Archive for Second Amendment Issues
Georgia Man Sues After He is Detained for Carrying a Concealed Firearm
Posted by: | CommentsA Georgia man is suing the Atlanta transit system, MARTA, after he was detained for carrying a concealed firearm in a train station. Christopher Raissi was apparently detained by MARTA police on October 14, 2008 when he carried a concealed firearm onto MARTA property. Georgia law allows licensed citizens to carry concealed or exposed firearms on mass transit.
Backed by GeorgiaCarry.org, Raissi’s lawsuit states he was escorted to another building and detained for about 30 minutes before being released. According to the US Supreme Court, Read More→
The Montana Firearms Freedom Act is bill that would exempt firearms and firearm accessories manufactured and retained in the state from all federal gun control laws.
Citing the 2nd, 9th, and 10th Amendments, House Bill 246 clearly explains that the federal government has no authority to regulate intrastate commerce in Montana. If passed, the Montana Firearms Freedom Act would eliminate the application of any federal laws on “a personal firearm, a firearm accessory, or ammunition that is manufactured commercially or privately in Montana and that remains within the borders of Montana.” Read More→
Oregon Legislature Moves to Enhance CCW Holder Privacy
Posted by: | CommentsIn Oregon, records of who has been issued a concealed weapon permit are generally available under public records. However, past abuses by the media and others have prompted some Oregon sheriff’s and lawmakers to push for a change in the law, providing a level of privacy and security for permit holders.
House Bill 2727, backed by 45 legislators, would prohibit the public release of concealed weapon permit holder information, except by court order or for criminal justice purposes. This bill has about half of the legislators, both Democrats and Republicans, signed on as co-sponsors.
Oregon residents: contact your state legislators and let them know they need to support this bill. Also, visit the Oregon Firearms Federation for statewide efforts to protect your Second Amendment rights!
Bi-Partisan Push for Concealed Carry in Illinois
Posted by: | CommentsIllinois is one of only two states that prohibits all manner of concealed carry of firearms by citizens. But there is legislation moving through the Illinois General Assembly to change that.
House Bills 245 and 462 would allow Illinois residents to obtain a license to carry a concealed firearm outside of their home. HB 245 would have the Illinois State Police issue the permits, while HB 462 would place the task with the county sheriff.
Both bills were approved 11-1 in committee and sent to the floor of the General Assembly. Both bills had the support of Democrats and Republicans alike in committee. Rep. Julie Hamos, a Democrat, was the lone voice against self-defense and personal liberty.
Illinois is notorious for its anti-gun laws, but most of that comes from the politically powerful in Chicago. Outside of Chicago, most folks in Illinois are pretty sane. In fact, a lot of people would like to see concealed carry be legalized. Don’t believe me? Steve Chapman wrote a opinion piece for the Chicago Tribune encouraging the state to legalize concealed carry. The Illinois Sheriff’s Association is on-board too.
If you live in Illinois, please contact your representatives in the General Assembly. Let them know that these bills are important to you, and that you will be watching how they vote.
Also, consider joining the Illinois State Rifle Association. The ISRA is your state-wide voice on Second Amendment issues.
The city of Los Angeles has a long history of failing to protect its citizens. Continuing in this tradition, Los Angeles moves again to take more rights away from the law abiding citizens.
In December, I wrote about new anti-gun legislation being proposed by the Los Angeles city council, and that no one took the time to show up and speak out against the new proposals. The ordinance later passed bringing the following new rules to the law abiding citizens of L.A.:
- a ban on the sale of .50 ammunition
- a requirement that anyone selling any ammunition be licensed by the city
- a ban on mail-order and Internet sales of ammunition
- an inventory of all firearms held by a dealer must be forwarded to the LAPD twice each year
- prohibition on “secret compartments” for guns in vehicles (i.e. a gun lock box)
- allows landlords to evict tenants who are convicted of illegally possessing a firearm or ammunition
While California looks to release “tens of thousands” of convicts from prison because they cannot afford to keep them, the city of L.A. continues its march on the liberties of its law abiding citizens. L.A. is now proposing new anti-gun legislation that would make it illegal for a citizen to possess a firearm or ammunition if they were convicted of an enumerated misdemeanor offense.
It has long been held that misdemeanor offenses do not disbar an U.S. citizen from exercising their constitutionally guaranteed rights. Over the years, however, this has been chipped away. The most notable example is the misdemeanor domestic violence conviction disability passed by the U.S. Congress in the 1990′s. This, however, is even more egregious, as a mere city is now disbarring the rights of a free citizen from the exercise of his or her Second Amendment rights.
Let me be clear: the war on gun rights and all freedoms is on. This battle is in Los Angeles. The next battle will be in your town. Please get involved! The prior rights grab in December was unanimously approved, and no voices of opposition were present. Do not let the current attack go unchallenged.
Contact the Los Angeles city council. Join the NRA. Join the Second Amendment Foundation and Gun Owners of America. Write letters to the newspapers. GET INVOLVED!
Michael S. Steele, RNC Chairman, on Gun Control and Gun Rights
Posted by: | CommentsThe Republican National Committee elected a new chairman today: Michael S. Steele. Steele, a former lieutenant governor of notoriously anti-gun Maryland, will lead the Republican party in the coming years. The Republican party has traditionally been the major party that favors gun rights. Will Steele support gun rights?
I’m not so sure.
In an October 16, 2006 Washington Post interview, Steele was asked “Should people have access to buy assault weapons?” Steele’s response:
“Society should draw lines. What do you need an assault weapon for, if you’re going hunting? That’s overkill. But I don’t think that means you go to a total ban for those who want to use gun for skeet shooting or hunting or things like that” (emphasis added)
When asked his general views on gun control, Steele stated:
“I grew up under some of the strictest gun control laws in the country. You can have all the gun control laws in the country, but if you don’t enforce them, people are going to find a way to protect themselves. We need to recognize that bad people are doing bad things with these weapons. It’s not the law-abiding citizens, it’s not the person who uses it as a hobby.”
That doesn’t sound like someone who understands anything about the Second Amendment or the truth around so-called “assault weapons.”
So, let me say this to Steele: the Second Amendment isn’t about hunting or sport. It is about an inalienable right granted to us by God, and codified in the United States Constitution as one of those things that the government is not allowed to interfere with. Please educate yourself if you expect to receive the support of gun owners.
H.R. 257: Attacks Handguns, Semi-Automatic Rifles, Magazines
Posted by: | CommentsIn another attack on the Second Amendment, Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee has introduced H.R. 257, the Child Gun Safety and Gun Access Prevention Act of 2009. H.R. 257 is a broad based attack, that would criminalize a number of things, including raising the age from 18 to 21 to lawfully own or possess a handgun.
The bill would also prohibit anyone under the age of 21 from owning or possessing a “semiautomatic assault weapon” or a “large capacity ammunition feeding device.” So it would seem that we trust our troops to handle real assault rifles (you know, the kind that are fully automatic) overseas, but should a 20-year-old Marine lance corporal return to the States and obtain a semi-automatic AR-15 with (gasp) a 20-round magazine, he or she would be a felon.
Likewise, it would become criminal to transfer or sell a handgun, “semiautomatic assault weapon” or a “large capacity ammunition feeding device” to an adult who has not yet reached the arbitrary age of 21. Oh, and the penalty increases from up to one year in prison to up to five years in prison.
Further, it would also expand the requirement that all firearms, not just handguns, be sold with safety locks. The law also adds new a new law imparting criminal liability to a gun owner who’s gun is obtained by someone under 18 years old.
And as another attack on gun shows, the bill would require that all persons under 18 be accompanied by an adult while at a gun show, and affixing liability on the gun show organizer if there is an unaccompanied teen on the show floor. Conceivably, the BATFE could find a teenager at one table, while mom and dad are at another vendor, and shut down the show.
None of the above items have ever been shown to decrease crime or accidental deaths. At best, they are “feel good” measures meant to “protect children.” The reality is they are just another means to erode away our Second Amendment rights.
This bill is currently in the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Durham City Council Ignores Voters, Meets With Anti-Gun Special Interest ‘Informally’
Posted by: | CommentsThe Durham city council met with the anti-gun ACORN organizer Rev. Melvin Whitley in an informal “work session” on Jan. 22, according to The Herald Sun.
As I reported in December, the Durham city council has been considering supporting Rev. Whitley’s proposal for ammunition regulation modeled on Illinois law. The proposal would require, in part, a citizen to obtain a permit from the local sheriff prior to purchasing any ammunition.
The Durham city council was hit with a lot of outcry against supporting this kind of back-door gun banning, and they removed their meeting with Rev. Whitley from the council’s agenda. However, it appears when they thought no one was looking, they did indeed meet with Rev. Whitley in an informal work session.
Let me be very clear… The Durham city council needs to hear from you on this matter. I have talked before about working locally to fight anti-gun politicians, and this is the perfect example. Local politicians are saying one thing, but doing something different on a gun issue.
Contact the Durham city council today! Their contact information can be found on the Durham City Council web site.
Also, if you live in North Carolina, support the pro-gun group Grass Roots North Carolina. They have been out in front on this topic, and are really fighting hard for your Second Amendment freedoms.
HR-45: National Firearms Licensing, Tracking and Banning
Posted by: | CommentsIn an effort to bring Illinois-style anti-gun legislation to the entire country, Rep. Bobby Rush has introduced HR-45, the Blair Holt’s Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act. This act would require a national database of firearm sales, licensing of firearms owners, and the bill would make it illegal to transfer firearms from one private person to another.
The bill would make it illegal to possess a handgun or long gun with a detachable magazine unless you were licensed. Additionally, the ban on transfers will eliminate private sales, requiring all transactions to go through a dealer and be tracked in the national database.
Further, firearms as gifts would be severely curtailed, limited to the “infrequent” transfer of a firearm “by an individual to a parent, child, grandparent, or grand-child.” This would eliminate an uncle gifting a firearm to his nephew, etc.
Please contact your elected representatives, and let them know your position on this dangerous legislation. Also, if you are not already a member, please join the NRA today! They are “on the ground” in D.C. everyday, fighting for our Second Amendment rights.
From the NRA:
U.S. Representative Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) recently sponsored H.R. 45, also known as “Blair Holt’s Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act.” The bill is, at its core and as its name implies, a licensing and registration scheme.
The measure calls for all handgun owners to submit to the federal government an application that shall include, among many other things: a photo; an address; a thumbprint; a completed, written firearm safety test; private mental health records; and a fee. And those are only some of the requirements to be licensed!
The bill would further require the attorney general to establish a database of every handgun sale, transfer, and owner’s address in America. Moreover, the bill would make it illegal to own or possess a “qualifying firearm” — defined as “any handgun; or any semiautomatic firearm that can accept any detachable ammunition feeding device…” [emphasis added] without one of the proposed licenses.
Additionally, the bill would make it illegal to transfer ownership of a “qualifying firearm” to anyone who is not a licensed gun dealer or collector (with very few exceptions), and would require “qualifying firearm” owners to report all transfers to the attorney general’s database. It would also be illegal for a licensed gun owner to fail to record a gun loss or theft within 72 hours, or fail to report a change of address within 60 days. Further, if a minor obtains a firearm and injures someone with it, the owner of the firearm may face a multiple-year jail sentence.
H.R. 45 is essentially a reintroduction of H.R. 2666, which Rush introduced in 2007. H.R. 2666 contained much of the same language as H.R. 45, and was co-sponsored by several well-known anti-gun legislators–including Barack Obama’s chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel. H.R. 45 currently has no co-sponsors.
HR-197: National Right to Carry Bill Introduced
Posted by: | CommentsFrom the NRA:
U.S. Representatives Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) and Rick Boucher (D-Va.), recently introduced H.R. 197– the “National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2009″–a bill that would provide national recognition for valid state Right-to-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 the permit holder meets certain criteria. In states that issue permits, a state’s laws governing where concealed firearms may be carried would apply within its borders. In states that do not issue carry permits, a federal standard would apply. 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.
Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) is expected to introduce the Senate companion bill in the near future. Rep. Stearns has introduced such legislation since 1995.
Please be sure to contact your U.S. Representative at (202) 225-3121, and urge him or her to cosponsor and support H.R. 197!
If you are not already a member, please join the NRA today!
Toys Guns Threaten New York City: NYC Takes Down Party City Menace
Posted by: | Comments[Editor's note: The use of sarcasm will be employed in this article. While the article is sarcastic, the facts and quotes are all correct. Refrain from flooding me with hate mail!]
In a bold move to protect the citizens of New York City, the Department of Consumer Affairs negotiated a $500,000 settlement with crime menace Party City. Party City, in flagrant disregard for the residents of NYC, had been selling toy guns to anyone with the cash who walked in off the street.
“Fake guns that look real aren’t toys. In fact, they’re so dangerous that selling them is illegal,” said Consumer Affairs Commissioner Jonathan Mintz. “The City is committed to cracking down on every single violator of this public safety law and will seek maximum penalties when businesses fail to get the message.”
Mintz and his crack squad of consumer investigators caught Party City in a ring of illegal toy gun sales in April 2008. Apparently selling to anyone, Party City was charged by the city with almost 800 counts of illegal toy gun sales.
And this is not the first time Party City has been caught selling illegal toy guns on the streets of New York City. In 2003, the Department of Consumer Affairs busted Party City for selling illegal toy guns. In that case, Party City paid $150,000 in fines.
This time, Party City isn’t getting off so easy. In addition to the half-a-million dollar fine, DCA required Party City to pay for an independent monitor who will perform unannounced weekly inspections of Party City’s shelves and review its advertising in New York City over the next year. Further, to ensure Party City’s compliance, the settlement allows DCA to double the fine for future imitation gun violations from $1,000 to $2,000.
Since 2002, DCA enforcement teams have removed more than 7,000 guns from the shelves of more than 220 stores throughout the City, and levied $3.3 million in fines.
President Obama’s Official Anti-Gun Policies
Posted by: | CommentsWell, the new president has made the his anti-gun agenda official. Copied right from his transition website to the WhiteHouse.gov site:
Obama and Biden would repeal the Tiahrt Amendment, which restricts the ability of local law enforcement to access important gun trace information, and give police officers across the nation the tools they need to solve gun crimes and fight the illegal arms trade. Obama and Biden also favor commonsense measures that respect the Second Amendment rights of gun owners, while keeping guns away from children and from criminals. They support closing the gun show loophole and making guns in this country childproof. They also support making the expired federal Assault Weapons Ban permanent.
So, look for President Obama backed legislation to:
- Allow the use of law enforcement data to sue gun manufacturers for the misuse of their products;
- Make it a crime to transfer ownership of a firearm from one citizen to another as a gift, inheritance, or private sale;
- Banning of the sales of semi-automatic rifles; and
- Criminalizing the sale and possession of magazines with a capacity above a random, arbitrary number.
Please, get involved! Talk to your elected representatives. Join the NRA. Write letters to your newspapers.
If we do nothing, our rights will be taken. If we stand up, and make our voices heard, we can make a difference!
