Volume 6, No. 05                   www.foac-pac.org                   May 29, 2006

 

Firearms Owners Against Crime

Text Box: FOAC 2006 Meeting Schedule · Jan 8, 2nd Sunday · Feb 12, 2nd Sunday · Mar 12, 2nd Sunday · Apr 9, 2nd Sunday · May 7, 1st Sunday · Jun 11, 2nd Sunday · Jul 9, 2nd Sunday · Aug 13, 2nd Sunday · Sep 10, 2nd Sunday · Oct 8, 2nd Sunday · Nov 5, 1st Sunday · Dec 10, 2nd Sunday Time: 10:00 AM Day: See Above Location: Whitehall Borough Bldg (off Rt.51) *********************** For information on Donating to or becoming a member of FOAC please click on the link below: http://www.foac-pac.org/membershipapp_pf.htm Coffee and Donuts will be provided Upcoming Events None Scheduled

"Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect every one who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined." -- Patrick Henry (speech in the Virginia Ratifying Convention, 5 June 1778)

 

E-Newsletter (Special Edition) & Advanced Meeting Notice For June 11th, 2006

 

Meeting Agenda-

 

 

Special Guest Speakers – None Scheduled

7.0 Treasurers Report

7.1     Presentation of the May 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              Final Primary Summary

9.2              Political forecast / long-term gun control issues

9.3              Meeting with Rep. Mustio [PICS Problems]

9.4              Adding online payment options to the FOAC website

9.5              Summer picnic for FOAC members

9.6              New Legislation Update.

9.6.1        HB 2536 – End Gun Registration

9.6.2        SB 1156 – End Gun Registration

9.6.3        HB 2563 – Hunters & CCW

9.6.4        HB 2231 – Castle Doctrine

9.6.5        HB 1181 – PA Employees & CCW

9.6.6        HB 544 – Election Code Changes

9.7              Fall Banquet Preparations

9.8              Erie FOAC Committee developments

9.9              Northwest Fall Banquet developments

 

Special Report:

 

PA Primary 2006—Political Backlash Or Political Terrorism

 

This is an article that I had hoped I would never have to write but thus far in the Pennsylvania elections, gun owners and 2nd Amendment supporters have been decimated in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Leading up to the primary there were 30 retirements in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Of these retirements 23 were pro-gun supporters. In the 2006 primary election 15 incumbents lost in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives 13 of which were pro-gun supporters. This leaves gun owners with a net loss of 36 pro-gun legislators. I will be blunt-these are devastating losses. Perhaps the single greatest loss was in the 6th District-Pennsylvania House of Representatives where Teresa Forcier lost. Coming in a very close second is the loss in the 42nd District of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives where Tom Stevenson also lost. Some will say that they lost to opponents who are as pro-gun as they are but the demographics of the District show that there is a very real possibility that in November the challengers who unseated the incumbents will very likely lose to anti-gun opponents who WOULD support the next pay raise.  Are THESE examples of the Pay Raise opponent’s version of victory?

 

Pro-Gun Incumbents Who Lost in 2006 PA Primary

District

Status

Party

LastName

FirstName

City/County

District 10

Incumbent

Dem

LaGrotta

Frank

Ellwood City

District 112

Incumbent

Dem

Belardi

Fred

Scranton

District 38

Incumbent

Dem

Ruffing

Kenneth W.

West Mifflin

District 100

Incumbent

Rep

Armstrong

Gib

Strasburg

District 102

Incumbent

Rep

Zug

Peter J.

Lebanon

District 125

Incumbent

Rep

Allen

Bob

Pottsville

District 130

Incumbent

Rep

Leh

Dennis E.

Douglassville

District 187

Incumbent

Rep

Semmel

Paul W.

Schnecksville

District 42

Incumbent

Rep

Stevenson

Tom

Pittsburgh

District 6

Incumbent

Rep

Forcier

Teresa

Venango

District 90

Incumbent

Rep

Fleagle

Patrick E.

Waynesboro

District 91

Incumbent

Rep

Maitland

Stephen R.

Gettysburg

District 97

Incumbent

Rep

Baldwin

Roy E.

Lancaster

 

Between voter apathy and outrage over the pay raise, a number of our best legislators have been sent to the unemployment line. Some justify this as an acceptable loss to get at the really bad legislators, but will it really get at the bad legislators? The answer is a resounding NO! Of the leaders in the legislature who bullied, cajoled, and otherwise twisted arms to force legislators to support the pay raise /unvouchered expense account legislation only 2 were removed, Senator Jubelirer and Senator Brightbill. The ones that remain are Gov. Rendell, Supreme Court Justice Cappy, Senator Mellow, Representatives John Perzel, Bill DeWeese, and Mike Veon. Considering political realities, it is very likely that most of these remaining legislative leaders will remain once the smoke clears in the general election of 2006.

 

Why is the above important? Because while all this anti-incumbent fervor is sweeping through Pennsylvania politics, gun owners political fortunes will very likely be thrown into the dark ages. There are 54 more pro-gun legislators in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives who have a contested race for the fall. If gun owners do not get involved in this election we could very well be handing to Ed Rendell and Sarah Brady our right to bear arms on a silver platter. Of course you're probably thinking that the challengers to the incumbents are probably pro-gun but that would be a mistake! This is how the Election breaks down at this point in time in our knowledge base as far as the candidates (philosophically) on the gun issue:

 

Open Seats (two candidates/no incumbent—Remember most of these districts were previously pro-gun):  11 Candidates Identified as Pro-Gun – 55 are either anti-gun OR unknown

 

Challengers to Pro-Gun Incumbents:

7 Candidates Identified as Pro-Gun – 47 are either anti-gun OR unknown

 

**(Unknown means that they did not return an FOAC Survey or respond in any way)

 

As you can see from the above, Firearms Owners Against Crime has an enormous amount of work ahead of us just to communicate with and identify (philosophically) the candidates and, frankly, we cannot do this without your help!  It is also important to point out that ‘every’ candidate for a statewide office receives the FOAC questionnaire prior to the Primary and each winner will receive an additional one with a request to communicate with us on these issues.  Those that fail to respond receive a follow up and in certain cases more than one.  It is also worth pointing out that of all the candidates who refer to themselves as ‘Clean Sweepers’ nearly 80% are either anti-gun or refused to answer multiple questionnaires and yet not ONE has been rejected or removed from the Clean Sweep roles due to an ‘unconstitutional position’ on YOUR Right to Bear Arms.  Isn’t this why PA Clean Sweep wants ALL the incumbents removed, because the Pay Raise was ‘unconstitutional’?

 

At this time the legislature has before it the most pro-gun political agenda ever offered in this state. This has been the result of years and years of hard work, grassroots lobbying, and intensive discussions with legislators through which we have built a level of trust and understanding. We are in danger of losing all of this in this period of political terrorism. In essence, the group Pennsylvania Clean Sweep HAS put at risk all of our constitutional freedoms to make a Darwinian point about their narrow-minded view of the pay raise and how politics works. Let's be frank, even if all of the incumbents were removed, the political power structure of the behind-the-scenes movers and shakers would remain. One of the advantages of seniority and experience as a legislator is that you are somewhat insulated on certain issues and can resist manipulation. Since it does not appear that Leadership will be removed, then all of these new legislators will be at the mercy of the process that remains unchanged.  

 

Some of you will disagree with these points but, keep in mind, that these are ones that have been developed and sharpened over a 20-year period of involvement in politics. We have developed a unique, in our view, method of dealing with these issues by educating and communicating with all the legislators. We only ask them to do the right thing by supporting issues factually and without bias and absent political manipulation and strong-arm tactics. Effective public policy must be based on the truth and this is the central point and foundation of our approach to legislators that has gained us so much respect, even from those who are considered to be anti-gun.

 

Therefore, what we're saying is that the solution to issues like gun control or even the pay raise is not some “we’ll show them” attitude that ends up leaving destruction in its wake with no REAL solution or recognition of how politics works. The true solution is for a steady, continuous, intense involvement, on the part of citizens, in the political process. This has been shown through our work over the long term to yield very positive results. The fact is that we don't discipline children in school with a nuclear bomb (the PA Clean Sweep approach), instead we single out the perpetrators and discipline them individually and this is exactly the approach that Firearms Owners Against Crime has when dealing with legislators at election time.

 

Basically it's up to you; do YOU want to sacrifice all the good will and hard work that we've built up over this last generation as well as our Freedoms and Rights for this pay raise issue? Unfortunately thus far the answer has been yes in it least 13 districts but if more pro-gun legislators are unemployed in November then once January 2007 rolls around WE WILL ALL RUE THE DAY!

 

Hunting & CCW Legislation

 

The PA House of Representatives legislation that will provide gun owners who hunt and possess a Concealed Carry Permit to possess their self-defense firearm while hunting currently has 42 co-sponsors and is set to be heard by the legislature shortly.

This legislation (HB 2563) has been 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 legislation has been considered and voted out of committee, Game and Fish, and is projected to be brought to the floor of the House shortly.

 

ATF May Have Problems Over U-GA Campus Incident

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Fire­arms and Explosives (ATF) got something of a public relations black eye recently when agents, attending a seminar on the University of Georgia (U-GA) campus, roughed up a student who was jogging away from a "pirates vs. ninjas" social gathering of the Wesleyan Foundation.

The student, Jeremiah Ransom, was put on the ground with a knee on his neck by an unidentified ATF agent. The incident was photographed by a quick-thinking stu­dent who turned over the photo to the cam­pus newspaper, The Red & Black. The in­cident got widespread coverage, thanks to Associated Press.

University Police Chief Jimmy Williamson told Gun Week that, while he could "understand" how this occurred, he was not terribly happy. He felt the agents might have taken the time to "know their environment a little bit."

"This isn't a high crime area," Williamson said. "They could have used a little due diligence."

The Wesleyan Foundation is a United Methodist organization on the campus, according to the student newspaper and Williamson. The incident occurred dur­ing Spirit Week in which various "theme" days were being enjoyed by stu­dents and the "pirates vs. ninjas" gath­ering was one of those events. Ransom was dressed in black sweat pants and a black shirt, with a red headband and a red kerchief-mask.

He was headed toward a dining hall when the agents apparently spotted him, and thought he looked suspicious. Various accounts report that one of the agents yelled at him to "freeze" and other ATF agents, apparently with guns drawn, yelled at other students to get down. Williamson told Gun Week that nobody apparently heard anyone identify himself as a police officer.

The seminar attended by ATF and vari­ous local law enforcement officers was about Project Safe Neighborhoods. The agents were all dressed in plain clothes.

Ransom, a sophomore, was described by Williamson as a "great guy, definitely well ­rounded." Williamson said he personally apologized to Ransom after the incident.  The New GUN WEEK, May 2006

 

Study Suggests Big City Chiefs Anti-Gun

by Dave Workman Senior editor

Almost two-thirds of big city police chiefs responding to a gun control survey conducted by researchers in Ohio and Michigan agreed that the government should do "ev­erything it can" to prevent criminals from obtaining hand­guns, "even if it means making it more difficult for law­abiding citizens to purchase handguns."

The results of this national survey, published in the April issue of The American Journal of Preventive Medi­cine, showed 63% of the respondents agree with that re­strictive notion.

The survey was limited to chiefs of police in cities with populations greater than 25,000. This population level was selected, the researchers said, "because a higher percentage of crime occurs in larger cities."

The survey also offered suggestions about how gun control proponents might use the data, and the police chiefs, themselves, to further their cause. And the sur­vey also refers to firearms crime and mishaps as a public health problem.

The study also revealed that 69.4% of the respondents support mandatory handgun registration, and a whop­ping 93.5% support mandatory background checks for the purchase of handguns, while 82.2% believe in background checks when buying rifles or shotguns.

Another revealing statistic is that more than 58% of responding police chiefs support the notion that private citizens should be prohibited from carrying firearms in public places, while 26.5% support the idea.

The survey was conducted by Amy Thompson, PhD., Kent State University, OH; James H. Price, PhD, and Thomas Tatchell, PhD, both with the University of To­ledo, OH, and Joseph A. Dake, PhD, Wayne State Uni­versity, MI.

The report, entitled Police Chiefs' Perceptions of the Regulation of Firearms, offered suggestions about how the data might be used to affect public firearms policy. In their conclusions, the authors note, "The results of this study may assist grassroots efforts in initiating and enacting firearm control policies."

They also advise readers, "By including such diverse groups like police chiefs in their membership, gun con­trol advocacy groups may be able to share resources, broaden their constituency base, share information on political strategies, and learn new policy implementa­tion tactics from one another."

The study's conclusions noted, "lawmakers strongly value the opinions of law enforcement regarding which firearm control policies are useful and enforceable."

In a telephone interview, Thompson told Gun Week that the survey was conducted "about a year ago," and that The Journal submits articles for peer review.

There were 29 questions in the survey, which was sent to 600 police chiefs selected at random, in a three-part mailing. Out of that number, 54'7 police chiefs actually received the survey and the overall return rate among them was 70.5%. It took about two months for the team to recover the data and analyze it, Thompson said.

Slightly over 25% of those who responded acknowl­edged membership in the National Rifle Association, while 74.3% said they do not belong to the NRA or any other pro-gun rights organization.

More than half of the respondents said they would be willing to meet with legislators to discuss gun control, while slightly more than a third said they would join a coalition to work on a gun policy that it supported. Thirty­three percent said they would donate money to support gun control while more than two-thirds would not, and less than 20% said they would meet on a regular basis as part of a gun control coalition. Only 13.7% would agree to be a spokesperson for gun control in a public service announcement.  Response to this question surprised Thompson. (Continued on Page 5)

 “It surprised me they weren't actively participating in those kinds of activities," she said.

Thompson suspects that most police chiefs think of themselves as public em­ployees and public servants who may not believe it is their role to be active in such efforts. Yet, she said, it is often police chiefs to whom state lawmakers first look for opinions on firearm policies.

The majority of police chiefs also sup­port prohibiting handgun purchases "based on prior misdemeanor convictions," particularly the display of a firearm in a threatening manner, possession of illegal drug paraphernalia, domestic abuse and carrying a concealed weapon without a li­cense.

However, responding chiefs showed far less support for disarming people if they were convicted of drunk and disorderly conduct, indecent exposure, driving under the influence or shoplifting.

Perhaps most surprising, almost two ­thirds of the chiefs did not support a de­nial of handgun purchases to people con­victed of assault and battery without a le­thal weapon or serious injury.

Slightly less than one-third of the re­sponding chiefs supported one-gun-a-­month laws, though this was another sur­prise for Thompson, who acknowledged that her research colleagues "could not fig­ure out" whether their response to the question indicated they oppose the idea of such laws, or perhaps don't think they are restrictive enough.

Even fewer respondents supported a policy that would require handguns to be "personalized," while only 38.2% sup­ported a requirement that firearms only be sold through commercial gun dealers, and 42.7% oppose that idea.

However, respondents largely would favor (82.7%) a requirement that new handguns have trigger locks and to a lesser degree (65.3%) that guns be packaged with safety regulations. Also, 57.6% of the chiefs would sup­port a design requirement that hand­guns have loaded chamber indicators, while just over 50% favor a require­ment that new handguns be "child proof."  The New GUN WEEK, May 2006

 

Bloomberg Holds `Gun Summit' For Big-City Anti-Gun Mayors

by Dave Workman Senior Editor

Anti-gun New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg co-hosted a so-called gun sum­mit late last month with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, and the event drew harsh criticism from one of the nation's leading gun rights groups.

The summit invited mayors from such cities as Milwaukee, Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, and Seattle, and was touted as an opportunity for them to dis­cuss urban gun violence.

The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) saw it differently, though, and went after the mayors for using the meeting as an excuse to scheme against the rights of law-abid­ing gunowners, while ignoring bigger prob­lems that contribute to urban crime.

"Rather than devising and suggesting more restrictions on the rights of law-abid­ing gunowners, these mayors need to rec­ognize that urban violence is a symptom of deeper problems that their bankrupt social policies perpetuate," said CCRKBA Executive Director Joe Waldron.

Bloomberg, who is prevented from seek­ing another mayoral term by a local term limits law, has been pushing gun control as part of an effort to give himself national political exposure. Earlier this year, he testified on Capitol Hill against federal legislation that would protect gun trace data from legal fishing expeditions by municipalities that might want to use it as grounds for anti-gun lawsuits.

According to Associated Press, the meet­ing was held at Gracie Mansion in New York on Apr. 25 as this issue of Gun Week went to press.

While an aide to Bloomberg recently in­sisted to Gun Week that the Big Apple mayor only wants to curb illicit gun activ­ity, Waldron is hardly convinced. He be­lieves that Bloomberg would like to spread New York-type gun laws across the coun­try.

"Just how the mayors of Dallas, Seattle, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Washington, DC, expect to discourage violent thugs in inner-city communities, and who account for more than half of all US homicides, by slapping restrictions on all citizens across the nation is puzzling," Waldron observed.

He criticized the mayors for blaming guns for crime, when many of them encour­age illegal aliens to take root in their cit­ies by supporting the concept of "amnesty

zones." Illegal aliens are involved in a growing number of criminal activities, a fact not lost on CCRKBA, which last year pa launched a national campaign to "Control sh Borders, Not Guns."

Bloomberg's program included a panel discussion with so-called gun crime ex­perts. Waldron put little faith in their ex­pertise to solve inner city gun crime.

"Ten years ago," Waldron said, "the 'so­lution' to gun trafficking into New York City from southern states with so-called `lax' gun laws was to impose one-gun-a­ month laws in those states. That scheme proved a colossal failure because Virginia, where such a law is on the books, is still the number one source of illegal guns in New York. Yet honest citizens face ridicu­lous roadblocks to gun ownership, and le­gal concealed carry is impossible."

Waldron noted that criminals will get guns, no matter what laws are passed. "Street thugs will find and exploit any source of firearms," he said, "regardless what restrictions are placed on honest gunowners. Criminals ignore laws, espe­cially gun laws, and Bloomberg, Menino and their anti-gun colleagues from around the country know it."

In addition to Bloomberg and Menino, the following mayors were expected to at­tend the Summit: Laura Miller, Dallas, TX; John Street, Philadelphia, PA; Tom Barrett, Milwaukee, WI; Anthony Will­iams, Washington, DC; Greg Nickels, Se­attle, WA; Frank Melton, Jackson, MI; David Cicilline, Providence, RI; Eddie Perez, Hartford, CT; Douglas Palmer, Trenton, NJ; Jerramiah Healy, Jersey City, NJ; Byron Brown, Buffalo, NY, and Rob­ert Duffy, Rochester, NY. The New GUN WEEK, May 2006

 

News Briefs:

 

Armed French Cop Riles Brits

French police have apologized after one of their officers breached regulations by shopping at a busy London railway station with a gun on her hip,, the British Home Office said, according to Agence France Presse.

The policewoman was seen with a pistol on her belt when she entered a newsstand at Waterloo Station, terminal for Eurostar trains for Paris and Brussels, and bought some magazines.

French police are stationed full-time at Waterloo to inspect travel documents of departing Eurostar passengers, but they can carry their standard-issue firearms only in designated areas.

"We understand that one of the French national police officers based at Waterloo International inadvertently went to buy a news­paper at the station while still wearing a firearm," a Home Office spokesman said.

"This is in contravention of the agreement we have with the French. We understand that the officer has since returned to France (and) the French have apologized for the incident." The New GUN WEEK, May 10, 2006

 

Explosion Hurts Teacher

Part of a Ventura, CA, instructor's right hand was severed on Apr. 3 after he struck an object on his classroom desk against an old 40mm round of ammunition while teaching, according to The Ventura County Star.

The accidental discharge also left Robert Colla with severe burns and minor shrapnel wounds to his forearms and torso, said Tom Weinell, a captain with the Ventura Fire Department.

No one else was injured, even though there were 20 to 25 people in the classroom with Colla at the Ventura Adult Education Cen­ter at the time.

Colla was taken to Ventura County Medical Center, where he was later listed in stable condition.

"It was just a horrible accident," said Dennis Huston, who teaches computer design alongside Colla.

Huston said he had his back turned to Colla and was only about three feet away when he heard a loud bang.

He turned around to find Colla screaming, his right hand mangled.

Colla had found the 40mm round while hunting years ago, Huston said. He used it as a paperweight and "obviously he didn't think the round was live," Huston said. The New GUN WEEK, May 10, 2006

 

New Weapon of Choice

From the "Grilled Cheese Sandwich" file comes a case out of Pennsylvania that, Gun Week admits, is quite possibly the weird­est murder story we've ever heard.

Uniontown, PA, resident Walter S. Fordyce, 58, was jailed for investigation of criminal homicide in the death of his live-in girl­friend, identified as Mary McCann, also 58. He allegedly killed her on the morning ofApr. 13 because she refused to heat up sand­wiches for him, according to Associated Press.

This all began, the report explained, when Fordyce-angry that he wasn't getting hot sandwiches-threw a microwave oven at McCann, hitting her in the chest. Apparently he figured that didn't get her attention sufficiently, so he then, according to the report, stomped her and slammed her head on the floor until she passed out. She never regained consciousness.

Fordyce reportedly told responding police officers he never meant to kill McCann.

But there is more. After McCann lost consciousness, Fordyce reportedly went to get help from a neighbor, but there was nobody around to call 911. So, he went back home to check his girlfriend's pulse and when he couldn't feel anything, he went downstairs and had a beer.

It was only after downing a cold one that he went to another neighbor and got them to call the police. The New GUN WEEK, May 10, 2006

 

NSSF Bullet Points (06-05-08)

 

News Story Links:

 

06/05/10 Study Supports Carry Law

In a new study of carry laws, author David Dodenhoff says he found less chance of property loss or physical injury exists when a potential crime victim resists with a gun. He says criminals in states with carry laws are afraid of the possibility of confronting an armed victim. http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=4878931

 

06/05/09 Murdoch To Host Fundraiser For Hillary Clinton

Rupert Murdoch, the conservative media mogul whose New York Post tabloid savaged Hillary Clintons initial aspirations to become a US senator for New York, has agreed to host a political fundraiser for her re-election campaign.