requested Lisa Madigan to rescind an attorney general directive issued to the Illinois State Police that sided with the FOIA request made by the Associated Press’ representa-tive that the ISP release the names of FOID holders
The latest court order extended the TRO indefinitely, until further order of court, and another “status” hearing was scheduled for April 14th. The defendants may file pleadings requesting additional relief, but for now the privacy of law-abiding firearm owners and the interest of public safety remain protected.
ISRA is the state's leading advocate of safe, lawful and responsible firearm ownership. For more than a century, the ISRA has represented the interests of millions of law-abiding Illinois firearm owners.
Illinois State Rifle Association Secures Temporary Restraining Order Against Release of Firearm Owners' Personal Information
PEORIA, Ill., March 11, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following was released today by the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA):
The ISRA is pleased to announce that it has secured a temporary restraining order against the release of personal information belonging to persons holding Illinois Firearm Owner Identification cards (FOID). The ISRA and four additional plaintiffs filed for the temporary restraining order after Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced that her office believes that release of FOID information to the public is proper under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. The ISRA is very concerned that public release of personal information from the FOID database will jeopardize the safety of law-abiding firearm owners.
The temporary restraining order was granted by judge Scott Shore of the 10th Judicial District, Peoria County. Judge Shore has scheduled a status call for March 15th, at which time a date will be set for hearing arguments regarding the issuance of a preliminary injunction.
"Law-abiding Illinois firearm owners can breathe a little easier today," commented ISRA Executive Director Richard Pearson. "Judge Shore's order will prevent the Illinois State Police from releasing personal information on FOID holders to news organizations, gun control groups, gangs, and other criminals. We are confident that we will eventually secure a permanent injunction against the release of FOID data."
The ISRA is the state's leading advocate of safe, lawful and responsible firearm ownership. For more than a century, the ISRA has represented the interests of millions of law-abiding Illinois firearm owners.
Lisa Madigan: ISP must release names of FOID holders Updated!
SPRINGFIELD -- Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan says state police must release the name of everyone in the state who is authorized to own a gun.
State police determine who gets a Firearm Owners Identification card, which allows people to own guns. The police have always kept the list private.
But Madigan's public access counselor released a letter Monday night saying the information should be public.
The Associated Press had requested the list of FOID cardholders but state police said that would violate the privacy of gun owners. The attorney general's office ruled that argument invalid. ...
Posted Tue Mar 1 13:38:04 CST 2011
Updated Wed Mar 2 15:48:03 CST 2011
Man Claims Violation Of Rights After Gun Permit Was Denied
CHICAGO (STMW) — A man filed a lawsuit Thursday claiming that his constitutional right to bear arms was violated when he was denied a Chicago firearm permit.
Shawn Gowder claims that he lives in a high crime area of Chicago and wished to keep a handgun in his home for self-defense, according to a lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court. He already holds a state firearm owner’s identification card.
The suit claims that he filed Nov. 1, 2010 for a city firearm permit but was denied by the city’s Department of Administrative Hearings because he had a 1995 misdemeanor conviction for possessing a firearm on a public street. Gowder has never been convicted of a felony, according to the suit.
Gowder contested the decision claiming that denying a permit based solely on a prior misdemeanor conviction violated his fundamental right to keep and bear arms under the second and fourteenth amendments to the U.S. Constitution, according to the suit ...
excerpt Applicants must attend a five-hour training course consisting of an hour of range training and four hours of classroom training by a state-certified firearms instructor. At the end of the course, the applicant must submit an affidavit signed by the instructor saying the applicant successfully completed the course.
Applicants must turn in their applications in person between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. at the Chicago police records customer service section at 4770 S. Kedzie Ave. They must have the application, all of the supporting documents and the $100 fee. The application can be downloaded at https://portal.chicagopolice.org/portal/page/portal/ClearPath. ...
SAF Sues Chicago Over Gun Range Prohibition on 1A, 2A Grounds
CHICAGO, Aug. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) today filed a lawsuit in federal court against the City of Chicago's new gun ordinance, asserting that "by banning gun ranges open to the public…under color of law," the city is depriving citizens of their right to keep and bear arms in violation of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Joining SAF in this lawsuit are the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA), Action Target, Inc., and three individual plaintiffs including a retired Chicago police detective. They are represented by attorneys Alan Gura of Virginia and David Sigale of Chicago, who teamed up with SAF and ISRA on the landmark case of McDonald v. City of Chicago, which incorporated the Second Amendment to the states, effectively striking down Chicago's 28-year-old handgun ban.
"While the city has adopted new regulations that make it legal to own handguns," said SAF Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb, "they have crafted this new ordinance to make it virtually impossible for prospective gun owners to meet all legal requirements unless they travel outside the city for mandatory training. The new ordinance prohibits public gun ranges inside the city yet the city demands that handgun owners get at least one hour of range training time.
"This is a 'Catch-22' scenario," he continued, "that seems deliberately designed to discourage Chicago residents from exercising their firearm civil rights barely two months after those rights were restored by the Supreme Court."
Individual plaintiffs are Rhonda Ezell, a victim of three attempted burglaries who has disabilities making it difficult for her to travel outside the city; Joseph Brown, a WWII U.S. Army veteran who was among the liberators of the infamous Dachau concentration camp, and William Hespen, a retired police detective, all of whom must qualify for Chicago Firearms Permits.
Action Target, a Utah-based company, builds shooting ranges and manufactures gun range equipment and supplies. It has a long history of providing gun safety equipment and training, and has previously built law enforcement shooting ranges in Chicago. However, Action Target is prohibited from building a public target range within the city's limits under the restrictions of the new gun ordinance.
Randy Graham, vice president of Action Target, said, "We believe that citizens have a constitutional right to use and train with firearms in a safe and controlled environment. As a leader in the firearms training industry, Action Target is committed to standing up for these rights."
"By banning public gun ranges," Gottlieb said, "and by banning the loan and rental of firearms at such ranges, Chicago is acting under color of law to deprive citizens of their right to keep and bear arms, and to conveniently receive the education required under the ordinance that is necessary to obtain a Chicago Firearms Permit. The city is violating both the Second and First amendments, and we are asking the court to put an end to this nonsense."
The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nation's oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control.
THE DIGGINS DECISION HAS BEEN INCORRECTLY INTERPRETED BY MANY, OPENING THE DOOR TO ARREST AND PROSECUTION from ISRA Attorney Victor Quilici
Since People v. Diggins was decided by our State Supreme Court, a number of articles, commentaries and general blogging have circulated stating that guns can be easily and safely transported in motor vehicles in just about every manner possible, loaded, unloaded, and in some cases in fanny packs worn by drivers and/or passengers. Nothing can be further from the truth than those type of analysis.
To begin with, Diggins focuses on the language in the UUW statute that relates to “aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.” The State Supreme Court addressed the exemption provisions of Section 24-1.6 (c)(iii) which provides that a person is not guilty of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon if that weapon is “unloaded and encased in a case, firearm carrying box, shipping box, or other container by a person who has been issued a valid Firearm Owner’s Identification card.” The Court begins by noting: “[W]e are asked to determine whether the center console of a vehicle is a ‘case’ within the meaning of this provision. For the reasons that follow, we conclude that it is.”
One of the first points the Supreme Court states was that a prior decision by the 4th District Court of Appeals was flawed when it held that a glove compartment was not a “case” within the meaning of the exemption language because a glove compartment is not portable.
Even though the Supreme Court made that observation, that does not mean that it ruled expressly that glove compartments are cases. While part of its analysis, it was not part of the Court’s decision. That determination must come in another decision, when the issue is squarely before the Court. Also, that observation may be quoted in future cases.
What is important in Diggins, is that the Supreme Court holds that a case does not have to be a container specific to a firearm and it need not be limited to something portable. The Court’s language is understandable to non-attorneys when it says: “Unpersuaded by the State’s arguments, we conclude that the legislature used the broad general term ‘case’ unmodified. Giving the word ‘case’ its plain and ordinary meaning, as we must, permits but one conclusion: the term ‘case’ in Section 24-1.6 (c)(iii) includes any portable or non-portable receptacle and need not be interpreted only in reference to firearms. . . . Based on the foregoing, we find, in the case at bar that a center console of a vehicle falls within the ordinary definition of case. . . . Whether the statute is wise or the best means to achieve the desired result are matters left to the legislature, not the court.”
Special Note from the ISRA Webmaster: This analysis is not to be construed as legal advice. Please consult with your own attorney for such advice.
Posted Sun Nov 15 18:53:16 CST 2009
WARNING TO ALL MEMBERS REGARDING HOSPITALIZATION AND DOMESTIC DISPUTES
Recent Illinois Law (PA 95-0564) provides that health care professionals report patients to the state police anyone that they believe might pose a danger to themselves or others. ISRA has learned of situations where a party has been admitted to a hospital for stress, alcohol treatment, or other scenarios where part of the admission procedure included a short interview with a psychologist on staff. Questions asked, include gun ownership, and/or the Possession of a FOID card. Within a few weeks that individual receives a notice from the Illinois State Police revoking his or her FOID.
Obviously, when being interviewed by somebody in a hospital setting, ask if he or she is a psychiatrist or a psychologist, who you don’t have to communicate with. And, be sure what information you are willing to disclose to any interviewer. Of course, you should not lie, but a simple refusal to disclose gun ownership may be enough to avoid the problem.
If you think you may be in a situation where the justice system may become involved with restricting your ownership of firearms, such as when facing hospitalization, or in a domestic dispute, unless caught up in an emergency situation, be sure to have your firearms removed from the home as quickly as possible, in the care of a friend or family member who possesses a FOID, and who lives a good distance from your residence. Also, advise your spouse or other party who shares the home with you that you have done so. Most importantly, in any court setting, you will then be able to assure the Judge, that although you possess a FOID, you have removed all firearms from within the home.
These tips can save your firearms from being confiscated and/or your FOID being revoked. ISRA is working to solve these problems, both legislatively, and through litigation.
As previouosly noted, John C. “Jack” Cantillon, a dedicated volunteer for the ISRA for years and mostly remembered as the ISRA Range Safety Officer passed away on Sunday, December 11th. Here is arrangement information: 
Jim Vinopal was born on this day, December 3, in 1927. In that year, Trans-Atlantic feats captured the attention of the nation: Lindbergh's non-stop solo flight from New York to Paris, and the first phone call from New York to London.