Volume 6, No. 03 www.foac-pac.org March 10, 2006

Firearms Owners Against Crime

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." Theodore Roosevelt "Citizenship In A Republic" Speech, 1910

E-Newsletter & Meeting Notice For March 12^th, 2006

Meeting Agenda-

Special Guest Speakers -

Mike Isaac (Dem.) Congressional Candidate-14th District (Incumbent-Mike Doyle)

Mike Dolan (Rep.) PA House of Representatives Candidate-30^th District (Special Election-Open Seat)

7.0 Treasurers Report

7.1 Presentation of the January 2006 Report

8.0 OLD BUSINESS

8.1 Third reading of Proposed bylaw change to Article XII "bylaw changes," clarifying the means of communicating proposed changes to the membership. -- Dennis Pavlik

9.0 NEW BUSINESS

9.1 Incumbent grading and evaluation process

9.2 U.S. Senate race – Issues and Record – Rick Santorum

9.3 Discussion of status of HB 544 compelling county election bureaus to give information on candidates in a timely fashion to all.

9.4 PA Instant Check Problems.

9.5 New Legislation.

9.6 March 14th Pro-Gun News Conference and Registration Legislation Introduction.

9.7 Spring Banquet Plans (April 28^th).

Special Report:

Pro-Gun News Conference in Harrisburg on March 14th

Gun Owners and Sportsmen and Women who have always wondered why we are always on the defensive in the fight for our gun rights will have a unique opportunity to strike a blow for their rights by attending a Pro-Gun News Conference in Harrisburg in support of Rep. Metcalf and Senator Pippy who are introducing legislation to end the illegal registration of Firearms Owners.

Gun Owners of America Executive Director, Larry Pratt, a featured speaker, will address the issues regarding the importance of ending the registration of guns and firearms owners. In addition, the “right of self defense” will also be featured at this news conference as will ending the duty to retreat law.

This is a perfect opportunity for all gun owners and sportsmen and women to impress upon the legislature your commitment to our Freedoms. A few seats remain on a bus, sponsored by the Allegheny County Sportsmen’s League, which will leave from the Pittsburgh area the morning of the rally and returning the evening of the same day. Cost will be approximately $30 per person that covers the trip and refreshments. To reserve a seat on the bus contact Kim Stolfer by phone at (412) 221-3346, or by E-Mail at activist@fyi.net.

Big Win For Gun Owners' Privacy

The growing revolt by Pennsylvania gun owners and sportsmen against handing over their Social Security numbers continues as on Monday (2/27/06), a federal district judge agreed with Mike Stollenwerk’s argument that such requirements violate the federal Privacy Act.

Judge Juan R. Sanchez’s ruling struck down Pennsylvania’s law that controls the sales of guns in the state and who may carry them.

“I feel great. I think we’re benefiting all citizens in Pennsylvania when it comes to privacy of their Social Security numbers,” Stollenwerk said this morning from Washington, D.C., where he is a law student at Georgetown University.

Stollenwerk emphasized, “This was a privacy case, not a gun case. And, of course, state governments can continue to regulate the purchase, transfer and license the carrying of guns if they want to. They just have to follow federal Social Security number privacy laws when carrying out such schemes.”

Noting the increasing risk of identity theft, Stollenwerk said the case “is about privacy in the information age.”

The federal gun check law does not require it, saying the information is optional, they say. But, for some reason, Pennsylvania officials chose to require Social Security numbers when they set up their own background-check system.

Stollenwerk thinks Pennsylvania residents may be giving out their Social Security numbers against their will in other cases.

“To me, this is really a big issue in Pennsylvania,” he says. “It’s almost inane that the government needs your Social Security number every time you turn around or go to the bathroom. I’m thinking this case will move us along.”

Hunting & CCW Legislation

Currently circulating in the PA House of Representatives is draft legislation that will provide gun owners who hunt and possess a Concealed Carry Permit to possess their self-defense firearm while hunting.

This legislation is being introduced at the request of the Allegheny County Sportsmen’s League, the PA Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs and the PA Sportsmen’s Association.

This issue will be a part of the upcoming March 14^th news conference.

National Carry Bill Introduced

US Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL) recently introduced HR-4547, a national right-to-carry reciprocity bill that would provide national reciprocity for state carry licensees.

The bill would allow any person with a valid carry permit or license issued by a state to carry a concealed firearm in any other state if they meet certain criteria. The bill would not create a federal licensing system; it would simply require the states to recognize each other's carry permits, just as they recognize drivers' licenses. The New GUN WEEK, March 10, 2006

Gun Writer Takes on FedEx Over Rifle Damage Claim

by Dave Workman Senior Editor

Don't ship a firearm through Federal Express (FedEx), because if it is damaged, you may not receive a full settlement, and in the process, company policy may put you in conflict with federal gun law.

That's the message that Arizona-based gunwriter Robert Boatman is spreading to fellow writers and anyone else he has a chance to tell his woeful story to, and it is quite a story.

This past December, Boatman sold a rifle to a Florida resident; so when he had the gun shipped to a federally-licensed firearms dealer in Florida, it went into transit via FedEx. Boatman placed a $500 value on the rifle for insurance purposes.

When the rifle arrived at the dealer's shop, it had suffered a broken stock. At that point, Boatman filed a claim with FedEx for $450, which was less than the full amount.

That's when Boatman and the firearms licensee in Florida learned of FedEx's oddball policy about reimbursement for firearms damage. In a letter to the company, a copy of which Boatman supplied to Gun Week, he noted that "Two FedEx employees visited (the) gun dealer, looked at (the) broken rifle, announced that company policy did not allow them to make an on-site adjustment, and asked the dealer to hand over the gun to them so they could take it back to their offices. The dealer, of course, refused."

Pressure Applied Making matters worse, Boatman said, the same two FedEx employees came back to the Florida gun shop later the same day and "pressured" him to give up the rifle, and he again refused.

It is a federal felony for a licensed firearms dealer to release a firearm to FedEx or anyone else who does not have a firearms license, which FedEx does not. Boatman checked with the Miami office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to determine whether federal statute or regulations had changed, and he was assured by three different agents in Miami that the rules are still in place.

"The BATFE further assured me that any FFL dealer who hands a firearm over to anyone other than a qualified buyer who has passed a background check or (is) a current holder of a Federal Firearms License who is standing there with his license in his hand is liable for prosecution on various felony counts, loss of his license and his business."

Because the dealer refused to let the FedEx employees walk out of his business with the broken rifle, Boatman's insurance claim was rejected.

However, FedEx spokeswoman Allison Sobczak told Gun Week that the company does have the right to inspect a damaged shipment, and that, based on what their attorneys tell them, the company is "acting within the guidelines of federal law" by asking to take the gun for inspection. She added, though, that if they are mistaken, they will "look at" the policy and make a change so that everything is done within the guidelines of the law. Meanwhile, Sobczak said she had tried to contact Boatman, and would continue trying to reach him to discuss the issue further.

Adding further mystery to the affair, Boatman's original claim, which was adjusted to include freight shipping charges, was $478.35, but when the claim was denied, the value had been reduced to $178.35. Boatman supplied Gun Week with documents supporting his story. Presumably, when he and Sobczak finally chat, that issue will be resolved.

Boatman's frustration was compounded by the fact that FedEx has what amounts to a labyrinth of automated services that does not enable someone to speak directly to a live human. Boatman told Gun Week that he never was able to find a telephone number to reach the one person from whom he did receive a letter denying his claim because "the original shipping carton, packaging materials and contents were not available for our inspection, as required by the FedEx Service Guide. Since the shipment was not available for inspection, we cannot determine if any negligence occurred."

Gun Week found itself in the same position, trying to navigate a maze of websites and links until we did get a person on the telephone at a Tennessee FedEx facility, who forwarded our call to Pittsburgh, PA.

Boatman had detailed the saga in a letter to T. Michael Glenn at FedEx in Memphis. The New GUN WEEK, March 10, 2006

There Are Many Ways Criminals Obtain Firearms

by Joseph P. Tartaro, Executive Editor

New York City newspapers reported on Feb. 20 the arrests of six men by city police in connection with what officials described as a major gun smuggling operation; details of the story varied by newspaper.

The New York Times quoted Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly as saying that the investigation, called Operation Tripod, unfolded over the course of a year and involved undercover detectives who spent $118,000 buying the guns.

The Daily News seemed to spend more time providing details concerning the bust of the major middleman in the illegal operation while he sat in a portable toilet but situated near a Queens borough construction site. Depending on the newspaper report, he was sitting in the portable john with one or two boxes of guns on his lap, waiting for customers to come pick them up after paying his runners.

Both papers juggled terms such as "high-powered weapons," "Chinese assault rifles" and "powerful 9mm pistols."

The arrest of the illegal gun traffickers was linked to Mayor Michael Bloomberg's new nationwide campaign -to impose New York-style gun laws on the rest of the nation. According to The Times, Kelly said that 72% of all guns used in crimes in New York City come from out of state. He noted that it was rare for the police to apprehend the middlemen who purchase the guns, sometimes from legitimate gun dealers, and then illegally transport them to New York. In New York City, the guns retail on the street for $200 to $2,000, he said. The New GUN WEEK, March 10, 2006

Thefts from Police

Just a week earlier, South African news agencies reported from Johannesburg that a 10-man gang has stolen two R5 rifles, an R1, a pistol and several pieces of police uniforms in an attack on the Emanguzi police station near Empangeni, KwaZulu-Natal police.

Captain Tienkie van Vuuren was reported to have said that the gang confronted Inspector Sigcuno Ntuli just before midnight on a Sunday.

The robbers demanded the keys to the safe in the community service center and took the firearms, Ntuli's uniform, another policeman's jacket, police caps and a blue light.

On a routine patrol at the time, Constable Noktula Myeni saw a balaclavaclad robber near the entrance of the community center and drew her service pistol, but he saw her and opened fire.

She took cover, then ran to the nearby barracks for help, under fire from the armed man hot on her heels. She was

not hit. The noise woke policemen asleep in the barracks and they opened fire on the gunman, who retreated.

The police gave chase, arresting three of the attackers outside Emanguzi.

The others got away with the stolen firearms. Police were still searching for them. Closer to home, in San Antonio, TX, in mid-February, according to KSAT.com, a SWAT team became the victim of a similar crime.

Some weapons, a police badge and laptop computers were stolen from a rental car that belonged to an out-of-town SWAT team in San Antonio for training.

San Antonio police spokesman Gabe Trevifio said that an officer with the Virginia Beach, VA, SWAT team had just placed the items in the car and had gone to his hotel room to get some more items when someone broke a rear window of the vehicle and took the items.

Trevino said the incident happened in a matter of seconds.

"Notoriously, these car burglars work very quickly," Trevifio said. "They can go up to a car, break a window, get in, take items and be gone in a matter of 20-30 seconds, at the longest."

No arrests have been made but San Antonio police are actively looking for the weapons, Trevifio said.

The officer was getting ready to leave the hotel for a training session with the San Antonio Police Department SWAT team when the burglary occurred at 7 a.m. in the parking lot of a Residence Inn. The New GUN WEEK, March 10, 2006

Woman Really Had Hot Pants

Victoria Lundy of Cleveland, OH, was arrested after the pistol she was packing went off accidentally, and when the cops put her in jail, they didn't have to take her very far.

She was already there.

According to WCMH in Columbus, the 41-year-old Lundy was in a holding cell at the jail in Chillicothe after having been arrested for driving on a suspended license.

The Chillicothe Gazette reported that another woman in the holding cell told cops that Lundy had used the restroom several times before she sat down on a bench in the cell and the pistol went off. She apparently had hidden the small gun in a body cavity.

Lundy was eventually charged with improperly discharging a weapon, illegal conveyance of a weapon, and carrying a concealed weapon. The New GUN WEEK, March 10, 2006

He Got This Gun Where...?

When somebody complains that the inmates have taken over the asylum in regard to firearms in Great Britain, the story of what happened Jan. 24 at Pembroke Dock's Havenway Day Hospital proves the point.

In a country where gun possession is tightly regulated for lawabiding citizens, a mental patient managed to get his hands on what the coppers thought was a pistol, and held it to the head of a hospital worker for about a half-hour. According to Pembrokeshirety.com, this nutball was actually armed with an air pistol, but of course nobody figured that out, the Brits being voluntarily ignorant about such details.

The unidentified patient threatened to kill his hostage while the staff and a "firearms response team" (whatever that is) tried to deal with the guy. He eventually gave up and nobody was seriously hurt. The report said the "incident caused a lot of upset for the staff, who were traumatized."

Our bad boy was a regular at this hospital, the report said. Probably not anymore. The New GUN WEEK, March 10, 2006

He Said, She Fled, He Bled

From the "Hell Hath No Fury" file comes this story out of Nashua, NH, where a woman identified as Beth Ortiz may be re-thinking strategies for getting money from her husband, because the one she tried didn't work well at all.

According to Associated Press, Beth had angrily left the apartment she shared with hubby Valente Ortiz after being turned down on a request for $2,500 on the night of Jan. 27. Thinking his bride would settle down and return, Valente left the door unlocked and went to bed.

Well, it turns out Beth really holds a grudge because she allegedly went out and talked Raymond Alleyne and Anthony Perkins into going back up to her place and getting the money. They were going through Valente's trousers, apparently looking for the loot, when Valente woke up and Perkins allegedly clobbered him.

Cops found Beth in another apartment with the two men and carted them all off to jail. Beth has been charged with conspiracy, Perkins with simple assault and burglary, and Alleyne with plain old burglary. The New GUN WEEK, March 10, 2006

Man Reports Marijuana Theft

"Even the dumb criminals are generally smarter than this," Orem, UT, Police Lt. Doug Edwards told The Deseret News.

Police received a call on the night of Jan. 30 from an 18-year-old Orem man reporting that his home had been broken into and that the quarter-pound of marijuana he had been trying to sell was missing.

The burglar had broken a window and apparently cut himself while crawling into the home, Edwards said. The trail of blood indicated that the thief's efforts were concentrated on the 18-yearold's bedroom, where the drugs had been kept.

The Orem man told police that earlier that same day a 23-yearold Provo man had called him about purchasing the marijuana. The deal didn't take place, however, because the 18-year-old was on his way to work, police said.

"(He) thought that (the Provo man) might be a good suspect in the case," Edwards said.

Officers agreed and tracked the Provo man to his mother's home, where they also found 6 ounces of marijuana and a pair of bloodsoaked pants.

The man, who had a large cut on his arm, was arrested and booked in the Utah County Jail for investigation of burglary, theft and possession of marijuana in a drug-free zone with the intent to distribute.

With the stolen property recovered, officers called the 18-yearold and requested that he come to the Orem Public Safety Building to identify the bag of marijuana.

"He actually came and identified it as his," Edwards said. The 18year-old was taken into custody and booked in the Utah County Jail for possession of marijuana in a drug-free zone with intent to distribute. The New GUN WEEK, March 10, 2006

Brothers Bashes Gun Ownership One More Time

Dr. Joyce Brothers, the syndicated advice columnist, recently responded to an inquiry from a woman who had moved with her husband to "a new area of the country, in which it is very common for households to have a rifle or handgun for hunting or personal protection."

The woman lamented that she had never before been exposed to firearms, and that she had "always been very frightened of them."

"Yet, around here," she wrote, "children are routinely taught to hunt, with a healthy respect for but no fear of guns."

As might be expected, her husband brought a gun home and now the woman feels "very nervous about just having it around."

Brothers, who has something of a history of discouraging firearms ownership, wasted no time in adding to the woman's already heightened paranoia by noting, "I would say that it is quite normal and even smart to be afraid of any dangerous weapon that could kill you or a member of your family. It could even make for a very unpleasant situation should the victim be a predator in your yard and you have to see it dispatched. There is almost no upside to having a gun if you aren't a gun lover, and you shouldn't have to live with this creepy feeling indefinitely."

Brothers continued, "That said, I think you need to sit down with your husband and discuss all this. He needs to be able to tell you how he feels about having-and possibly using-the gun. Did he buy the gun mainly to minimize discord in the new neighborhood-in other words, to fit in? Does he have any background or training in gun use and gun safety? Was he ever in the military? And do you agree that you really need it?"

However, in what might be a fit of enlightenment, Brothers then advised the woman to "take some lessons and do some skeet shooting so that you can gain some mastery and lessen your fears. Keep the gun locked up, of course, and keep that fear at a healthy level."

Yet, falling back on her more typical anti-gun stance, Brothers concluded, "If you still feel terrified after taking these steps, I suggest that you surrender your weapon." The New GUN WEEK, March 10, 2006

Murder in `Gun Free Zone: A Review of CA Postal Killings

by Dave Workman Senior Editor

She stopped to reload her 9mm pistol at least once, apparently going after people she knew inside a facility that was supposed to be a gun-free workplace, behind a fence in a supposedly secure building complex on the night of Jan. 30.

Authorities are still trying to piece together what ignited a woman identified as Jennifer San Marco, 44, a resident of Grant, NM, a one-time police dispatcher and a former postal employee at the Santa Barbara Processing and Distribution Center in Goleta, CA. Before it was over, San Marco had committed what authorities believe is the deadliest postal facility shooting in many years, and one of the deadliest workplace shootings ever committed by a woman.

The bloodbath began even before San Marco arrived at the postal facility. Authorities in Santa Barbara County also believe she shot and killed a former neighbor, because shell casings found at that crime scene matched those recovered at the Goleta mail center.

San Marco reportedly gained entrance to the facility by driving her car through a gate right behind another car. She then pulled a gun on a postal employee, taking that person's identification badge, with which she got into the building. While that person was not hurt, six people inside were not so lucky. Dead are Ze Fairchild, 37, Maleka Higgins, 28, and Charlotte Colton, 44, all of Santa Barbara; Nicola Grant, 42, and Guadalupe Swartz, 52, both of

Lompoc, and Dexter Shannon, 57, Oxnard. Once they had all been shot, San Marco turned the pistol on herself.

The former neighbor whose body was found hours after the postal massacre was Beverly Graham, 54, who was identified by her brother. Her body was reportedly found by her longtime boyfriend. Evidence recovered at that crime scene apparently links the killing to San Marco.

Published reports by Associated Press and other news agencies initially said San Marco had psychological problems when she took a medical leave from the facility in 2003. However, a later report said she had taken an early retirement on a medical disability from the postal service after only six years because of "psychological problems." Once during her time there, according to Postal Inspector Randy DeGasperin, San Marco had to be escorted from the building by police officers.

She moved to Milan, NM, where she reportedly applied for a business license to start a publication called "The Racist Press" that apparently never went beyond the planning stage. However, reports also indicate that San Marco displayed "increasingly bizarre behavior" over the past two years, including one published report from Associated Press that she had been reported once for showing up naked at a gas station. Why she returned to Santa Barbara County, however, could not be immediately determined. The Santa Barbara News Press reported that San Marco may have returned to the area to attend a memorial service for a former co-worker. The New GUN WEEK, March 1, 2006

Fake Leg Trooper Attack

When Chemult, OR, resident Jack Kackstetter gets to court to explain his Jan. 20 confrontation with an Oregon State trooper, he may not have a leg to stand on.

Kackstetter allegedly used both of his prosthetic legs as projectiles, hurling them at Trooper Dan Newcomb, after the trooper had pulled over the vehicle Kackstetter's son was driving the wrong way on Highway 97. According to several news agencies, the stop was initiated because Newcomb suspected the younger Kackstetter of driving while intoxicated. Jack Kackstetter was a passenger in that car.

The Jan. 21 incident went downhill from there. Newcomb reportedly smelled alcohol on the breath of the younger man and asked him to step out of his vehicle. When the younger Kackstatter refused, the older man allegedly did get out and threatened that he would rip off the trooper's head. About that time, the son got out of the car, and Newcomb handcuffed him.

Jack Kackstetter allegedly started moving away from the scene, with Newcomb in hot pursuit. The trooper and Kackstatter eventually wound up in a struggle, at which point Kackstatter took off one leg and threw it at Newcomb, hitting him in the chest. He then pulled off his other leg and threw it, but missed.

Unable to run, Kackstatter was taken into custody and booked into the Klamath County Jail on suspicion of assaulting an officer, interfering with an officer, menacing, criminal conspiracy and resisting arrest. The younger Kackstatter may actually be in less trouble, facing charges that include driving under the influence.

One report said that the younger man had a blood-alcohol level of 0.10 four hours after the incident. The New GUN WEEK, March 1, 2006

VA Solon Quick on Trigger

Virginia Delegate John S. "Jack" Reid was a little too quick on the trigger-literally-in his office in Richmond Jan. 26 when he capped off a round from his .380-caliber pistol while trying to clear the chamber.

Not to worry, according to Associated Press (AP). The bullet miraculously struck a bullet-resistant vest that was hanging on his door, a gift last year from the Henrico County Sheriff.

Reid, a Republican, admitted to AP that he was "embarrassed by the incident." The 63-year-old state solon later apologized to his colleagues in the Democratic and Republican caucuses, and then on the House floor.

Reid is licensed to carry in Virginia, and he obtained a concealed carry license about two years ago, reportedly after "becoming concerned about his security." He apparently got some nasty or threatening telephone calls, though he did not elaborate. Reid did tell reporters he has been carrying the small semi-auto during the session as a precautionary measure.

The incident reportedly revived debate about current state law, which allows firearms inside buildings on the Richmond capitol campus. But pro-gun Republican House Majority Leader H. Morgan Griffith quickly said Reid's negligence was no reason to tighten up rules against armed citizens. The New GUN WEEK, March 1, 2006

Sheriff Bills for Illegal Aliens

Butler County, OH, Sheriff Richard K. Jones has come up with a novel way to help cover the costs of housing hundreds of illegal aliens who have been jailed in his county over the past year. He's sent a $125,000 bill to the Department of Homeland Security. Well, make that three bills totaling that amount, sent to the agency since last November. The sheriff said he is fed up with paying to house that many illegals, and according to The Washington Times, he's holding the federal government responsible for that number of aliens in his jails.

Jones believes Homeland Security is not doing its job if that many illegal aliens wind up in his county.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency said it has tried to help the sheriff on several occasions. Many of the aliens have been interviewed while awaiting trial, and ICE has put "detainers" on all of these suspects so that they can be deported depending upon the outcome of their trials.

Jones blames the Bush Administration, the Mexican government and Congress for immigration problems that allow so many illegal aliens to get into this country, and wind up so far north, in Ohio. The New GUN WEEK, March 1, 2006

3 Inmates Shot In Chicago Max Security Jail

Anybody who ever questioned how well gun control laws work in Chicago, IL, can stop wondering now that there has been a triple shooting in the maximum security wing of the Cook County Jail.

According to The Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun 7Tmes, nobody could quite figure out how the gun made it inside the facility. Gun Week would suggest that maybe somebody brought it. It sure didn't walk in there on its own and cap the three inmates, who were 27 and 28 years old. All three were found in the same cell and were taken to local hospitals, where they were all expected to survive.

Both newspapers said the handgun, a.38caliber revolver, was recovered at the scene. The Feb. 1 shooting victims were described as one man who had been convicted of unlawful use of a weapon, another who was being held for armed robbery and aggravated kidnapping, and a third who was being held on a first-degree murder charge in lieu of a $700,000 bond. The New GUN WEEK, March 1, 2006

News Briefs:

2006/03/03 Bill Gives Citizens More Latitude To Defend Themselves

Georgians would be able to use deadly force to defend themselves in public areas such as parking lots and sidewalks under a National Rifle Association bill that passed the state Senate on March 2. http://www.ajc.com/news/content/metro/stories/0303legguns.html

2006/03/03 Six Animal Rights Extremists Are Convicted Of Terrorism

An animal rights group and six of its members were convicted of terrorism and Internet stalking March 2 by a federal jury that found them guilty of using their Web site to incite attacks on those who did business with or worked for a British company that runs an animal testing laboratory in New Jersey. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/03/nyregion/03animals.html?_r=3&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

2006/03/02 Nagin, New Orleans Still Violate Gun Rights

The National Rifle Association has filed a motion in federal court to have both New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and Police Superintendent Warren Riley held in contempt, stemming from the continued failure of Nagin and Riley to comply with a federal injunction issued last September to halt illegal gun confiscations following Hurricane Katrina and return all seized firearms to their owners. http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/3/1/171852.shtml

2006/03/02 Gun Registry Cost May Soar Past $2B

A pending report by Canada's auditor general is expected to peg the price tag on the national gun registry program at well over $2 billion, says a spokesman for a government MP. http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/2006/03/02/1469251-sun.html

2006/03/01 Guns Are "Evil," Says Aussie Prime Minister

"I did not want Australia to go down the American path," Prime Minister John Howard says. "One of the things I don't admire about America is their slavish love of guns. They're evil." http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=89123

2006/03/01 Agents Erred At Gun Shows, Official Says

Federal agents made mistakes while searching for illegal firearm sales at Richmond gun shows, a top federal law enforcement officer told congressional investigators February 28. But the official also defended aggressive gun-show patrols conducted by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1137834422596

2006/03/01 Oklahoma House Panel Passes Self-Defense Bill

Legislation that would expand a citizen's self-defense right was approved by a legislative panel February 28. http://www.kten.com/Global/story.asp?S=4566397

2006/03/01 Proposed Bill Toughens Self-Defense Statute

Missouri legislation would prevent punishment and civil lawsuits for use of force against intruders. http://www.joplinglobe.com/story.php?story_id=231437&c=87

2006/03/01 Survey: Women OK With Hunting

"Why not get moms, sisters, wives, daughters and girlfriends into activities that for far too long were the exclusive dominion of men? Shame on us for being so selfish," writes Gene Mueller. http://www.washtimes.com/sports/20060301-124726-5532r.htm

2006/02/28 San Francisco Delays Ban Amid NRA Challenge

San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera announced February 27 that a city handgun ban won't go into effect until at least mid-June while a Superior Court judge ponders a National Rifle Association challenge to the measure. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/baycitynews/archive/2006/02/27/ban27.DTL

2006/02/28 Taft Threatens Carry Veto

Governor Bob Taft has threatened to veto a bill to reform Ohio's carry law unless two provisions of the bill are stripped out, including a proposal designed to protect the privacy of permit holders. http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/02/25/20060225-C1-03.html

2006/02/28 Liberal Road Rage

"Ironically," writes John Lott, commenting on a study on road rage and gun ownership, "the researchers` regression results also show that liberals are much more likely to engage in road rage (both making obscene gestures and driving aggressively) than conservatives, and that the difference is larger than the difference for whether one had carried a gun in the car at least once. This variable is apparently never investigated, but presumably the researchers are also concerned about liberals being allowed to drive cars." http://johnrlott.tripod.com/2006/02/edited-letter-run-in-new-scientist.html

2006/02/28 Ill. Ban Meets Senate Opposition

Legislation banning semi-automatics would not likely pass the state Senate if the bill makes its way out of the House, Illinois Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago) said. Despite these comments, state Rep. Edward Acevedo (D-Chicago) said he still plans to call the bill this week in the House. http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-guns28.html

2006/02/28 Ready, Aim . . . Wait

Canadian long-gun owners find themselves caught in a no-man's land, trapped between a government promise to cancel the gun registry and cash-grabbing gun bureaucrats who intend to enforce the rules until the last possible day. http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=5f1eb33c-66cf-47c2-8c29-0dd712e9b497&k=27055

2006/02/27 Justice Scalia Champions Hunting

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia fondly remembers carrying a rifle around New York City as a boy and says outdoorsmen should attack the idea that guns are only used for crimes. http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060226/NEWS01/602260398

2006/02/27 High Court Mulls Strict Campaign Finance Law

The Supreme Court will revisit its 30-year-old standing precedent on campaign finance reform in a case that could break new ground in time for the upcoming midterm elections. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,186130,00.html

2006/02/27 Right-To-Carry A Feminist Issue

"In the debate over Delaware's concealed-carry gun permits, don't forget the difference between men and women," writes Megan Lehman. "We women should not have to depend on the men in our lives for protection, nor can we expect police to be in all places at all times. My ability to have a gun for self-defense is central to my concept of freedom and safety in a hostile world." http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060226/OPINION08/602260319/1109

2006/02/27 Youth Indoctrination

Let's start off with a few quotes, then a question. In reference to the president's State of the Union: "Sounds a lot like the things Adolf Hitler used to say." "Bush is threatening the whole planet." "[The] U.S. wants to keep the world divided." Then the speaker asks, "Who is probably the most violent nation on the planet?" and shouts "The United States." What's the source of these statements? http://www.washtimes.com/commentary/wwilliams.htm

2006/02/24 NRA Leader Champions "No-Retreat" Defense Act

NRA First Vice President, John Sigler, rallied with Missouri gun enthusiasts February 23 in support of legislation that would strengthen the legal right of people to use deadly force in self-defense. http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/13945186.htm

2006/02/23 Look Out, Here Comes Al

Like a completely refurbished "pre-owned vehicle," Al Gore seems to be positioning himself to Hillary Clinton's left and as greener than John Kerry for a run at the 2008 Democratic nomination for president. His slogan might well read "reelect Al Gore." http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/Comment/DickMorris/022206.html

2006/02/23 Wyoming House Backs Carry Reform

Wyoming residents would be able to carry handguns without going through the existing state permit process under a bill that received initial approval February 22 from the House of Representatives. http://www.jacksonholestartrib.com/articles/2006/02/23/news/wyoming/40af1a99841211488725711e0008fa82.txt

2006/02/23 Kentucky Bill Expands Self-Defense Rights

HB 236, a bill allowing people to defend themselves from criminal intrusions rather than retreating passed the House Judiciary Committee February 22. http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/13939258.htm

2006/02/23 Bill Would Bar Doctors >From Asking About Guns

A bill to protect the privacy of gun owners from intrusive questions about the firearms they own is under consideration in the Virginia Senate. http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=100053&ran=103354&tref=po

2006/02/23 Gun Ownership Explodes

Gun ownership is on the rise in Queensland, Australia, with evidence the tough restrictions introduced after the Port Arthur massacre nearly a decade ago are losing their effectiveness. Despite bans on certain types of firearms, police figures show there are more firearms in the community now than three years ago. http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,18231412%255E3102,00.html

2006/02/22 S.F. Gun Ban Finds Scarce Support

On February 23, a lawyer with the city attorney's office will try to convince a judge that a voter-passed initiative banning handguns and restricting other firearms is allowed by state law. But save the four members of the Board of Supervisors who placed it on the ballot last November, the ordinance appears to have few prominent friends, even among national gun control advocates. http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/story/14217627p-15043615c.html

2006/02/22 Alabama House Expands Self-Defense Rights

The Alabama House voted February 21 to expand the instances when a person can use deadly force to protect his or her home or automobile. The House voted 97-2 in favor of the bill, just three weeks after the legislation had appeared stymied in a filibuster. http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/060222/force.shtml

2006/02/22 Targets Of Animal Extremists Tell Of Terror

The trauma that employees of Huntingdon Life Sciences and other companies blame on a Philadelphia-based group of animal "rights" advocates has been on display in Trenton during a federal trial. If convicted on domestic terrorism charges, six members of Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty could face up to 13 years in prison and fines of $750,000. http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/13914514.htm

2006/02/21 Congress Told Of BATFE Seizures, Threats

Agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), allegedly acting without warrants or legislative authority, seized firearms from at least 50 gun show patrons in Virginia according to congressional testimony and an agency document. Witnesses also testified that African-American and female gun buyers in Richmond, Va., and Pittsburgh, Pa., were profiled based on their race or sex and some in Pittsburgh were threatened with arrest by agents for alleged actions that are not violations of law. http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewSpecialReports.asp?Page=%5CSpecialReports%5Carchive%5C200602%5CSPE20060217a.html

2006/02/21 Firearm Sales Booming Since Katrina

Jo Petty bought her first gun 20 years ago after she was robbed in the drive-through lane at a fast-food restaurant. "I'd never felt so scared or vulnerable in my life," she said. Her husband, Dan, took her to a shooting range, and she bought a handgun that she kept in her Slidell area home. For years, it seemed like enough protection. But then came Hurricane Katrina. Reports of looting and lawlessness after the storm have prompted her to shop for a gun small enough to carry with her. http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/metro/index.ssf?/base/news-13/1140332777146440.xml

2006/02/21 Gun Rights Bills Move Forward in Va. Legislature

Midway through the Virginia legislative session, the House of Delegates has sent to the state Senate a series of bills that would make it easier for residents to acquire and carry guns, including a measure that would prohibit companies from banning guns in their parking lots. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/18/AR2006021801435.html

2006/02/21 Bill Allows Use Of Force In Cases Of Self-Defense

If your home is your castle, can you use force--even deadly force--to protect it without getting sued or arrested? The answer would be yes, under legislation to be discussed at a hearing before a Michigan Senate committee. http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060221/NEWS04/602210327/1005/news

2006/02/21 State Under The Gun

The Daily Telegraph out of Australia exposes why gun registration is a threat to gun ownership. The paper uses information from gun registrations--legal guns owned by law-abiding Australians who have followed the law to own them--to argue that there are too many new guns being allowed. http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story/0,20281,18202667-5001021,00.html

2006/02/17 True Cost Of Gun Registry Will Be Upsetting, Warns Public Security Minister

Canadians will be shocked by the true cost of the federal government's ill-fated gun registry, says new Public Security Minister Stockwell Day. http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=60756de3-3b98-43cb-a89b-7f325b2265bb&k=8222

2006/02/17 Women Tell Lawmakers They Want the Right to Protect Themselves

In the last 15 years, no law abiding citizen applying for a permit to carry a concealed firearm in Honolulu has been granted one -- not one domestic violence victim, not one person whose life was in danger, not one person working where they may be robbed at gunpoint, writes Malia Zimmerman. And the police chief has no plans to change that under Hawaiis current law, which says the police departments highest officer "may issue" a concealed carry permit should he choose to do so. http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?05eafffd-eff0-4c14-ba7c-1ec44f3d267c

2006/02/17 Scrutiny Of City Gun Show Criticized

The organizer of an August gun show at Richmond Raceway Complex told a House panel that a large team of federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and city, state and county police patrolled the two-day show, harassing law-abiding gun buyers. http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1137834132638

2006/02/17 Women's Numbers Growing In Outdoors

Women are in the hunting industry's spotlight these days. The numbers of women who hunt or shoot has jumped in recent years, said Christine Godleski, vice president and general manager of ESPN Outdoors. http://www.cleveland.com/sports/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/sports/114016883774770.xml&coll=2