Keep and Bear Arms - Gun Owners Home Page

Major ATF Ruling Authorizing Electronic A&D Books
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Following discussion with the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) the trade association for the firearms industry and many industry members, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) announced yesterday a major new ruling authorizing federal firearms licensees to use electronic (computerized) acquisition and disposition records provided the software used satisfies certain ATF requirements set forth in the ruling signed by Acting Director Michael Sullivan." ...
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Submitter's Note: Not to sound cynical, but what happens to smaller dealers when the requirements keep changing, necessitating expensive updates? Or when 'allowing' electronic records becomes 'requiring' electronic records thus 'requiring' purchase of expensive software packages? And having these computerized records would sure make it easier for some future anti-gun administration to compile computerized lists of gun owners.

Happiness is a warm gun
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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"As of last Thursday, I, a 21-year-old female college student, have exercised my Second Amendment right to bear arms. I must say, as the only female at Turner's Outdoorsman, I felt somewhat out of place; however, I was confident that my decision to purchase a gun was a necessary and responsible choice. Having shot a firearm before, I passed the Handgun Safety Test, missing only a question pertaining to the age you must be before you can purchase a concealable weapon (I learned it is 21, not 18 as I had thought). After half an hour of paperwork and a handgun demonstration, I was on my way to the 10-day waiting period. ..." ...

Gun sales brisk ahead of election
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Gun sales are going boom around the country as gun owners and gun advocates brace for a potential Democrat in the White House for the first time in almost 10 years."

"Democrats, meanwhile, say there's no reason to worry that presidential hopeful Barack Obama would attempt to curtail access to most guns, though that hasn't stopped the buying spree." ...

"... at The Gun Doctor and More ... owner Bob Godell said he has also noticed a similar trend."

"'We call it the Obama factor. People are very concerned that if a Democrat is elected they will see more restrictions on handguns and assault rifles.' Godell said. '... we have seen steady handgun sales, and there's been an increase in the sale of assault rifles like AK-47s, as well.'" ...

A typical American family on guns: Figuring out how to work together for change
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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"I live in a fairly typical American family when it comes to guns. Let's just say my wife and I have different views. My wife doesn't hunt. She doesn't even like guns. But, she does appreciate my love for hunting and guns - and we share a deep commitment to preserving our environment. And, I accept that she was a financial supporter of the Brady Campaign. And, I also support her and respect her opinions. ..." ...

"The leaders of the NRA in no way represent my hunter friends and me. The advice I got from the wise people around me, like my wife, was to start talking about the people who felt the same way. There are a lot of them. That's why I started the American Hunters and Shooters (AHSA). ..." ...

National capital, armed and dangerous
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"The National Rifle Association has designated as 'must' legislation a bill that, according to law enforcement officials, would ... permit the carrying of semi automatic rifles and handguns on the streets of the nation's capitol. ..." ...

"This, of course, follows the 'brilliant' decision of the U. S. Supreme Court this summer negating the District's strict anti-gun laws and establishing for the first time that the Second Amendment clearly gives us all the constitutional right to have the capability of shooting one another. Since that time, Washington officials have tried to come up with city legislation that would preserve to some degree control over firearms in a city where gun violence is an every day occurrence." ...

Moose hunting and NRA not all that important
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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"In his weekly column, Dave Ciekot fawns on the selection of Sarah Palin as the Republican vice presidential candidate. He seems to imply that to be vice president -- or worse yet, possibly be president of the United States -- all you have to do is kill moose and be a life member of the National Rifle Association."

"This is the same shallow-minded, single-issue idiocy that has gotten this country into the horrendous mess in which it presently finds itself." ...

KY: Resident shoots and kills intruder; arrest made
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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... "A neighbor, who heard gunshots, flagged down officers and directed them to the apartment ..."

"Investigators were told the couple who lives in the apartment answered knocks at the door and were 'rushed by several people,' ..."

"The intruders had handguns, she said. One of the occupants in the apartment got a handgun and shot one of the men. He was found dead inside the apartment when police arrived."

"There were a lot of people at the scene when police arrived, Gutierrez said. And officers were interviewing them Wednesday afternoon, trying to determine whether they were involved."

"Investigators also have not figured out why the intruders were at the apartment and whether they knew the residents." ...

OH: "No-guns" DQ employees pistol-whipped, shot trying to follow robber's orders
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"The same anti-self-defense crowd that encourages businesses to post 'no-guns' signs as a means of promoting 'safety' is also fond of saying that the best way to avoid being hurt by a criminal is to just give them what they want, and wait for the police to get there."

But once again, persons forced to work in the gun ban extremists' version of a 'safe working environment' have found out the hard way that while posting 'no-guns' doesn't stop armed criminals, it stops armed citizens who might have been able to defend against an attack." ...

So would this 'attack on Senator Obama's stand on the 2nd Amendment' be considered 'unfair'?
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Obama, interestingly enough, has tried for the last few months to portray himself as, if not exactly a friend to gun owners, at least not a mortal enemy. Obama likes to talk about 'audacity,' and I have to acknowledge that he has no shortage of it. Few things could be more audacious than to claim, with a legislative record like Obama's, that he is no threat to private gun ownership."

"Perhaps the most telling example of his rabidly pro-forcible citizen disarmament voting record can be found here."

"Yep--any shotgun larger than .410 ... would be banned, and there would be no 'grandfather clause.' If you owned a shotgun for dove hunting or trap shooting, Obama voted for legislation that would require you to turn it in. ..." ...

'They Must Think You're Stupid'
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"On Monday, Senator Obama uttered one sentence that could haunt him until Election Day. He said of Senator McCain telling voters they would bring change and Governor Palin, 'they must think you're stupid.' Given his stances on the surge, social issues, and his past, Mr. Obama will regret those words."

"Let's start with social issues like Second Amendment freedoms. Mr. Obama denies that he's ever supported banning handguns, right after the landmark Heller case where the Supreme Court struck down Washington D.C.'s handgun ban."

"When a 1996 questionnaire surfaced that had asked if Mr. Obama supported banning all handguns, his one-word written answer was 'yes.' ..." ...

UT: Gun politics
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Apparently, the Second Amendment is leading some to support Republican John McCain for president, as evidenced by a recent rally for gun rights and John McCain in Grand Junction, Colo."

"I generally vote Democratic, but the right to bear arms is an essential constitutional right, and I'd be concerned if Barack Obama opposed the Second Amendment. He doesn't."

"Obama, a former constitutional law professor, is on record numerous times affirming that the right to bear arms is 'an individual right.'"
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Submitter's Note: Obama is also on record numerous times stating that the DC gun ban was constitutional.

Senate Panel Votes to Permit National Park Visitors to Carry Guns
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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"With solid bipartisan support, a Senate panel approved legislation on Thursday to allow loaded guns in national parks."

"The Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved, 18-5, a draft bill by Sen. Jim DeMint , R-S.C. It would allow people to bring loaded guns into national parks and wildlife refuges unless state laws bar them from doing so. Park Service regulations now allow guns only if they are unloaded and stowed."

"'The purpose of this bill is to protect innocent Americans from violent crime in national parks,' DeMint said."

"Park advocacy groups immediately decried the move and warned it could be far more difficult for park rangers to stop poaching. ..." ...

Officer Kanapsky, is it?
Submitted by: Larry

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"It's a suburban neighborhood, on Sunday morning. There is a three-way stop at which hardly anyone ever goes the other direction than the main one. But you often see a police car in the nearby parking lot, keeping his sharp eye out for evil lawbreakers. These are the dangerous criminals who slow down almost to a full stop that causes the car to shift back the other direction, but don't quite do this. Instead they do what is sometimes called a 'rolling stop' which stops short of full immobilization.The policeman in the car regards this as 'running a stop sign,' as if you paid no attention to it at all, and he'll give you a ticket whenever he catches you doing it." ...

OR: Port of Portland Decides To Obey The Law....Finally
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"After a battle stretching back to 2004, the Port of Portland has finally rescinded its illegal ordinance against CHL holders at the Portland Airport."

"As you may know, since 1996, the Port had a regulation forbidding persons with concealed handgun licenses from being in the Portland Airport. There was one small problem. The ordinance was unlawful."

"Needless to say, the Port and their lawyers did everything they could to justify this violation of the law. ... But they were wrong." ...

"... while it took far longer than it should have, the Port rescinded their bogus rule. The new rule took effect last month. CHL holders are no longer subject to specious and arbitrary arrest for doing something that is perfectly legal." ...

NC: Former deputy sheriff gets 6 months in Robeson corruption case
Submitted by: jac

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"Waldo Stallings, a former deputy sheriff, was sentenced Wednesday for a minor role in a wide-ranging corruption case in the Robeson County Sheriff's Office."

"Stallings pleaded guilty in May to making false statements to a federal agent. He was sentenced to six months in prison and two years of supervised probation."

"According to the indictment in the case known as Operation Tarnished Badge, Stallings illegally reprogramed satellite-television receiver cards and provided them to deputies, allowing them to receive unlimited DirecTV programming free of charge." ...

"The swapping of the card within the sheriff's department 'promoted an atmosphere wherein criminal behavior was tolerated and created a code of silence within the department ...' Robey continued." ...

IL: Police Sergeant Sued For Alleged Role In Shooting
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"A Chicago Police sergeant who was recently relieved of her duties was named as a defendant in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday in connection with two arrests and an alleged gang-related shooting in June."

"The suit claims the sergeant was allegedly romantically involved with the shooter."

"Michael Sparr Jr., the victim in the June 21 shooting, is suing the City of Chicago, Chicago Police Sgt. Stacey Smith, alleged shooter Joshua Simental and unknown police officers, accusing them of making two false arrests, using excessive force and conspiracy." ...

GA: Shotgun at Airport
Submitted by: Mark McCullough
Website: http://www.georgiacarry.org/

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"Officials at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Atlanta police are investigating the discovery of a disassembled shotgun under a vending machine in a Delta Air Lines' employee break room."

"WSB has confirmed through an airport spokesman that the incident occurred Sunday night. ..."

"The Delta employee found the weapon while he was looking for his lost iPod. A more thorough search by APD uncovered a container of gun lubricant and what the police report describes as 'tools for disassembly.'"

"A computer background check on the shotgun's serial number failed to identify its owner."
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Submitter's note: This story has to be false because ATL officials have earlier claimed Hartsfield to be a Gun Free Zone.

MN: St. Paul Police State (audio)
Submitted by: Larry

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"Glenn Greenwald, author of Great American Hypocrites and blogger at Salon.com, discusses the brutal arrest of distinguished journalist Amy Goodman, among others, at the RNC convention, how the St. Paul police preemptively attacked journalists so they wouldn't record the cops' abuses, the storm-trooper like task force and tactics, the problem of the ease of use of non-lethal weapons to deny rights without generating sympathy for the oppressed and the blatant media bias on the side of the state." ...

NY: NYPD says fewer officers intentionally fired guns
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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"As New York City's crime rate continues to drop, police officers are using their weapons less, and last year they fired the fewest times since the police department began recording the statistic three decades ago."

"According to a report released Wednesday, in 2007 there were 111 incidents in which firearms were discharged, including shots fired at animals, in suicide attempts, in accidents and at crime suspects. The figure was down from 127 in 2006 and 253 a decade ago."

"There were 45 cases in which officers intentionally fired at crime suspects, down 25 percent from the year before. The majority of the 80 officers involved fired to defend themselves or others from the threat of injury or death, the police report said." ...

NY: DA Wants Your Guns
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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"After successfully removing nearly 700 guns from the streets of New York, the Office of the Brooklyn District Attorney is at it again and hoping to make the borough even safer by holding another gun buyback this Saturday."

"D.A. Charles Hynes has joined forces with a new group of Brooklyn pastors to sponsor a gun buyback effort that will allow the owners of illegal guns to safely dispose of their firearms in exchange for $200, no questions asked." ...

PA: Officer charged in teen sex case is fired
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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FULL TEXT BELOW:

A central Pennsylvania police officer has been fired a month after his arrest on charges that he had sex with a 16-year-old girl he met online.

State police say former Altoona Police Officer Herrick Johnson met the girl through a site that promoted law enforcement careers. State police say the 49-year-old Johnson drove to Indiana to pick up the girl at her family's home in July.

Johnson was charged last month. The Altoona City Council fired him Wednesday night.

City Manager Joe Weakland says the firing was made retroactive to Aug. 29, the expiration date during which Johnson could have appealed to keep his job.

But Weakland says Johnson never asked for a hearing.

NRA sues to enforce lifting gun ban
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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"The [NRA] says it's going to court to force communities to accept a U.S. Supreme Court ruling to allow guns at home for self-defense."

"The NRA has filed at least four lawsuits since the high court in June struck down a handgun band in Washington ..."

"Some communities since have repealed their handgun bans, while others are waiting to see if the ruling applies only to federal districts or to state and local governments as well ..."

"'There is going to be a lot of litigation on this,' said Dennis Henigan, a spokesman for the Brady Campaign ..."

"The NRA lawsuits include ... Evanston, Ill. Evanston ended its handgun ban last month but is considering reinstating it because a law firm has offered to defend the city at no cost ..."

FL: Orlando gun shop now locks up weapons at night
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"One of Orlando's older gun shops has broken with industry tradition and started locking up its handguns, shotguns and assault rifles at night."

"Rieg's Gun Shop & Range started the new practice in July after burglars crashed through a wall of the building and got away with 15 handguns."

"'If nothing else it makes you look foolish,' owner Eileen Rieg said Wednesday of any gun dealer who loses deadly weapons displayed on walls or in glass cases. 'My biggest fear is that one of them will be used to shoot a law-enforcement officer or member of the public.'" ...

IL: Cities repeal handgun bans; others ready to fight NRA
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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"Some communities have moved quickly to repeal handgun bans since the U.S. Supreme Court in June established an individual right to gun ownership, while others plan to defend their bans in court battles with the National Rifle Association."

"The NRA filed at least five lawsuits after a 5-4 Supreme Court ruling struck down a handgun ban in Washington, D.C., and said for the first time that the Constitution's Second Amendment gives individuals the right to keep guns at home for self-defense."

"Washington is a federal district, so the pending cases will determine whether the Supreme Court decision also applies to state and local governments, says Wayne LaPierre, the NRA's executive vice president." ...