Keep and Bear Arms - Gun Owners Home Page

FL: Gov. Bush Gets It Right, Says CCRKBA; Armed Citizens Reduce Crime
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Florida Gov. Jeb Bush 'nailed it' when he told reporters in Tallahassee - in reaction to the state's drop in crime - that armed citizens are part of the equation, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) said today."

"Gov. Bush was quoted in the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel noting, 'Law abiding citizens that have guns for protection actually probably are part of the reason we have a lower crime rate.'"

"Florida is one of 40 states with 'right-to-carry' statutes that give citizens the ability to carry concealed handguns with the proper license. Last year, Florida also passed legislation that enables citizens to 'stand their ground' and fight back when attacked in a public place where they have a right to be." ...

Why citizens must own and carry firearms
Submitted by: Anonymous

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... "Now the police have their probable cause. Rice was found with Senitt's ID and the woman's cell phone on his person, and his shirt covered in Senitt's blood. The suspects are in custody. And Alan Senitt is dead."

"Our Constitution mandates that citizens may not be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law. One of the requirements of due process of law is that arrests not be arbitrary. It is likely true that the D.C. police did everything within the confines of the law to pursue the suspects. What the murder of Alan Senitt demonstrates is that the confines of law cost lives when citizens are unable to protect themselves."

"Law enforcement is by its very nature reactive. ..." ...

Voting Rights Act Viewed As Threat to Gun Owners
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Who could possibly oppose the renewal of something as righteous sounding as the Voting Rights Act? Gun owners, for starters."

"The group Gun Owners of America is urging Second Amendment supporters to let their lawmakers know they oppose H.R. 9, the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act. GOA specifically opposes a provision that might interfere with states' efforts to prevent voter fraud."

"GOA notes that under the Motor Voter Law, anyone getting a driver's license or applying for welfare must be given a chance to register to vote. ..."

"The group contends that the Motor Voter Law has helped defeat at least two pro-gun members of Congress - Rep. Bob Dornan (R-Calif.) in 1996 and John Thune for US Senate in South Dakota in 2002." ...

.44-Caliber Mistakes
Submitted by: RPA-PAC
Website: http://www.rpa-pac.org

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"WE DON'T expect common-sense gun laws from this Congress, but a couple of House-passed riders to the Justice Department's 2007 budget are especially noxious -- and ripe for Senate repair."

"One bars enforcement of a law that requires trigger locks to be sold with all new handguns. The other restricts law enforcement officials' access to gun-tracking information collected by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The Senate Appropriations Committee, scheduled to consider the budget tomorrow, should keep both measures out." ...

Dear GOP: If you truly value it, do it BEFORE November 7 (BFA)
Submitted by: Buckeye Firearms Association
Website: http://www.buckeyefirearms.org

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"Republicans have announced their 'American Values Agenda' to shore up their conservative base this election year, and two of the ten priorities are aimed directly at gun owners. ..." ...

"Republicans have been campaigning on many of these social issues since they first elected President Bush in 2000. Yet, thanks to a few 'moderate' GOP Senators including Ohio's Mike DeWine, much of the conservative agenda has been thwarted again and again and again. ..."

"Here in Ohio, gun owners laboring under the worst concealed carry law in the country are fed up with anti-gun Republicans ... and disillusioned by the stalling of a CCW reform bill in the Republican-controlled Senate ... are increasingly finding themselves attracted to pro-gun Democrats ..." ...

CA: Home invasion suspect takes plea bargain
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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FULL TEXT BELOW:

The teenager charged in connection with a deadly home invasion robbery in Rosedale earlier this year has accepted a plea deal.

Jose Covarrubias, 18, changed his plea of not guilty on Tuesday, pleading no contest to attempted first-degree robbery.

He and two other men tried to rob Norman Laxton, 71, inside his northwest Bakersfield home on Jan. 24, according to the Bakersfield Police Department.

They said Laxton opened fire in self defense and killed one of the suspected robbers, Jermaine Dabbs, 18.

Covarrubias will be sentenced on Sept. 9.

TX: Summit organizers want youths to turn in toy guns
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"A toy gun can be just as deadly as a real one."

"People who believe that statement are concerned that toy guns give youths a dangerous and wrong message."

"So they are urging youths and their families to turn in toy guns sold by some ice cream vendors recently. Children and their families are invited to drop off the fake guns during the second annual Youth Summit on Non-Violence this weekend." ...

"Activities will begin with Shoot Hoops, Not Guns ..."

"Youths and their families are urged to drop off the toy guns during the tournament ..."

"Advocates for youths have drawn attention to the fake weapons in a recent campaign, pointing out that the toy guns look eerily real. ..." ...

NY: Gun violence's grim, young toll
Submitted by: RPA-PAC
Website: http://www.rpa-pac.org

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"One child or teen dies from gunfire every three hours in the U.S., the Children's Defense Fund reported yesterday."

"A total of 2,827 children and teens died from gunfire in 2003, including 131 victims in New York State, according to the fund's annual tally."

"The report, based on the latest figures compiled by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was released at a City Hall press conference with Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan)."

"'More children died from gunfire in that year than the total number of American casualties in Iraq since the war began,' said Donna Lawrence, the fund's executive director." ...
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KABA Note: Ahhh, the classic 'bait and switch'. Note the initial statement was regarding "children and teens", but then Donna switches to calling them all "children". In fact, in 2003 there were only 7 children (13 and under) 'killed by guns' in all of New York State. One was a suicide, the other 6 were murders.

Statement of Paul Helmke on Remarks by Florida Governor Jeb Bush (Brady Campaign)
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Paul Helmke, the former three-term Republican Mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana who became President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence on Monday, issued the following statement:"

"'Yesterday, in Tallahassee, Florida, Governor Jeb Bush implied that loosening his stateďż˝s gun laws has reduced violent crime. His statement is not supported by the facts.'"

"'While I am always happy to see any decrease in crime, when compared to other states, Floridaďż˝s record is nothing to be proud of. According to FBI figures, in 2004 Florida had the second highest violent crime rate of any state in the Nation. Only South Carolina, also with weak gun laws, was more violent. ...'" ...

The propaganda grab
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Did you follow any of the news about the UN Small Arms Conference, which ended last week with no consensus report?"

"I did, and it was fascinating, because depending on what you read, you heard about two completely different events."

"You might have read about a UN conference that set out to address international trafficking in small arms, with the goal of trying to prevent those arms from ending up in the hands of criminals ..."

"Or, you heard about a secret plot by the UN to take away Americans' guns ..." ...

"I could go on, but the failure of the conference had nothing to do with gun-owning Americans demanding that their government protect their rights, and everything to do with the complexity of the issue ..." ...

TN: Bungled handling of shooting a black eye
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"There were so many balls dropped on this one it looked like a juggler's training camp. That, and the best darn case of finger-pointing this side of the mighty Mississippi."

"A 65-year-old man was shot three times by a park officer a year ago. ... The city immediately issued a statement that the shooting was in self-defense."

"The Use of Force Board was convened to investigate and report. Meanwhile, the district attorney sent a letter saying the shooting was 'legally justified.'"

"Aforementioned Use of Force report was completed a month after the DA's letter. The report stated ... in no uncertain terms that the shooting was not justified. It directed the chief of police to take the report to the parks director."

"What happened next? Nada." ...

CO: Toy gun scare sends officers on fruitless search
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"A bevy of local law enforcement officers spent Tuesday's lunch hour unsuccessfully searching for two boys spotted with realistic-looking toy guns."

"A distressed motorist called police around 11 a.m. when he saw two boys ... brandishing what appeared to be automatic handguns ..."

"Five Aspen Police Department officers and two Pitkin County sheriffs' deputies responded to the call. ..." ...

"'We take this very seriously,' Murray said. 'If these kids would have been spotted, they would have had a lot of weaponry pointed at them.'"

"Realistic-looking toy guns put officers in a very dubious position, Aspen Police Chief Loren Ryerson said."

"'Often they look more real than a real gun,' Ryerson said ..." [emphasis added] ...

NJ: Probers say 6 cops tipped drug suspects about raids
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Authorities were already deep into their investigation of a Passaic County drug case when they realized something was terribly wrong."

"The bad guys knew they were coming."

"In phone calls intercepted by a county narcotics task force, the suspects spoke of raids that hadn't yet happened. They knew about impending arrests."

"To the investigators, the suspects' inside knowledge could mean only one thing: Someone with a badge was feeding them information."

"Yesterday, nearly two years after suspicions were first raised, authorities announced that six police officers from Passaic County had been indicted on charges they protected the suspects, with whom they had become friends." ...

MA: Man found guilty in firearms court case
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"A federal jury yesterday found Michael A. Crooker guilty of a firearms crime that will mean a 15-year mandatory prison sentence." ...

"Crooker, 51, formerly of Agawam, had been charged with being a previously convicted felon 'causing a firearm to travel in interstate commerce.'"

"Crooker was accused of trying to mail an air rifle and sound muffler to an Ohio man in 2004. Air rifles are not considered firearms under federal law, but silencers that can be used on regular guns are. Testimony during the trial centered on whether the black metal cylinder mailed with the air rifle qualifies as a silencer and therefore a firearm. Felons are prohibited from owning firearms." ...
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Submitter's Note: The inmates are running the asylum.

PA: Deputy Accused In Another Alleged Child Rape
Submitted by: JAC

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"A Dauphin County sheriff's deputy now faces additional charges of raping children."

"Another woman has come forward, accusing Steve Lincoln, 50, of having sex with her four to five times when she was between the ages of 12 and 14."

"'I'd like to get back to work. I'm a good worker -- I'd like to get back to work. I have a family I have to support,' Lincoln said as he was being walked to a police cruiser."

"Last month, Lincoln was also charged with raping two other girls, ages 7 and 8."
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Submitters Note: I would like to know why he wasn't already in jail.

CA: Boy, 3, Shoots Father, an LAPD Officer, With Service Weapon
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"The 3-year-old son of a Los Angeles police officer got hold of his father's service handgun Tuesday and shot him as they sat in the family's pickup at a traffic light near their home in Anaheim, police said."

"The boy, who was in the back seat, fired a single round into 35-year-old Enrique Chavez's upper back, and the bullet went out through the officer's chest, police said. Still stopped at the light, Chavez passed his terrified son, Colin, to a stranger at a bus stop nearby and asked for help." ...

"It is a crime in California if a child finds a loaded gun in a place one controls and shoots someone with it. ..." ...

"Anaheim police began a criminal investigation into the shooting that will determine whether those laws were broken." ...

LA: Guardsman indicted on murder charge
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"A St. Landry Parish grand jury has indicted a 19-year-old National Guardsman on a charge of second-degree murder in connection with the June shooting death of a Port Barre man." ...

"Officials said Vidrine arrived at the girl's home last month wearing camouflage clothes and armed with the semi-automatic rifle and 90 rounds of ammunition."

"After the shooting, Vidrine fled to the woods behind the mobile home, firing a second shot in to the residence while retreating, according to court records."

"While hiding in the woods, 'The accused, Casey Vidrine, called a friend of his and told him he had completed his mission of killing Timothy Brown Jr. ...' according to documents filed to obtain a warrant for Vidrines arrest." ...

DC: Nation's Capital Declares Crime Emergency
Submitted by: Anonymous

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"Two groups of tourists were robbed at gunpoint on the National Mall, just hours after the police chief declared a crime emergency in the city in response to a string of violence that included the killing of a British activist."

"The activist, Alan Senitt, was attacked in the Georgetown area on Sunday, his throat was slit and police say the attackers attempted to rape his companion. It was the 13th homicide in the city this month. Robberies are up 14 percent, and armed assaults have jumped 18 percent in the past 30 days." ...
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Submitter's Note: How can this happen in an area where guns are banned?

KS: Young marksman hits target at tourney
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"The bull's-eye is covered in holes, not many of which actually came close to its center. It's been seven years since his first tournament at the age of nine and that old saved target still serves as a reminder of just how far he's come."

"Before each tournament Kim Wetzel-Williams still likes to show the target to her son as motivation to keep up the hard work."

"'You have to keep practicing,' she tells him. 'No one wins the gold medal the first time out.'"

"Now 16, Matthew Williams ... has something new to use as motivation -- an award medal."

"Williams recently returned from the National 4-H Shooting Sports Invitational Tournament in Rapid City, S.D., where his small bore rifle team placed fourth out of 27 entries." ...

OH: The Last Lesson (BFA)
Submitted by: Buckeye Firearms Association
Website: http://www.buckeyefirearms.org

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"... I lived in Nashville from 1994 - 2000, met my wife and married there. It was her father who introduced me to the shooting sports." ...

"A long-time sufferer of Parkinson's disease, my father-in-law died suddenly three weeks ago yesterday ..." ...

"Having been asked by mom-in-law to help take care of his affairs ... I drove around the city quite a bit. I made dozens of trips ... Every time I entered and exited that car, I found myself being thankful that I wasn't in Ohio."

"You see, Tennessee law (like every other state except Ohio) does not contain a ridiculous provision requiring that I touch my firearm, concealing and unconcealing, each and every time I get in and out of a motor vehicle. ..." ...

OH: Who Pays for the Fiddler? (BFA)
Submitted by: Buckeye Firearms Association
Website: http://www.buckeyefirearms.org

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"The political machinations of Ohio GOP Chairman Bob Bennett have guided the party to power and the state to economic and social disaster over the last 16 years. ..."

"Ohio also passed the worst concealed carry law in the nation."

"Now, as Bennett fiddles towards his goal of continued GOP control of the state government, he has badly miscalculated on the key issue of gun owner voter loyalty."

"Ohios Senate has recessed for the summer without moving on HB347, which would fix many of the poison pills in Ohios current concealed carry law and create statewide preemption for gun laws. Both issues greatly effect over 70,000 concealed carry license holders and up to 500,000 hunters and sporting shooters." ...

NE: Concealed Carry Considered
Submitted by: RPA-PAC
Website: http://www.rpa-pac.org

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"Omaha is considering a plan that would allow people to carry concealed weapons when a new state law takes effect in January."

"The city council listened to testimony about the idea on Tuesday and will consider the matter again next week."

"Omaha currently prohibits carrying concealed weapons and that local ordinance supersedes the new state law that will kick in next year."

"Supporters and opponents of Omaha's ban brought their opinions to the council Tuesday." ...

"But Virgil Armendariz Jr. lined up with the opposition, saying, 'I am dead set against this idea because it doesn't serve the people in the community that had to work so hard to remove guns from their community. The violence that comes with them is predictable.'" ...

GA: Candidate position of 2nd Amendment Submitted by: RPA-PAC Website: http://www.rpa-pac.org	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
"I am running for Georgia Senate District 37. My entire adult life has been devoted to protecting the Rights guaranteed by the Constitution." ... "I have been an active member of the National Rifle Association for all of my adult life. In the early 1990's, I upgraded my membership to the status of Endowment Life Member. I am also a member of Gun Owners of America. ..." ...

CO: Public Invited to try clay shooting at Morgan County Gun Club
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"For almost 20 years, the Morgan County Gun Club has provided area residents a place to practice and hone up on their shooting abilities, whether it be with a rifle, shotgun or handgun."

"Located on the west side of County Road 22, just north and west of the Morgan County Landfill, the range offers five different programs with members offering and encouraging interested persons to visit the range on Sunday, August 6, for the Sporting Clay program."

"The event, explained Glade Gordon, program director, will begin at 9 a.m. and continuing until all shooters have completed their respective round, whether that be 25, 50, 75, or 100 clays, he explained." ...

NE: Local View: Lincoln jumps the gun on debate
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"As one who is familiar with LB 454, the concealed handgun statute enacted by the 2006 session of the Nebraska Legislature, I believe that the City of Lincoln's debate over whether the community should 'drop out' of the provisions of the act are premature at best. Guess what? LB 454 specifies no provision for a local governmental sub-division to essentially void the bill within their borders." ...

AK: Wolfpack wins national rifle championship
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"A clutch performance by Sam Joseph after his gun broke during the competition helped the West Valley High School rifle team capture the National Junior Olympic Three Position Team Air Rifle Championship on Tuesday in Bowling Green, Ky."

"The Wolfpack team posted a two-day score of 4,589 to claim first place in the Scholastic Division by 10 points over Quincy High School of Illinois after the two teams had been deadlocked with one position left to shoot."

"'It's pretty amazing to win a national competition like this,' coach Tom Plowman said in a telephone interview Tuesday evening. 'As far as I know it's the first one for an Alaskan high school.'" ...

FL: Bush: Florida crime rate down to lowest level since '71
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Florida's crime rate dropped for the 14th straight year in 2005 to its lowest mark since 1971 because of tougher laws, increased financial support from the Legislature and law-abiding citizens with guns, Gov. Jeb Bush said Tuesday."

"'This report shows that staying tough on crime works,' said Bush. 'Law abiding citizens that have guns for protection actually probably are part of the reason we have a lower crime rate.'"

"The crime rate, compiled by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, decreased 3.7 percent from 4,855 crimes per 100,000 people in 2004 to 4,677 crimes per 100,000 people last year. The total included 881 murders, 12,230 rapes and 75,204 vehicle thefts." ...

UK: Police hunt 38 rifles stolen in raid
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"DETECTIVES were this week on high alert after a cache of 38 rifles was stolen in a daring early morning raid from the back of a wagon as its driver sat in the cab."

"Officers, fearing the haul on Lyme Green in Macclesfield last Friday morning may be used in violent crime, warned the gang thought to be 'opportunists' who have them that they are facing life behind bars if they use them. The weapons are air guns but fire bullets rather than pellets."

"Experts claim they can be modified into more powerful weapons. They are used mainly to exterminate rats and other vermin but they can cause major harm to humans."

"Police have warned the section one firearms, which must be licensed, could 'cause injury in the wrong hands'." ...