CS: Legal-Gun suit thrown out
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Florida appeals court rejects gun suit MIAMI, Feb 22 (Reuters) - A Florida appeals court has upheld a lower court ruling dismissing a product liability lawsuit against gun manufacturers that sought to recoup millions of tax dollars spent treating gunfire victims and investigating gun-related crime. The Third District Court of Appeal last week rejected a bid by Miami-Dade County to overturn the 1999 lower court ruling, which tossed out the county's lawsuit against two dozen gun makers, distributors and industry groups on the grounds the county lacked legal standing. Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas, who was behind the lawsuit, was considering options to continue the litigation, his spokesman said on Thursday. "The mayor is obviously a little disappointed by the decision," spokesman Juan Mendieta said. "He feels it is necessary to move ahead and see what can be done to keep this legal action alive." The Miami-Dade lawsuit, one of a series brought by more than two dozen municipalities including San Francisco, Chicago and Los Angeles, sought reimbursement for public spending related to gun violence. It alleged that gun-makers sold products that were defective because they lacked safety devices such as trigger locks and load indicators that would reveal whether the firing chamber contained a bullet. In December 1999, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Amy Dean granted the gun manufacturers' request to dismiss the suit, ruling that the county was not a proper plaintiff. She said Florida law required plaintiffs in product liability cases to show that they were harmed by a specific defect in a specific product made by a specific manufacturer. In upholding Dean's decision, the appellate court called the lawsuit "an attempt to regulate firearms and ammunition through the medium of the judiciary. "Clearly this round-about attempt is being made because of the County's frustration at its inability to directly regulate firearms...," the appeals court wrote. "The County's frustration cannot be alleviated through litigation." Firearms dealers hailed the ruling, which was issued on Feb. 14 but made public by gun companies on Thursday. "The Florida appeals court ruling is yet another strong indication that our nation's courts will not allow themselves to be used to mandate a radical anti-gun agenda," Carlton Chen, general counsel for Colt's Manufacturing Co. Inc., said in a statement. Penelas, who filed the lawsuit in hope of forcing gun-makers to produce childproof guns and to change distribution and marketing practices, was to be briefed by county lawyers next week on his options for pursuing the litigation. "There are several avenues. There is the possibility of a direct appeal to the (Florida) Supreme Court. We could petition the Third District for a rehearing. Or we could not pursue it," Assistant County Attorney Javier Soto said. Defendants in the Miami-Dade lawsuit included Smith Wesson Corp., a unit of the British conglomerate Tomkins Plc; Beretta U.S.A. Corp.; Glock Inc.; Sturm Ruger Co Inc; Colt's Manufacturing Company Inc.; Browning Arms Co. and Carl Walther GmbH. Cybershooters website: http://www.cybershooters.org List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Learn More. Surf Less. Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Topics You Choose. http://www.topica.com/partner/tag01
CS: Pol-SAS vs MMM
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.freep.com/news/metro/moms14_20010214.htm Soccer moms enlist in battle over guns Michigan's CCW fight takes fun out of games at metro business February 14, 2001 BY TAMARA AUDI FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER With its green indoor turf, a parking lot that could double as a minivan showroom and a popular soccer clinic for toddlers called Wee Kickers, Total Soccer in Wixom seemed an unlikely battlefield for the national gun debate. But it was there on a Friday night, as the last games of pickup soccer were ending, that pro-gun forces dealt a blow to gun control. As battles go, it wasn't much to watch. The gun-control soldiers carried petition sheets and pens, and wore sweat suits, ponytails and tight smiles. They spoke in low voices. This is how soccer moms fight. They were defeated by the only group powerful enough to beat them: other soccer moms. Gun-rights mothers threatened to pull their kids off Total Soccer teams if the gun-control mothers -- mostly members of the Million Mom March -- did not stop collecting signatures at the facility for a petition that could overturn Michigan's new concealed-weapons law. The pro-gun mothers used the word "boycott." Petitioners were asked to leave. And Total Soccer learned its lesson. "It was enough to make you think if a company takes a political stand, it's going to hurt you in the long run," said Wendy Woods, a Total Soccer manager. She said the petitioners were well-mannered and friendly. Some were even familiar faces in the tight-knit soccer community. But management said it feared as many as 20 of 600 teams might be eliminated by a boycott. "Whether we support what they're doing or not, it ends up being not worth it." As the gun battle intensifies in Michigan, some of the fiercest fighting is going on in the oddest places: churches, ice rinks, movie theaters, parent-teacher group meetings and Main Street shops. And the most powerful fighters, it turns out, are the women who support these places with their money, time and children. Gun-control advocates have until March 28 to collect 151,000 valid signatures to try to put the concealed-weapons law on a ballot before voters. The newly passed law gives Michigan residents age 21 and older the right to carry concealed weapons with a permit. The law, which takes effect July 1, bans weapons from certain public places, including bars, schools and sports arenas. The Million Mom March is not the only group gathering signatures. The effort is coordinated by People Who Care About Kids, a group organized by Wayne County Prosecutor Michael Duggan. But ever since the Million Mom March grabbed national attention at its Washington, D.C., event last Mother's Day by using motherhood as political currency, women in gun-rights groups have taken on a higher profile. Second Amendment Sisters (SAS), the pro-gun answer to the Million Mom March, has been recruiting women in Michigan. Next month, along with the Michigan Coalition of Responsible Gun Owners, SAS will host a Shop 'n' Shoot weekend in Frankenmuth exclusively for women. So far, about 35 women have signed up for shooting lessons and bargain-shopping. Both sides of the gun debate are tapping feminine instincts. The Web site of the Million Mom March ties into Valentine's Day today with the message "It's A Labor of Love." The SAS site counters with "Happy Valentine's Day! Is your love protected?" Although they were defeated at Total Soccer, the Million Mom March and the concealed-weapons petition are winning on other fronts. Last weekend, petitions were passed out in 50 churches and synagogues in metro Detroit, Duggan said. So far, 125,000 signatures have been collected. And some religious leaders embrace the cause, despite pressure. "There were some people in the congregation who were not happy because they felt we were mixing politics and religion. And one person objected as an NRA member," said the Rev. John Budde, pastor of the Holy Family Catholic Church in Novi. NRA is the National Rifle Association. That hasn't stopped gun-rights proponents from trying to push petitioners out when they see them. The chat room of the Michigan Coalition of Responsible Gun Owners Web site is filled with comments from members looking to thwart petitioners at the businesses where they are collecting signatures. "I don't want to give money to any business that's going against our interests -- and a lot of members feel the same way," said Ross Dykman, the coalition's executive director. Dykman said he has written letters to some businesses. But what has really rattled business owners are complaints from consumers, especially women, said Dykman and representatives for some businesses. So far, gun-control petitioners have been asked to leave Total Soccer, MJR Theaters
CS: Pol-The Left's Embrace of Guns
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Ashcroft May Teach Lefties to Love Guns Knute Berger, AlterNet February 13, 2001 I have never understood why the left in this country has decided to unilaterally disarm. Why is it that liberal civil libertarians are always gung ho on the constitution, until it gets to the Second Amendment which was what, written in invisible ink? In trying to stake out some kind of moral high ground, the left has abandoned not a only a basic right, but a potent symbol. Face it, in America, you only get respect if you're packing. The right has known this for a long time: guns are as American as John Wayne, as righteous as Charleton Heston, as cool as the latest, hipster noir revival film (Snatch comes to mind). But more importantly, the militias, patriots, NRA-nuts, and neo-Confederates comprise an importantand much pandered-toRepublican constituency. Their guns, and the money that goes with them, have gained them the attention of the media and the powerful. Unlike Barry Goldwater, their extremism in the defense of liberty has been good politics. Now one of the big panderers is Attorney General, John Ashcroft, a man who loves to toss around right-wing code words that mean something to the far political fringe. He defends gun rights as a bulwark against the "tyranny" of government and judicial activism, and he extols the virtues of "southern patriots." As the left faces the possibleeven likelytyranny of a far-right Republican regime, isn't it time to lock and load? The left has been reluctant to ally itself with the right on many issues, even when they agree. Notice that few activists have embraced Pat Buchanan for his stance against the World Trade Organization. Partly it's principle, not wanting to associate with racists, anti-Semites, or religious fanatics. It's also partly snobbery, avoiding the trailor trash side of the cultural divide. The result is that many liberals looked the other way at the outrages at Ruby Ridge and Waco, or at the depradations against privacy and police restraint under Attorney General Janet Reno and Bill Clinton. They scoffed when the NRA fundraisers called federal cops "stormtroopers." Well, now that the government is in new hands, is the left having any second thoughts? Does anyone really believe that Ashcroft's ATF will be any more compassionate than Janet Reno's? It's not like lefty activists have abandoned violence entirely. The Earth Liberation Front and other so-called eco-terrorists are torching trophy homes that sprawl into the last lots of wilderness (or Long Island). The Black Bloc anarchists of Eugene and elsewhere are ever-eager to make a statement by smashing glass at the nearest Starbucks or Niketown. Of course, they don't like to call such acts violence because, they rationalize, acts against property aren't violence, because private property itself is violence. Whatever. The fact remains that some elements of the left are resorting to actions that make simple gun ownership for self-defense, or any other legal reason, seem downright lame. After all, target shooting, it seem to me, is much less violent than burning down a ski resort. If the mainstream left was honest with itself, it would end its pious moralizing about guns and recognize that violence is sometimes an effective political tool. An even greater tool is the threat of violence. In Seattle, a group of pro-gun progressives, Democrats for the Second Amendment, got together with a group called Cease Fear to offer NRA handgun training to gay and lesbians. The training was also sponsored by a variety of organizations, including the Microsoft Gun Club, the local Libertarian Party, and the Jewish Defense League. While Cease Fear focuses on basic gun safety training, it was also designed to help people get over the idea that guns are for rednecks only. Jonathan Rauch, in a Salon article called "Pink Pistols," argues that guns can not only protect gays, but empower them the way self-defense has empowered Jews. "Guns can do the same thing for homosexuals: emancipate them from their image -- often internalized -- of cringing weakness. Pink pistols, I'll warrant, would do far more for the self-esteem of the next generation of gay men and women than any number of hate crime laws or antidiscrimination statutes." Rauch wants to make gay-bashing dangerous. To that end, Cease Fear unveiled new T-shirts for last spring's Gay Pride parade: and delta symbol with a fist holding a handgun and the words "Bash this!" In that spirit, the time is ripe for liberals to overcome their Second-Amendment reluctance, embrace gun rights, praise Gaia and pass the ammunition. It's time to test the tolerance of the Bush administration's new chief law enforcement officer by seeing how far he'll go to protect those who also abhor tyranny, but from the
CS: Pol-NZ gun registration unlikely
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://onenews.nzoom.com/news_detail/0,1227,29750,00.html Setback for gun registration plan Police Minister George Hawkins' plan to introduce compulsory gun registration has suffered a setback. Late last year Hawkins promised to get tough on guns, taking up the recommendations of the Thorp Report and introducing compulsory registration by 2010. But a select committee has been looking into the issue and has received more than 6000 submissions against registration, and One News understands it has concluded that gun registration is a no-go. The report by Sir Thomas Thorp recommended a totally new approach to firearms control, that included a buyback of military style semi automatics which has now been abandoned because of cost. More controversially, the report pushed registration of all firearms. It is this point that has firearms users up in arms. "Registering the firearms of law abiding people does not make any difference to the misuse of firearms of people who ignore the laws," says John Howat, chair of the Council of Licensed Firearms Owners. Howat's organisation represents 220,000 shooters, from hunters to target shooters to collectors of antique firearms. It says registering every gun would make its members targets for burglaries, and be too expensive to do properly at $100 million. Police have told the law and order select committee looking at the Arms Amendment Bill that they can not implement gun registration. Firstly it will be impossible without the failed Incis computer system, and secondly police just do not have the staff to do it. "I don't think that the public of New Zealand are going to be very happy when their community policing centres and community constables and youth aid constables start getting withdrawn and put on firearms registration projects," says Greg O'Connor of the Police Association. One News understands the select committee is divided over whether to modify the bill or scrap it altogether. Thorp Report recommendations for an independent firearms authority are unlikely to go ahead, and nor is individual firearms registration. But tougher penalties for those who steal firearms and have unlicensed guns are on the agenda. The changes to the bill have upset anti-gun lobbyists. "We didn't think the bill went far enough, we still want to see all guns registered and a firearms authority," says gun control campaigner Richard Northey. The select committee is due to report back to the house at the end of this month. Published on Feb 15, 2001 ONE NEWS sourced from TVNZ, RNZ, Reuters and Cybershooters website: http://www.cybershooters.org List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Learn More. Surf Less. Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Topics You Choose. http://www.topica.com/partner/tag01
CS: Military-The Female Face of the Brit Army - AWOL
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Amusing.. Mike P Female face of British army goes AWOL LONDON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - The soldier, highlighted as the female face of the British army, has been absent without leave for the last seven months, the Ministry of Defence said on Thursday. A photo of Lance Bombaier Heidi Cochrane, 24, pictured in full battle dress staring down the barrel of a gun appeared in national newspapers last week after news that the army was reconciled to allowing women to fight in frontline roles. But on Thursday, the MoD confirmed she had disappeared from her regiment last July. The London Evening Standard newspaper reported that Cochrane, who is married, had run off with another officer. "She went AWOL on July 30 last year," an MoD spokesman said. "We will try to find her and arrest her." The Standard said Cochrane had vanished whilst on exercise in Cyprus and had not contacted her regiment -- 16 Regiment Royal Artillery -- or her family since. "She ran off with a sergeant leaving her husband behind." an unnamed soldier told the paper. "She subsequently sent text messages to her friends from Sri Lanka telling the army 'Come and get me if you can be bothered'." 12:12 02-01-01 Cybershooters website: http://www.cybershooters.org List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Learn More. Surf Less. Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Topics You Choose. http://www.topica.com/partner/tag01
CS: Pol-SW Deal - Anatomy of a Failure
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.msnbc.com/news/522692.asp via Drudge Guess this election AND the results of the SW boycot prove that individual actions can make a difference. Mike P A Gun Deals Fatal Wound As a landmark pact to control gun sales falls apart, Smith Wesson takes the hit By Matt Bai NEWSWEEK Feb. 5 issue For more than 50 years, George Romanoffs family has been selling Smith Wessons: .357 revolvers with hardwood handles, sleek pistols forged from blue and stainless steel. SMITHS VAUNTED HANDGUN line was easily the biggest seller at Romanoffs Pittsburgh-area store, Ace Sporting Goodsuntil last March. Thats when the 149-year-old gunmaker signed a stunning agreement with the Feds to get out from under lawsuits, promising to impose strict new rules on all its dealers. Now those who wanted to keep selling Smith guns would have to keep computerized records of every sale and store all their gunsnot just Smithsin some kind of vault. And theyd have to limit their customers to one gun every two weeks. If Smith Wesson goes under, it will be an extremely sad day for our industry. Its like a nail in our coffin. GEORGE ROMANOFF gun dealer Romanoff was about to kick off a weekend saleup to $50 off on Smith Wessonsbut he had to cancel it because his customers were furious over Smiths surrender to the enemy. To them, the new recordkeeping alone sounded like a first step toward a police state, and Smith was the government stooge. Since then, sales of the companys pistols have been so slow that Romanoff has slashed his inventory by a third. Now Smith Wesson, reeling from a consumer boycott, wants him and other dealers to go along with a scaled-back version of the agreement. But Romanoff says theres no way he can keep selling Smiths if he has to accept the companys terms. Like his customers, he feels betrayed by Smith Wessons sellout; at the same time, its as if hes turning his back on an old friend. If Smith Wesson goes under, it will be an extremely sad day for our industry, he says. Its like a nail in our coffin. POWER IN THE GUN WORLD The governments celebrated pact with Smith Wesson was supposed to bring the secretive gunmakers to their knees, much like the assault on Big Tobacco. But a year later, the deal is all but deadand the nations largest handgun maker faces real questions about its survival. Analysts say its sales lag behind the rest of the struggling industry by at least 20 percent. This is a critical time for us, says Ken Jorgensen, Smiths spokesman. We need the dealers to sign this in order to go on and do business. How the deal became a disaster says a lot about power in the gun worldpower that the people who buy guns wield over the people who make them. The Feds were sure that other gunmakers would follow Smiths lead, but the rest of the industry ran for cover instead. Smith Wesson, meanwhile, ran face first into a gun lobby at the height of its power, and a gun culture hostile to change. They entered into an agreement that was silly, says the NRAs Bill Powers. Sooner or later youve got to pay for the mistakes of the past, and theyre paying for them. A shifting political landscape didnt help. When Smith Wesson signed the deal, the Clinton administration was threatening its own suit to force gunmakers to change their ways, and there were cries for new gun laws on Capitol Hill. It didnt last. The gun lobby played a key role in electing George W. Bush, and its leaders expect him to oppose more restrictions. The gunmakers, meanwhile, are hoping Bush will do what he did in Texas: sign a law blocking any city from suing the industry. The gun war remains hard fought, but the momentum has shifted. Smith Wessons nightmare began in a Hartford, Conn., hotel room with a handshake between two uncommonly tenacious men: Andrew Cuomo, Bill Clintons Housing secretary, and Ed Shultz, then Smith Wessons CEO. Newsweek.MSNBC.com More than 30 cities had sued the gun industry for the costs of violence on their streets. Cuomo had brashly stepped into the legal swamp, hoping he could be the guy to force concessions from an obstinate industry. Most gunmakers refused to negotiate. But Shultz, a plain-spoken farmer and onetime Army sergeant, figured Smiths legal bills would soon surpass its income. His British parent company, Tomkins PLC, wanted to get Smith out of the courts so it could sell the company. Shultz and Cuomo talked in personal terms. I have two 5-year-olds and a 3-year-old, and I have a gun in my home, Cuomo told Shultz. If you can make me a safer gun, Ill buy it. Shultz agreed to do thatand more. The 25-page pact was so sweeping that lawyers for the cities feared
CS: Pol-Your Guns ? Your Property ? Not in Toledo
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Article published January 24, 2001 THE TARGETED LIST Toledo City Council passed a law last night that makes it illegal for owners of certain semi-automatic weapons to sell, trade, or give them away. The guns regulated by the law include: A semi-automatic rifle less than 42 inches in overall length that has an ability to accept a detachable magazine and has at least two of the following: A folding or telescoping stock A pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon A bayonet mount A flash suppressor or threaded barrel designed to accommodate a flash suppressor A grenade launcher A semi-automatic pistol that has an ability to accept a detachable magazine and has at least two of the following: An ammunition magazine that attaches to the pistol outside of the pistol grip A threaded barrel capable of accepting a barrel extender, flash suppressor, forward handgrip, or silencer A shroud that is attached to, or partially or completely encircles, the barrel and that permits the shooter to hold the firearm with the nontrigger hand without being burned A manufactured weight of 50 ounces or more when the pistol is unloaded Is known by the person charged at the time of the offense to be a semi-automatic version of an automatic firearm A semi-automatic shotgun that has at least two of the following: A folding or telescoping stock A pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon A fixed magazine capacity in excess of 5 of the 23/4-inch standard rounds An ability to accept a detachable magazine Toledo bans some gun resales Semiautomatic weapons regulated BY LISA A. ABRAHAM BLADE STAFF WRITER Toledo city council adopted a law yesterday aimed at eliminating the resale or trade of certain semiautomatic weapons in the city. After more than two years of debate, the measure passed council by a 9-3 vote after some last-minute amendments. Council members Rob Ludeman, Betty Shultz, and Bob McCloskey voted against the ordinance. The law, often referred to as the assault weapon ban, makes it illegal for anyone to knowingly "sell, deliver, rent, lease, display for sale, transfer ownership, or possess certain semiautomatic firearms" in Toledo. It also forbids possession of ammunition magazines loaded with more than 10 rounds. The law will go into effect in 120 days. Last-minute amendments suggested by Mr. Ludeman allow gun owners to bequeath their guns to an immediate family member, but eliminated an exemption for antique guns. The law allows owners of such weapons to keep their guns legally by completing an acknowledgment form that describes the make, model, and serial number of the weapon. The form, which the owner keeps, must be signed and notarized. Violation of the law is a first-degree misdemeanor, which carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. The measure was one of four pieces of gun-control legislation Mayor Carty Finkbeiner sent to council in August, 1998. Amended forms of two others - one that bans the possession and sale of small, easily concealed guns and another that would make it a crime for anyone to leave a loaded firearm anywhere that someone under age 18 is likely to gain possession of it - were adopted by council in 1999. Council yesterday unanimously rejected the fourth proposal that called for owners to register separately each weapon they own with the police department, instead of registering themselves as gun owners, which the law now requires. Toby Hoover, director of the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence in Toledo, said she was not surprised council rejected the gun registration proposal because members expressed early on that they felt the requirements were too much to ask of the community. She praised council and the administration for the work it did on the semiautomatic weapon law, which she said, produced a law that is "fair, good, and safe for the community." Ms. Hoover said her groups goal is to make the community safe and encourage prevention. "This stops secondary sales. Thats a prevention and thats what were out to do," she said. Toledoan John Mueller said he believes council was fair by allowing opponents and supporters ample opportunity to express their views and suggest amendments. However, he said he is not pleased with the final draft because he believes the law is unnecessary and punishes gun owners, not criminals. William Stephenson, a Toledo resident who is Wood County public defender, said the law "will not save a single, solitary life." "Its a typical feel-good approach that will have no positive effect on deterring crime," he said. A 1994 federal law banned sales of certain types of semiautomatic rifles, semiautomatic pistols, and semiautomatic shotguns,
CS: Pol-Bubba on Gun Control Fear Tactics
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Perfect proof how out of touch this fool is. To him this is a political - tactical issue and how to best exploit it. To us it's a live or die issue. Mike P Gun-Control Fear Tactic Bombed, Clinton Says By RICHARD SISK Daily News Washington Bureau WASHINGTON iting New York as his example, President Clinton gave labor and the Democrats a battle plan yesterday for beating the gun lobby and taking back Congress. Clinton charged that "fear campaigns" by the National Rifle Association were behind the GOP takeover of the House in 1994 and Vice President Gore's loss last year, but "it didn't work at all in New York." Despite the Empire State's tough licensing laws, "there's lots of sporting clubs," Clinton said, "and nobody's missed a day in the woods in a hunting season; nobody's missed a single sports shooting event." "So all those fear tactics didn't work in New York," he said, "because all the hunters and sportsmen could see from their own personal experience that it was not true." At a farewell tribute from the AFL-CIO, Clinton dwelled at length on his longstanding belief that the Democrats have missed the boat on the gun issue and suffered at the polls as a consequence. He told the labor leaders that trying to demonize gun owners would only backfire because many of them are union members. "The truth is, most of your people who are NRA members are good, God-fearing Americans who wouldn't break the law for anything on Earth," Clinton said, "and they get spooked by these fear campaigns." In Michigan and Pennsylvania last year, he said, the unions "had to fight against a lot of your members who were NRA members, who believed that Al Gore was going to take their guns away." Clinton also blamed himself for failing to make the case that tougher gun-control laws aimed at combating crime posed no threat to sportsmen. "I regret that I have not been more persuasive, because I came out of that culture," he said. He urged the union leaders to make their case with the gun owners in their membership this year, before the campaign rhetoric of 2002 drowns out the message. "You have to do it in a nonelection year," Clinton said, "when you don't feel like you're pushing a rock up a hill. And I'll help you, if I can. This is a big deal for America." NRA officials agreed that the gun issue was a major obstacle for Democrats in their battle to take back Congress. Original Publication Date: 1/9/01 -- Obviously he cannot analyse the situation - the reason gun owners were not a major force in New York is because there are relatively few gun owners in New York compared to Pennsylvania. There are only 20,000 pistol permits on issue in NYC for example. (Well, _legal_ gun owners at any rate). Steve. Cybershooters website: http://www.cybershooters.org List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Learn More. Surf Less. Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Topics You Choose. http://www.topica.com/partner/tag01
CS: Pol-Virgin Utah and Guns
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Gotta love it.Mike P http://www.denverpost.com/news/news1226g.htm Virgin, Utah: Where every household must have a gun By Susan Greene Denver Post National Writer Dec. 26, 2000 - VIRGIN, Utah - Darcey Spendlove credits her peace of mind to the 13 guns she and her husband keep at their ranch home in this remote southwestern Utah hamlet. That's why the 25-year-old councilwoman supported an ordinance in June requiring all townsfolk to own firearms so they, too, can enjoy that sense of safety. "It's like a security blanket that I could whip out and use whenever I need to," Spendlove said of her favorite gun, the .243-caliber rifle her parents gave her on her 16th birthday. "Everyone should experience the freedom of knowing you can protect yourself. It's probably the greatest right we have as Americans." The ordinance states, "In order to provide for and protect the safety, security and general welfare of the town and its inhabitants, every household residing in the Virgin Town limits is required to maintain a firearm, together with ammunition therefor." The measure has brought worldwide attention to this 318-resident community, which previously was known mainly for the locally made beef jerky sold along state Highway 9 - the road to Zion National Park. Inspiration for the ordinance stemmed partly from the April 1999 shootings at Columbine High School, which triggered a national debate about firearm sales and moves in several states toward stricter background checks on gun buyers. Mayor Jay Lee, Spendlove's colleague on the town council, bristled at such gun-control efforts and decided, at least in Virgin, it was time to take action. "I just couldn't sit back and watch the government and the United Nations take away our freedom to protect ourselves from One World Order," said Lee, a hardware store manager, scoutmaster and father of eight. "I bet if I were to go to each of those Columbine parents, they would say they wished a fast-acting teacher with a gun was there to protect their kids." Lee modeled his bill after the only other measure of its kind in the nation - an 18-year-old ordinance in Kennesaw, Ga., where city officials boast that residential burglaries have dropped 89 percent. Virgin's version exempts felons, residents bound by restraining orders, those with physical and mental disabilities and anyone who refuses to own a gun for religious and philosophical reasons. Residents who can't afford guns also are exempt. In other words, the ordinance isn't really enforceable. "I put in the word "required' because it wouldn't be an ordinance without it," Lee said. "But I guess we can't force people to comply. It's not like we're out penalizing people who don't own guns." The Virgin native, who grew up shooting rabbits from the back of his dad's pickup truck, says guns are a part of the town's culture - a way of life threatened by gun control. Further, he notes that local anti-government sentiment has grown with recent federal requirements for desert tortoise conservation and with the abrupt ban on mining and grazing caused by President Clinton's 1996 designation of the nearby Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. And so, Lee says, his ordinance is more a political statement than a call to arms. "The day is coming when the government could come and take our firearms. This way, we can hold up our ordinance and say we're required by law to have guns and there's nothing the state or feds can do about it," the mayor said. Lee's Second Amendment fervor persuaded Spendlove and two other council members to support his ordinance. "I've never been a fanatic about guns, but Mayor Lee really got me thinking," Spendlove said. Councilman Kenneth Cornelius cast the lone dissenting vote on grounds that the ordinance "has no teeth and is probably illegal." Cornelius worries the measure will lure "gun freaks" to Virgin. Since it took effect six months ago, he said the town clerk has "received e-mails and inquiries from people who want to move here for gun reasons." "It's slightly embarrassing," he said of the ordinance. "I don't want to become a mecca, a haven for gun nuts. This town is really opening itself up for a lot of trouble by trying to do this. It scares me." Cornelius, who works for a nearby building contractor, lambasted Lee for spreading paranoia throughout town. "It's kind of scary (to have) a government entity worrying about a government entity coming to take you over," he said. "The mayor gets off on some things like that and sometimes go astray." Lee, for his part, dismissed his colleague's barbs as "nonsense." He noted that Cornelius was the subject of Virgin's last legal run-in - a domestic dispute for which the councilman pleaded guilty to destroying property. "My wife and I were having problems," Cornelius acknowledged. "I guess in a small town like this, everybody knows everybody
CS: Pol-Canadians Refusing to Cooperate
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] More power to those patriots in Canada who have told their government where to stick their gun laws. Mike P Half of guns unregistered as deadline approaches Millions of Canadian firearms owners 'just refusing to participate' in new law JILL MAHONEY Tuesday, December 12, 2000 EDMONTON -- As many as half Canada's gun owners could be in violation of federal law on Jan. 1, the deadline for obtaining firearms licences. So far, 1.7 million people have enrolled with the federal government's gun registry. The exact number of Canadians possessing firearms is unknown but estimates range from fewer than 3.3 million to as many as nine million. In any case, it appears that far more people own guns than are participating in the registry under the controversial legislation, still often referred to by its legislative name, Bill C-68. "They've got a heck of a mess on their hands," Jim Hinter, president of the National Firearms Association, said. "I think it proves that there's literally millions of Canadians who are just refusing to participate in what they see as a bogus law." As of Jan. 1, gun owners without licences cannot buy ammunition. Penalties for someone found possessing a firearm without the proper paperwork range from temporary seizure of the weapon to five years in prison. The application of the law promises to be uneven. Police forces across the country are responsible for enforcing it, but are deeply divided in their support. Provincial Crown attorneys are charged with prosecuting alleged offenders, but Alberta and some other provinces want federal Crowns to handle prosecutions.
CS: Pol-Illegal for Children to Play with Toy Guns
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] The beginning of this story is bad enough - but read it to the end to find out just how ludicrous these anti-gunners can be. Mike P http://www.post-trib.com/news/story4/index.html Lowell considering restrictions on guns By Martha Bisacchi / Correspondent -- -- LOWELL - Many Hoosiers feel strongly about their Constitutional right to bear arms. In Lowell, residents may have the right to "own" a gun. They won't have the right to fire it. A proposed ordinance would prohibit the discharge of a fire arm in the town limits. It would also make it unlawful to carry a weapon into the Lowell Town Hall or in a town park. Adults could receive a fine from $300 to $2,500 per violation. After a heated discussion between Lowell Town Council members, the council held over the proposed ordinance for a second reading with a 3-2 vote Monday evening. Larry Just, R-4th, and Joe Mika, D-5th, were not in favor of the new ordinance. "What are we trying to accomplish here?" Just said. "If someone legally purchases a gun and has a permit to carry a gun, he can become a criminal because he walks on town property. I can't support this as it is currently written." Lowell Town Judge Thomas Vanes said he has a case now where a handgun shot a bullet through a wall and almost hit someone. Ray Talarek, R-1st, said the ordinance was not complete protection, but it was a step in the right direction. Just countered that it was a "meaningless piece of paper" and it would not stop someone from walking in the town hall and aiming a gun at a public employee or elected official. According to Lake County Council Administrative Assistant Terry Barczak, the council has not passed an ordinance making it illegal to carry a firearm in the Government Center, but they do have metal detectors on some entrances. Also, the Lake County Parks Department has a rule against people carrying a concealed weapon or a gun in all parks except the Grand Kankakee Marsh, said Lake County Park Superintendent Bob Nickovich. The person would not be fined, but would be asked to leave, Nickovich said. The Grand Kankakee Marsh is an exception because it allows some hunting. Another section of the ordinance is aimed at younger residents. Little boys love to play with sling shots, BB guns and bows and arrows, but they may have to find different toys to play with. The new ordinance would make it unlawful for a child to play with such toys inside the Lowell town limits. It would also be against the law for their parents to allow their children to play with these toys. The ordinance may be amended before it is read a second time and becomes law. Vanes has asked for an amendment that would give him discretion for minor offenses such as slingshots. He asked the Council if the minimum fine could be dropped to $100 plus court costs. Cybershooters website: http://www.cybershooters.org List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ T O P I C A http://www.topica.com/t/17 Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics
CS: Legal-57 months for man who thought he could buy a gun
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.sunone.com/articles/2000-11-09h.shtml Thursday, November 9, 2000 Dixie man sentenced for trying to buy gun By By KAREN VOYLES Sun staff writer He thought the state had restored all of his civil rights. A Dixie County man who tried to buy a gun after mistakenly believing his civil rights had been restored will spend nearly six years in prison. George Paige Stinson, 50, of Cross City was sentenced Wednesday to 57 months in federal prison and three years of probation for making a false statement on an application to buy a gun from a federally licensed dealer. Stinson claimed he thought his rights had been restored because he had been voting since he was convicted on state drug charges in the 1980s. A year ago, Stinson filled out the required paperwork to buy an Enfield rifle from B B Sporting Goods in Cross City. The application was rejected by federal officials because records showed Stinson was a convicted felon. Convicted felons may not purchase firearms or vote unless the state restores their rights. Stinson was convicted for three unrelated state marijuana violations in 1982, 1985 and 1987. After his first conviction, Stinson's voting rights were restored by the state. But Stinson could not demonstrate that his rights were restored after the other two convictions. In 1988, Stinson registered to vote in Dixie County and has been voting in local, state and federal elections ever since. When his firearms' application was rejected, he went to the Supervisor of Elections Office in Cross City, and officials there were sent a certificate that showed his voting rights had been restored June 6, 1984. Before Chief U.S. District Court Judge Maurice Paul, Stinson said he thought the restoration form meant that all of his rights had been restored. "I had this paper from Tallahassee saying my civil rights had been restored, but it didn't say nothing about my gun rights not being restored," Stinson, a high school dropout, told the judge. Stinson and his attorney, Jeff Dollinger, brought in witnesses to bolster Stinson's claims that he was working to be a productive and responsible member of society since serving his marijuana convictions. Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Thomas Daniels, one of Stinson's neighbors, testified that he often relied on Stinson and trusted him to watch his home when he had to be out of town. Deputy Dixie County clerk Mary Cannon testified that she has known Stinson for about 15 years and that he has been helping to provide child care for her two children for more than a year. Dollinger argued that Stinson was trying to do the right thing by buying a weapon from a licensed dealer rather than a private party and that he was confused because some of his rights had been restored. Those arguments did not sway Paul, but the judge did give Stinson the minimum sentence, 57 months, under the federal sentencing guidelines. -- Shame the reporter doesn't seem to know how many months there are in a year! Steve. Cybershooters website: http://www.cybershooters.org List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ T O P I C A http://www.topica.com/t/17 Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics
CS: Misc-Remington 700 Problems
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://database.newswest.com/cgi-bin/T3CGI.exe/bdc/bdcNews.taf?function=detail Local_uid1=27108 Local By KATHLEEN O'TOOLE Chronicle Staff Writer 11/05/2000 00:00:00 Remington rifle involved in growing number of accidents Pete Noreen was watching the television news two weeks ago when he saw a story about a 9-year-old boy, Gus Barber, who had been shot and killed in a hunting accident in Madison County. The boy's mother was unloading her hunting rifle and the gun accidentally discharged. The tragedy would sicken anyone, but Noreen, a former gunsmith, now a Belgrade machinist, felt a shiver roll down his spine. "I had the strangest feeling that I knew what happened and how it happened," he said. "I had a feeling in my guts that it was the same type of gun." The gun is a Remington Model 700 series rifle. It's the same gun that went off in his daughter's hands while hunting in the Little Belt Mountains near Utica, three years ago. It's the same gun that Bob Ekey, another Bozeman hunter, had accidentally discharge on two separate occasions in two consecutive years. It's the same gun that has been the center of more than 80 lawsuits around the country taken up against Remington Arms Co. in the past 20 years. One of those lawsuits ended in 1994 with Remington paying $17 million to a Texas man whose Remington Model 700 bolt-action rifle accidentally discharged and shot him in the foot. The court earmarked $15 million of that order as punitive damages. As it turned out Noreen was right. The gun that discharged unexpectedly and killed Gus Barber in the Gravelly Range on a family hunting trip Oct. 23 was a Remington Model 700 bolt-action rifle. It isn't only the number of incidents that raises eyebrows, but also the similarity of the incidents. Ekey said in his first incident in 1988 with the Remington Model 700, he returned from hunting with a buddy and was in the parking lot unloading the gun. He released the safety and opened the bolt when the gun, which was pointing at the ground, discharged. He said his finger was not near the trigger. Barbara Barber, Gus Barber's mother, said Wednesday that was exactly what happened to her as she unloaded the gun. But this time the barrel of her gun was pointing at the open door of a horse trailer. The bullet went through the trailer's wall and hit her son in the abdomen as he stood on the other side. "My finger wasn't on the trigger," she said. Even with mounting evidence many people like Jacob Martin, owner of Valley Pawn in Bozeman, don't believe there is a problem with the gun and say accidents happen because people aren't following basic hunter safety rules. "It's the most reliable gun out there," he said. "I have a difficult time believing this." But Ekey said hunters have a right to expect more from the Remington Model 700, one of the most popular rifles on the market with more than 3 million sold since it went on the market in 1962. "You should handle a gun as if it will go off, but you should have a reasonable expectation that it won't," Ekey said Thursday. "Guns are inherently dangerous, but we as hunters don't have to accept a situation that is more dangerous than it has to be." òòò Not including Gus Barber's fatal accident, at least three other injury or death accidents in Montana have been associated with the Remington rifles. The most recent was this past Friday, when a Bozeman hunter, Justin Sabol, was unloading his Remington Model 700 .22-250-caliber rifle when it discharged. The bullet first hit the floor of his truck, then ricocheted and hit Robert Nase, 53, of Belgrade, in the forearm, causing a minor injury. In November 1988, Brock Aleksich of Butte was operating the safety of a Remington Model 700 rifle when the gun discharged and shot his brother, Brent Aleksich, in both legs. The teen suffered severe and permanent physical injuries, according to court documents on the case. The case settled out of court, but parties were not allowed to discuss terms of the settlement. In June 1993, 11-year-old Hank Blacksmith was at the home of his friend, Jesse Coonfare, in Billings. Coonfare got his father's Remington Model 600 Mohawk rifle, a gun that Remington had recalled in 1978. The gun slipped from Coonfare's hands and accidentally discharged, shooting and killing Blacksmith. That case also settled out of court in 1996 and the terms of the settlement were also sealed and confidential. Remington Arms Co. denies that its Model 700 bolt-action rifle, which includes 19 different variations, is more dangerous than any other weapon, or faulty in its design. According to a 1994 Business Week magazine story, a company spokesman said "We have believed in the past and continue to believe today that the Model 700 is one of the finest bolt-action rifles manufactured. We see the product as a safe and reliable sporting firearm." Several attempts to reach a
CS: Pol-Poll Results - Overwhelmingly Favors Gun Rights
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://enquirer.com/editions/2000/10/23/loc_gun_control_issues.html Monday, October 23, 2000 Gun control issues stir readers' passions - By Dan Horn The Cincinnati Enquirer The vast majority of Enquirer readers who responded to a recent questionnaire on gun-control issues overwhelming support the right of law-abiding citizens to carry concealed weapons. But there's plenty of disagreement over whether the government should regulate that right. READERS SPEAK UP The results of The Enquirer's reader survey on concealed weapons and gun control: 1. Do law-abiding citizens have a constitutional right to carry concealed weapons? ò Yes: 1098 ò No: 81 2. Should there be restrictions on those who carry concealed guns? ò Yes: 650 ò No: 535 3. Do you favor stronger gun control laws? ò Yes: 1073 ò No: 96 4. Would stronger gun control laws make you feel more or less safe? ò More: 116 ò Less: 1030 The unscientific survey, taken in September and October, asked readers to share their opinions about a Hamilton County court battle over Ohio's concealed weapons law. That battle will resume in coming weeks as Common Pleas Judge Robert Ruehlman begins hearing arguments about whether the law is unconstitutional. Nearly 1,200 readers responded to the Enquirer's questions with letters or e-mails that ran the gamut, from impassioned pleas to lectures on constitutional law. Responses made it clear guns and gun-control laws are hot-button issues in America today. The vast majority of those who responded ù 1,098 to 81 ù think the U.S. Constitution allows law-abiding citizens to carry concealed weapons. But 650 readers said they favor at least some restrictions. Another 535 opposed any government regulation. Many readers expressed support for the four Cincinnatians who are challenging Ohio's concealed weapons law in Judge Ruehlman's court. The four have sued local police agencies, claiming they need to carry guns for self-defense. Their attorneys have argued that Ohio law is unfair because it does not allow citizens to get permits to carry concealed guns. ôGuns have always been a part of this country,ö wrote Steve Bay of Colerain Township. ôThey played a large role in how this country came to be. I don't believe more gun laws will make a difference.ö Many said they would support a law allowing citizens to carry concealed guns, but only if gun training courses are required with every permit. ôThe right to carry a concealed weapon should be done very carefully,ö wrote Dwayne Stephens of Cincinnati. ôIf someone chooses to pull a concealed weapon, it should be done only if their lives are being threatened.ö One reader said any talk of more restrictive gun laws is ôludicrousö because the Constitution specifically protects the right to bear arms. Others think some government regulation is not only constitutional, but necessary. Patti Foster of Indian Hill said more regulations would encourage those who own guns to use them more responsibly. ôYou need a license to catch a fish,ö Ms. Foster wrote. ôHow can we condone less stringent controls on owning a gun?ö Another gun control supporter cited recent school shootings as proof that some government regulation is needed. ôIf these school shootings represent what unfettered Second Amendment rights get us, count me out,ö wrote Stephany Kleinberg of Fort Mitchell. But supporters of broader gun control laws were in the minority by more than a 10-to-1 margin. And nearly as many agreed they would feel less safe with more gun control laws. ôCriminals can still get guns,ö wrote David Broxtermann, an eighth-grader at Colerain Middle School. He was among more than 50 students at the school who participated in a class discussion before mailing their opinions. The survey's results are unscientific because those questioned were not part of a random sample. The total numbers vary from question to question because some readers did not answer every question. While most who responded were from Greater Cincinnati, e-mails came from California, Alabama and Arizona. Cybershooters website: http://www.cybershooters.org List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ T O P I C A The Email You Want. http://www.topica.com/t/16 Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics
CS: Pol-Phila. Wants Gun Inventory
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Somehow or other the phrase "Kiss My A--" comes to mind. :-)Mike P http://dailynews.philly.com/content/daily_news/2000/10/20/local/COUN20.htm Forms would go with gun permits Clarke bill would require firearm inventory by Erin Einhorn Daily News Staff Writer In the grand government tradition of fighting fire with paperwork, City Councilman Darrell Clarke yesterday introduced a bill that would require people who carry handguns in Philadelphia to turn over a list of all the guns they own - and update that list every year. It's a measure that's bound to meet with resistance from state legislators who have passed laws barring Philadelphia from regulating guns. But Clarke says his bill is worth a fight with Harrisburg. "This issue is bigger than state law," he said. "We can't continue to have guns proliferating through the streets. I get a call first thing in the morning, 1400 block of North 30th Street, there was another shooting. I have been on that block with the police for two months, but it doesn't matter because there's too many guns out here." Clarke's bill would not restrict gun ownership or impose any additional requirements on people who buy or carry guns. What it would do is require people who apply to Philadelphia police for a permit to carry a gun in the city to provide details about every gun they own. The law would even apply to gun dealers who own hundreds of firearms. "These guns are finding ways to go to criminals," Clarke said. "When police find these guns that have been involved in criminal activities, the owner says 'I lost the gun' or 'Somebody stole the gun' or 'I don't know what happened with the gun.' So what we're requiring is that on a yearly basis that they fill out a verification form that essentially says 'I still have this gun. It is a registered gun. It is legally purchased.'" If Clarke's bill were enacted and withstood likely legal challenges, gun owners with carry permits would receive the form every year in the mail. Those who fail to return it could have their licenses revoked. The fine for reporting false information would be up to $300. Clarke's is just the latest attempt by a Philadelphia official to try to regulate guns in the city. Previous efforts in recent years have run up against a state law that says all municipalities in Pennsylvania should have uniform gun laws. No one municipality - even if it's the biggest one - is allowed to make its own laws. Clarke said he hopes his bill will fare better. "All we're doing is altering a municipal form," he said. Philadelphia police review applications for carry permits. The bill would not affect people who keep their guns in their homes. Cybershooters website: http://www.cybershooters.org List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ T O P I C A The Email You Want. http://www.topica.com/t/16 Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics
CS: Pol-How Sweet It Is
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44178-2000Oct19.html For Democrats, Gun Issue Is Losing Its Fire From Friday, October 20 MONROEVILLE, Pa.The issue of guns--once seen as a potential winner for Democrats--is now threatening the party's prospects of keeping the White House and regaining control of Congress, according to strategists and officials with both major parties. The problem for Democrats is that gun control is unpopular among many of the swing voters both campaigns are targeting in the final weeks of the campaign, particularly in battleground states--such as Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania--with a sizable bloc of hunters and other gun enthusiasts. As a result, Vice President Gore has moderated his anti-gun rhetoric in recent weeks, going out of his way in the last two presidential debates to emphasize that he would not take guns away from sportsmen. And many House and Senate Democrats have found that gun control is not resonating in many key contests like other issues, such as prescription drugs. The situation underscores the volatile politics of gun control this election. After the Columbine High School shootings a year and a half ago, anti-gun advocates had political momentum, but politicians and pollsters say the National Rifle Association and others appear to have had some success with the argument that more enforcement, not new laws, is what's needed. "Watch Al Gore on guns and you can see the issue has not had the universal appeal some people had anticipated," said Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (Va.), who chairs the House GOP's campaign arm and supports stricter gun laws. "It's not a national issue. It's a regional one." Fueling the pro-gun forces has been a massive mobilization by the NRA under the banner of "Vote Freedom First," as the group has blanketed the airwaves and billboards in key states with the message that guns alone should be the deciding factor in this year's election. In Pennsylvania, for example, which boasts the second-highest number of gun owners in the nation next to Texas, more than 1,000 NRA supporters jammed a hotel ballroom early Wednesday morning to attend a rally headlined by NRA President Charlton Heston. The former movie star told audience members they were "the direct descendants of America's revolutionary heroes" by working to elect gun control opponents such as Republicans George W. Bush, Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) and House candidate Melissa Hart. "They won their freedom with bullets so that we could defend our freedom with ballots," Heston told the crowd at Al Monzo's Palace Inn here. "That is the holy war which you in this room help wage and win. But instead of fighting the Redcoats, we're fighting the blue-blood elitists." Several members of the audience said they were not only voting Republican this year, they were also volunteering on behalf of GOP candidates to make sure Congress does not take up gun control legislation next year. Last summer in the wake of Columbine, the House narrowly defeated a measure that would have imposed a three-day background check on firearms purchased at gun shows. "I'm not a gun fanatic, I'm a constitutional fanatic," said Gibsonia resident Michael O'Block, who will be working the polls for Hart in her bid to succeed Rep. Ron Klink (D). Klink is challenging Santorum for his Senate seat. Beth Wineland, a 29-year-old catering manager, said, "If Gore gets elected I'm going to be buying a gun as soon as I can, because I'm going to lose that right." Heston attracted crowds of 5,000 each in Hershey, Pa., later that day and in Flint, Mich., on Tuesday, where union workers made up a sizable portion of the audience. Yesterday, he traveled to Virginia for three more rallies. "You know, if Vice President Gore had the guts of a guppy," Heston said last night to the laughter of several hundred supporters at a Richmond hotel, "he would simply stand up and say, 'Look, I was wrong. . . . I pretended to be in favor of gun rights--I really am not.' But, of course, he's not going to do that." The intensity of the NRA drive has thrown a wrench into AFL-CIO efforts to mobilize on behalf of Democratic candidates, especially in Michigan, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Washington. In Michigan, state Rep. Valde Garcia attended an NRA rally in the town of DeWitt, and he estimated that at least half the men in the audience wore United Auto Workers jackets. "This [gun control] is a real issue with these guys," he said. Steve Rosenthal, political director of the AFL-CIO, said union members have been bringing their leaders leaflets from pro-gun groups telling members, "Defend your guns, defeat Al Gore." Labor leaders are now countering with a message delivered directly to members that "Al Gore doesn't want to take your gun away, but George Bush wants to take away your union." Rosenthal contended that "the NRA stuff is so strong that is is
CS: Misc-Lets All Sign this one :-)
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This is courtesy of Spiker via WorldNet Daily. I've already gone to Herr Reed's site and signed his petition. Since Herr Reed seems to be a good little NAZI minion, might I suggest using signature of some whom he is bound to idealize, e.g., Goring, Goebels, Himmler, Eichmann etc. I've already used the big one I'm afraid :-) Mike P Source: WorldNetDaily http://www.worldnetdaily.com/ Gun-registration bill not moving http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_dougherty/2827_xnjdo_gunregistr.shtml Measure requiring federal tracking of firearms sits in committee By Jon E. Dougherty ¨ 2000 WorldNetDaily.com Although a U.S. Senate bill that would require all handgun owners to register their firearms has received a great deal of publicity -- especially online -- in recent weeks, no action has been taken on it since WorldNetDaily first reported on the measure in March. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_dougherty/2316_xnjdo_senate_con.shtml The brainchild of Rhode Island Democrat Sen. Jack Reed, SB 2099 http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d106:s.02099: originally had no cosponsors. However, since being introduced into the Senate and referred to the Finance Committee, noted gun-control advocate and New York Democrat Sen. Charles Schumer, along with Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., have also signed on to it. Photo of Sen. Jack Reed D-R.I., chief sponsor of SB 2099 http://www.worldnetdaily.com/images/2827_xnjdo_gunregistra1.jpg Photo of Sen. Frank Lautenburg D-N.J., cosponsor of SB 2099 http://www.worldnetdaily.com/images/2827_xnjdo_gunregistra2.jpg Photo of Sen. Charles Schumer D-N.Y., a cosponsor of SB 2099 and noted gun-control advocate http://www.worldnetdaily.com/images/2827_xnjdo_gunregistra3.jpg If passed, the measure would amend a 1986 IRS code to require the registration of handguns and other firearms. Specifically, the measure would require an amendment to Chapter 53 of the Internal Revenue Code (Machine Guns, Destructive Devices, and Certain Other Firearms) to "require the registration of handguns in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record." The bill is titled the "Handgun Safety and Registration Act of 2000." To aid in publicizing it in the hopes of getting it passed out of committee, Reed has set up an online petition for voters to use to help him push for the bill. In fact, ostensibly because he had received overwhelming support for firearms registration, Reed has established a website http://www.gunregistration.org/ specifically to help stump for gun registration. "Although polls have shown that Americans overwhelmingly support handgun registration, I need your support to help move my Handgun Safety and Registration Act through Congress," Reed said via his personal Senate website, where he also asks visitors to sign his online petition supporting gun registration. Reed said the measure is needed to "reduce illegal gun trafficking by providing for more efficient tracing of handguns used in crimes and tougher penalties for those who sell guns to illegal purchasers." "For far too long in America, too many gun crimes have gone unsolved because law enforcement doesn't have the tools to tie criminals to the handguns they use in crimes," the petition said. "Requiring handguns to be registered would help law enforcement officers do their jobs more effectively." According to Reed's measure, current handgun owners would also be required to register their guns. Also, the bill would make it a felony to transfer ownership of a handgun "without prior law enforcement approval." The bill adds handguns to the list of weapons registered by the Secretary of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, under the National Firearms Act, which currently covers machine guns, short-barrel shotguns, short-barrel rifles, silencers, bombs, grenades, and other specialized weapons, said information about the bill on Reed's website. Handguns would have to be registered with the ATF within a year of passage, but if the gun is transferred or sold to another owner before the one-year time limit, then it must be registered before the transfer can take place. The bill requires the ATF to share handgun registration data with local, state and federal law-enforcement officials to enhance tracing capabilities, and adds a $5 tax for all handgun registrations or transfers instead of the $200 tax on all National Firearms Act weapons. Also, a $50 tax would be assessed for every handgun made. The Senate Finance Committee's Taxation and IRS Oversight Subcommittee has responsibility for the measure. The bill has not yet been voted out. According to the Senate Calendar, only one IRS-related bill is currently scheduled for debate. That bill, S. 1792, deals with expiring provisions and "nonrefundable personal credits against regular tax liability." -- Well, what he says about his bill is a total
CS: Target-EEEgads - Shooting Camp
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 'Gun camp' targets safety NRA offers teens 'the ultimate in introductory shooting' By Donna Leinwand USA TODAY RATON, N.M. -- In many ways, it's like any other summer camp: the bugs biting, the sun blazing, the kids' cabins a petri dish of moldy sleeping bags and dirty T-shirts. But then there are the 14-year-olds firing high-powered rifles, the boom-plunk of bullets hitting steel echoing through the camp. And there are the nighttime powwows where kids tell tales of their first deer kills instead of ghost stories. Back home, not everyone understands these teenagers' love of guns or the thrill of firing them. But here, on a 33,000-acre shooting range in New Mexico's ranch country, most everyone gets it. The program is known as the NRA Whittington Adventure, but the kids who come here for two-week sessions call it simply ''gun camp.'' The camp started in 1988, about the time an explosion in specialized summer programs began driving up camp attendance among American youths. About 9 million kids in the USA are attending camps this summer, the American Camping Association says. Attendance has jumped 8%-10% annually for the past several years, as traditional camps, those typically offering crafts, games and campfire songs, compete with more offbeat programs. Today teens can learn digital moviemaking at a camp in Monterey, Calif., watch whales at a research camp in the Canadian province of New Brunswick or study aboriginal culture in Australia. But nothing's quite like gun camp, where $725 gets teens into a two-week program where they learn to shoot four types of guns, track a deer or a bear, rustle up an outdoor meal, tie five types of knots and erect a tent. The campers, ages 13-17, also are taught the firearm and conservation principles of sport hunters. ''This is the ultimate in introductory shooting,'' says Mike Ballew, who directs the range near the Colorado border where the camp is held. ''We send them home a different child. We build a degree of self-reliance in these kids.'' Along the way, the teens get a dose of pro-gun spin that would make Charlton Heston proud. They won't, for example, hear their instructors call a gun or rifle a ''weapon.'' Ask the instructors about gun violence, and they'll echo the National Rifle Association, which founded the ranch: A baseball bat can be a weapon, but no one's snatching Louisville Sluggers from Little Leaguers, are they? But outside this camp, it isn't always easy being a teenager who enjoys guns and shooting sports. The national debate over gun control rarely has been more heated, and a series of devastating school shootings has led some to view gun enthusiasts with suspicion. ''If my teacher asked where I was going for the summer, I'd just say adventure camp, not NRA shooting camp,'' says Tucker Phelps, 17, of Wilmington, N.C., who is at his second gun camp. ''I don't want my teachers to be scared of me.'' Tucker, who plays soccer and runs cross-country, loves target shooting but doesn't hunt. He shoots skeet with a 12-gauge shotgun and plinks cans with a rifle. His cousin, Katie Allnutt, 15, of Highland, Md., in her third year here, is a counselor. Tucker, one of 48 campers at the first of two sessions this summer, says he doesn't know many other kids who shoot. ''You don't want to go around asking people if they shoot,'' he says. ''They may get the wrong impression.'' Like Tucker, other campers and their counselors are quite aware of how a gun camp for teens might seem to outsiders. Each night, instructors lecture the teens about being sensitive to the perceptions of people who might be offended by guns and hunting. Don't strap bloody kill to the front of your pickup truck, the campers are told. Don't walk into a restaurant with a gun or knife strapped to your waist and blood on your clothing. Not everyone sees things the way you do. In a sense, the warnings reflect one of the virtues of gun camp for some teens: For two weeks, they don't have to explain themselves to people who can't fathom why a teenager needs a gun. Yet the campers have thought a lot about gun control and violence. Back home, several have to pass through metal detectors at school. One camper lives in Littleton, Colo., where residents still struggle to cope with the massacre at Columbine High School last year by two students with automatic weapons. Another camper's father was killed by a gunman six months ago. But like the NRA, both campers say people, not guns, are the problem. Guns don't kill people ''The firearms didn't kill anybody,'' says Nathan Lewis, 15, who lives about three miles from Columbine. ''If parents don't teach their kids the difference between right and wrong, they'll cause harm with any object.'' The NRA estimates that 40 million people participate in shooting sports each year. The gun-rights group says shooting's popularity among youths has grown -- particularly among girls -- since 17-year-old Kim Rhode won an
CS: Pol-Commercials by Gun Industry Will Try to Counter Litigation
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Commercials by Gun Industry Will Try to Counter Litigation By JAMES DAO WASHINGTON, July 27 -- Asserting that gun manufacturers are in dire jeopardy from a raft of lawsuits by state and local governments, the firearms industry plans to start running commercials during prime-time coverage of the Republican National Convention next week attacking President Clinton and other politicians, mostly Democrats, who support the litigation. "We're being blamed for crime and violence by this administration and big-city mayors whose greedy lawyers are using your tax dollars to sue us," says the narrator in one of the two 60-second spots, which depict a well-dressed man, presumably a lawyer, carefully shredding an American flag. "So now, we need you." The commercials by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the industry's leading trade association, are part of a broader effort by the group to hurt elected officials who have accused gun makers of being legally responsible for gun violence. The group has also created a political action committee and is using its nationwide network of retailers and gun clubs to register voters. "Companies have gone out of business, and will go out of business if this continues," said Robert Delfay, president of the organization that represents 1,800 companies. "This is a critically important election in our history." Mr. Delfay said the commercials would run twice a night on CNN on all four days of the Republican convention. The group plans to do the same during the Democratic convention next month. It also intends to broadcast the spots throughout the fall in closely contested states with large numbers of hunters, including Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The foundation's advertising campaign, which Mr. Delfay said would cost several million dollars by Election Day, is the latest escalation of the gun-control battle this year. The industry's politically potent ally, the National Rifle Association, which represents 3.8 million gun owners, plans to spend a record $15 million on state and federal elections this fall. The group is expected to endorse Gov. George W. Bush, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. And a loose coalition of gun-control groups has pledged to spend several million dollars helping to elect their friends, most of them Democrats. Handgun Control Inc., one of the coalition's leaders, plans to run commercials during the Republican convention that portray Mr. Bush as a pawn of the rifle association. Last year, Mr. Bush signed legislation that prohibits Texas municipalities from suing gun makers without approval of the State Legislature. Enacting such bills in all 50 states is a top priority of the gun industry and the rifle association. Mr. Bush has suggested that he would sign similar federal legislation. "You can get a feel for my position by looking at what I've done in office," he told reporters in May, "and what I did in office was sign a bill that made it very difficult for local municipalities to sue manufacturers of a legal product." Mr. Bush's presumptive Democratic opponent, Vice President Al Gore, has been a vocal supporter of the litigation, as have Mr. Clinton and Housing Secretary Andrew M. Cuomo, who has threatened to bring lawsuits against the industry on behalf of the public housing authorities. Although the Shooting Sports Foundation does not plan to endorse a candidate, its members are voicing support for Mr. Bush. "Governor Bush appears more willing to respect private citizen's rights of self-defense," said Jeff Reh, general counsel for Beretta U.S.A. "To us, the choice between the candidates is clear." A lawsuit against the nation's largest gun makers has been filed by New York State; 32 cities and counties around the country, including New York City, have also filed suits. Most suits do not seek monetary damages, but are intended to force the manufacturers to build safety devices into their weapons and to take steps to prevent sales to criminals and black-market gunrunners. In March, Smith Wesson, the nation's largest maker of handguns, agreed to a "code of conduct" outlining many of those safety measures in exchange for being dropped from the litigation. But the company has backed away from some provisions of the agreement, and also has been the target of a boycott organized by the rifle association. The commercials represent the industry's first major foray into electoral politics. About 80 companies have pledged to contribute 1 percent of their gross profits for political and lobbying work, about $10 million a year. Known as the Hunting and Shooting Sports Heritage Fund, the program is also paying for lobbyists, a voter registration drive and a voter education program. Both commercials depict a man stripping the stars and stripes off an American flag, leaving nothing but a frayed white banner. "We were with the patriots who fought for this flag at
