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Media, Politicians Keeping Gun Confiscation Quiet -- -- Your help needed to 'rattle cages' on Capitol Hill
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Last week, GOA alerted you to the fact that officials were illegally confiscating firearms from law-abiding citizens in New Orleans. National Guard troops and police were going door-to-door and seizing guns from honest residents, without any constitutional or legal power to do so."

"Despite a few initial reports in the New York Times, the Associated Press and ABC News, there has been nothing said in the mainstream news since then."

"Not surprisingly, GOA has found that many offices on Capitol Hill are completely unaware that gun confiscations were occurring!"

"To help overcome this appalling lack of information, GOA has constructed a special section at http://www.gunowners.org/notb.htm on the GOA website ..." ...

EDITORIAL: Bad Decision, Dangerous Precedent
Submitted by: D. Finlayson

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"Gun owners and gun owner rights groups across America are rightfully outraged at the recent decision by New Orleans law enforcement officials to confiscate the firearms of law-abiding citizens."

"According to city officials, while the crisis spawned by Katrina exists, no one but law enforcement will have guns in New Orleans. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't there a little something in the United States Constitution that specifically prohibits this sort of thing?" ...

"... Will the MSM point out that confiscating legal firearms is not only unconstitutional, but dangerous to law-abiding citizens?"

"Obvious answer: No. Of course they won't. If anything the MSM will either ignore the loss of life or doctor the numbers so that the policy looks like a success. ..." ...

Roberts's testimony alarms conservatives
Submitted by: riotboy

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"Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr.'s testimony about the existence of a right to privacy, the importance of respecting precedent, and the need for the Constitution to adapt to changing conditions has alarmed some rank-and-file conservatives, who are filling up Internet message boards with predictions that Roberts may turn out to be a moderate justice." [emphasis added]

"Many say they believe that Roberts's answers have shown him to be to the left of Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, whom President Bush promised to use as models in selecting new justices. Some compare Roberts to David Souter and Anthony Kennedy -- Republican appointees who proved to be moderates ..." ...

Judge Roberts' Second Amendment Testimony Before the Senate Judiciary Committee
Submitted by: D. Finlayson

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"FEINGOLD: So what is your view of the Second Amendment? Do you support one of the other views of the views of what was intended by that amendment?"

"ROBERTS: I know the Miller case side-stepped that issue. An argument was made back in 1939 that this provides only a collective right. And the court didn't address that. They said, instead, that the firearm at issue there. . ."

"FEINGOLD: I understand that case could come before you. I'm wondering if you would anticipate that in such a case that a serious question would be: Which interpretation is correct?"

"ROBERTS: Well, anytime you have two different courts of appeals taking opposite positions, I think you have to regard that as a serious question. . ."

Reader Responses (NYT)
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Following are responses to Damon Darlin's 'Some Ways to Prepare for the Absolute Worst.'"

... "My only real beef with the article was the last paragraph on guns. I know you all are probably firmly opposed to firearms but when you are advising people on surviving crisis situations such as Katrina, it is immoral to be so negligent and dishonest." ...

"Wow, how about reminding the reader that one of the hallmarks of a crisis situation is that the Government's ability to defend the people is at least for a period of time significantly deteriorated or outright non-existent. Then saying if you're serious about having an effective survival kit, each responsible adult should possess a handgun no smaller than a .38 Special Revolver or 9 mm pistol and each household should have at least one defensive rifle ..." ...

Springfield Armory XD .45 GAP Pistols: Serious Defensive Plastic for Serious Use
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"With the introduction of the Springfield Armory X-TREME (XD) .45 GAP pistols in 4-inch and 5-inch-barreled versions, it would appear that the .45 GAP cartridge is going to have some real staying power. That's probably a good thing. Looking at the cartridge objectively, it's impressive. The .45 GAP appears to offer ballistic performance (terminal ballistics) equal to the .45 ACP, in a shorter-length envelope. Because the .45 GAP cartridge is shorter, it can be housed in and fired from a 9mm/.40 S&W-sized pistol, giving the shooter true .45 ACP performance from a more compact, thinner, and lighter pistol that can be carried more easily on the hip." ...

ID: Deadly shooting may have been justified
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"The shooting death of a Clark Fork man on Tuesday night appears to be a case of self-defense, Bonner County Sheriff's officials said on Wednesday."

"The identity of the shooting victim and the woman who pulled the trigger were not released on Wednesday."

"'She's claiming she was physically attacked and had to defend herself,' Sheriff's Det. John Valdez said, declining to elaborate."

"The shooting north of Clark Fork remains under investigation and an autopsy of the 42-year-old victim was planned for Wednesday." ...

CO: Homeowner shoots man who climbed into house
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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"A suspected burglar is in the hospital and law agencies are investigating an early morning shooting that could be labeled as part of the Colorado 'Make My Day' law."

"The shooting occurred about 4 a.m. Wednesday ... Weld County sheriff's spokeswoman Vicki Harbert said a homeowner in the subdivision shot a man after he'd climbed into the house through a window off the back porch."

"The homeowner was not identified, but Harbert said the alleged intruder, Nathen Weathers, 19, who lived in the same subdivision, was shot in the arm with a 9mm handgun." ...

"... The case has been turned over to the Weld District Attorney's Office to determine if the resident of the home will be protected from prosecution by the ['Make My Day'] law."

CO: Break-in leads to shooting (follow-up)
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"A bleeding, drunken man stumbling home after a motorcycle accident was shot Wednesday morning by the owner of a house he mistakenly entered, according to the Weld County Sheriffs Office."

"According to the sheriffs office, 19-year-old Nathan Weathers was in a single-vehicle motorcycle accident sometime early Wednesday morning near Weld County roads 5 and 26."

"Without notifying the authorities, the injured and intoxicated Weathers then traveled a half-mile from the scene of the accident, presumably on foot, and entered the home at 2173 Meadowlark Place through a window off the back porch, investigators said." ...

LA: Packing pills, pistols
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Randy Gros, pharmacist at Dekle Drugs, goes to work prepared. He carries a 9 mm pistol in a black holster at his side."

"'Well, it's just better to exhibit force and to be prepared,' he said. Gros, 48, a druggist since 1989 in this usually laid-back city, doesn't want any trouble, but knows that some people are desperate."

"The day after Hurricane Katrina struck the small hamlet of Marrero on the western end of the city where he's lived all his life, his was one of the few pharmacies--much less businesses--that was open, even if it was for only a couple hours." ...

MI: Go ahead, punk, pass that bill and see what happens
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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"A bill introduced last week to the Michigan Legislature has many names: the 'Stand Your Ground' bill, the 'Meet Force with Force' bill and the 'Shoot First' bill. My personal favorite is the 'Make My Day' bill. How fitting to name a bill that gives immunity to law-abiding citizens who use lethal force confronting a home invader or carjacker after Clint Eastwood's character Dirty Harry who, you'll recall, encouraged felons to commit crimes so that he would have an excuse to shoot them with his trademark smirk: 'Go ahead, make my day.'" ...
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KABA Note: You can reach the author of this piece at mkeenan@detnews.com.

GA: Instructor Who Accidentally Shot Recruit Broke Safety Rules
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"The city of Kennesaw will hold a moment of silence at noon today to remember a police trainee who was accidentally shot and killed by a firearms instructor."

"Officials say the instructor at the North Central Georgia Law Enforcement Academy in Cobb County violated safety rules by having a loaded gun."

"Twenty-three-year-old Tara Drummond -- a recruit with the Kennesaw Police Department -- died Tuesday after being shot once in the chest."

"Cobb County Sheriff Neil Warren -- who is leading the investigation into the shooting -- says ammunition is banned from the building. Warren declined to release the instructor's name or any initial findings as to why he had the pistol." ...

PA: Pennsylvania Officer's Death Ruled a Homicide
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"The death of Easton police officer Jesse Sollman has been ruled a homicide, Lehigh County Coroner Scott Grim announced Wednesday."

"The coroner blamed the length of time it took to determine Sollman's manner of death on the ongoing Pennsylvania grand jury investigation ... Grim's ruling came 174 days after Sollman was shot in police headquarters and died." ...

"... Sollman family attorney John Karoly said Wednesday's announcement is significant because Grim did not rule Sollman's manner of death an accident, possibly leaving the door open for criminal charges against officer Matthew Renninger, who sources have identified as the shooter, and bolstering the case for a civil suit." ...

CA: Police officer accused of misconduct in off-duty incident outside bar
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"A San Francisco police officer was accused of misconduct Wednesday stemming from an off-duty incident in which he allegedly pulled his weapon on a crowd of people outside a nightclub, yelled obscenities at them, and later lied about it to investigators." ...

"Foster, a four-year veteran assigned to the department's planning division, is on leave and could not be reached for comment."

"The charges say Foster came upon a fight near his car as he was leaving the waterfront club. He pulled a .40-caliber pistol on the combatants and bystanders, an action that was 'unwarranted and unnecessary,' the disciplinary charges say." ...

MS: Detective finishes second in firearms competition
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Time hasnt dulled Gregg Corrells aim as the Olive Branch Police Department detective finished second statewide over the weekend in his first shooting competition in 15 years."

"Using a Colt Python Magnum pistol, Correll scored 481 out of a possible 500 with 28 hits in the three-inch center circle. Shooters were timed and required to fire at targets ranging from three-to-25 yards in distance; the closer the target, the shorter the time allowed for officers to aim and fire."

"'I used to shoot competitively but I havent in about 15 years,' said the 22-year Marine veteran. 'I shot for the Marine Corps and I'm just now getting back into it.'"

MA: Cop's criminal case ongoing
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Suspended police officer David DeOliveira suffered a setback Tuesday in his claim that fellow cop Kevin Medas assaulted him during an off-duty altercation last year."

"District Court Judge Michael Pomerole ruled against hearing an appeal of a clerk magistrate's July decision that found there was insufficient evidence to charge Sgt. Medas for assault and battery, but the legal wrangling is not over, said DeOliveira's lawyer."

"DeOliveira, who is nearing the end of his City Council-imposed 18-month suspension without pay, is facing State Police charges of assault and battery, a shod foot, for his role in the March 15, 2004, incident with Medas." ...

Nigeria: How Divisional Police Officer provided cover for us Robbers
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"It was a show of shame at the Force Headquarters on Thursday, as nine armed robbers narrated to a bewildered audience how they allegedly gave money to a Divisional Police Officer (DPO) to protect them, and even alert them whenever detectives were coming from the headquarters."

The armed robbers ... confessed to how ... a Superintendent of Police, allegedly collected money ranging from N30,000 to N100,000 to provide them with vigilance group identity cards, thereby exonerating them as robbers."

"The robbers, who described their modus operandi as that of terrorist gangsters, confessed to how they killed three police officers at checkpoints ... as they tried to engage them in a shootout during one of their deadly operations." ...

Nigeria: Police thrives on corruption, says Okeke
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Image problem of the Nigeria police force suffered deeper damage on Thursday when Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Simon Okeke, described the force as one that thrives on corruption."

"He told newsmen in Kano that the level of corruption in the police is disturbing to both the Federal Government and Nigerians pointing out that the Federal Government was looking forward to a charge of attitude as the ugly trend must stop." ...

VT: The Right To Bear Arms Is As Old As Vermont
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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"Richard Gorham and Robert Hamel trace their roots back a long way in Vermont."

"Hamel, 61, of Lyndon, is a fourth-generation Vermonter. Gorham, 54, of Mount Hunger, said his ancestry goes all the way back to the first couple to settle Kirby. The first Gorhams came to Vermont with a pair of oxen, he says."

"Talking to the two on the front porch of Rick's Gun Shop and Mount Hunger Archery in Mount Hunger, a gun and archery shop founded by Gorham in 1992, it's apparent they have a core belief in their constitutional rights as Americans to own firearms and to own private property. Both men believe constant vigilance is required to safeguard those freedoms." ...

AL: Residents up in arms over shooting range
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Judy Devine and some of her fellow residents are loading up opposition against a pistol and rifle range along Lower Wetumpka Road north of Montgomery."

"'It's just beyond my comprehension,' Devine said about Tri-County Shooting Range."

"Devine and the residents say they don't want the noise and are worried about lead contaminating a nearby creek, but they mainly are concerned about firearms going off in an agricultural and residential area that includes a church."

"A representative of the shooting range was stunned to hear about the resistance and tried to offer a peace-making response."

"'We would be more than happy to talk to them about their concerns' ..." ...

OR: Details, details: Things to know before a guided hunt
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"It's probably too late to begin planning a guided hunt-of-a-lifetime this year for that special moose, elk or caribou in your life."

"But it's a good time to think about next fall."

"'We have hunters who book two or three years out,' said Rick McLean, who runs a guided hunting operation for the Tahltan Nation in Dease Lake, B.C. 'It's never too early.'"

"It's always too late, though, for hunters who don't do their homework before investing with a hefty deposit." ...

CA: Hundreds of people try out new Internet-controlled pellet gun
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Firing a gun by pushing a button on a website is no science-fiction anymore. Cobbling together gears, webcam parts and a pellet gun that shoots plastic BB's, enthusiast Travis Puderbaugh's gun can be moved, targeted and fired through the Internet. In the first public test, people thousands of miles away were able to login and shoot the gun."

"In making the gun, Puderbaugh took out the imaging sensor from a Logitech Quickcam and mounted it to the front of an Airsoft pistol. Airsoft guns are realistic looking guns that shoot small and light plastic pellets. The gun was then mounted on a gear assembly and servos powered by four AA batteries. The gun can pan left/right and can tilt up and down. ..." ...

MA: Gunmaker says sales up
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. has reported that fiscal first-quarter sales rose and profits were boosted by a reduction in allowances for environmental contamination at a Springfield property."

"The company said after the markets closed yesterday that it had profits of $2.7 million, or 7 cents a share, in the fiscal first quarter ended July 31. This compared to a profit of $1.5 million, or 4 cents a share, in the same quarter last year."

"This year's fiscal first quarter benefited from a reduction in the amount set aside to cover the costs of cleaning up environmental contamination at an 85-acre parcel sold to the city last year for $1.75 million. The city has cleaned up the site and converted it into an industrial park." ...

UK: Gun crime: 'It's all fun and games until someone gets shot'
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"When he was just 17 years old, Jason experienced the brutality of south London teenage gun culture as he watched a gang drag his older brother and two friends from a car. They were made to lie face down in the road, automatic weapons held to their heads."

"... Shots were fired and one bullet ricocheted around the corridor. The next hit David in the leg. The bullet, Jason believes, was meant for him. For a teenager who had once carried a gun himself, it was a wake-up call."

"'It is all fun and games,' he told The Independent, 'brandishing a gun, taking pictures of it, until you see people getting shot, until you see the blood. Then it is different. I don't want to see a bullet in someone again.'" ...
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Submitter's Note: There is a reason kids with legitimate access to guns are so rarely involved in gun crime. They know guns kill and maim.

UK: Death of a teenage father highlights the plight of Britain's gun generation
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"Ramone Cumberbatch, a proud teenage father, had been seen regularly pushing his new son's pram near his home."

"But on Tuesday, the day before his 19th birthday, a gunman turned up at his house in a leafy Manchester avenue and shot him dead." ...

"The murder of Mr Cumberbatch provides the latest tragic evidence that young people are now at the heart of gun crime in Britain. ... schoolchildren are increasingly carrying weapons that give a lethal dimension to fights that break out over items as trivial as PlayStations." ...

"In the first eight months of this year, Trident charged nine young people in connection with shooting incidents, whereas there was only one such case in the same period last year." ...

UK: Replica pistol seized
Submitted by: Bruce W. Krafft

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"POLICE in Banbridge have seized a replica BB machine pistol from a 14-year-old youth."

"The teenager had found the gun and had been showing it to friends at a house when police drove past on patrol."

"Police are investigating the circumstances in which the youth found the abandoned gun."

"They have stressed they believe the gun is not linked to recent disorder in the town."

"But a police spokesman warned: 'It would, in the present climate, be dangerous and unwise to use or carry in public replica BB guns.'"

"'Any parent whose children have BB guns should ensure that they fully explain the dangers and responsibilities associated with having such a gun and do not allow children to go onto the street with them.'" ...