Archive for Second Amendment Issues
Florida Governor Charlie Crist selected circuit court judge James Perry to fill a vacancy on the Florida Supreme Court. Perry, a Democrat, was appointed instead of NRA-backed candidate Judge Al Lawson.
According to the Tampa Bay Online website, a division of the Tampa Tribune newspaper, conservatives will be upset about the choice because Perry is black. Read More→
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.
