CCRKBA Challenges Mayors To Close Government-Gun Loophole: The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms today called on New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his colleagues in the "Mayors Against Illegal Guns" coalition to devote all their resources to closing the government gun loophole. .."Don't tell us about some mythical gun show loophole that needs closing," Gottlieb observed. "We obviously have a far more serious problem of theft and loss of firearms in our own law enforcement community, and until that problem is solved, Bloomberg and his anti-gun soul mates on Capitol Hill and in mayor's offices around the country need to leave law-abiding citizens alone." http://www.ccrkba.org/pub/rkba/press-releases/government_loophole.htm --- Gang Members Blamed For California Anti-RKBA Bills: Moving to address a plague of gun violence in California, four state legislators announced a package of bills Thursday aimed at keeping firearms out of the hands of criminals and helping the police solve crimes when guns are used. The bills were endorsed Thursday by Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton, Sheriff Lee Baca and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-guns16feb16,1,4500055.story?coll=la-headlines-california --- Utah Mall Shootings Intensify Campus-Carry Debate: Following the recent shootings at Trolley Square, a Senate committee passed a bill to restrict concealed weapons carriers on campus. Emotions ran high as members of the public who opposed Senate Bill 251 addressed the Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Justice Standing Committee on Tuesday. http://media.www.dailyutahchronicle.com/media/storage/paper244/news/2007/02/15/News/Trolley.Square.Shootings.Intensify.Campus.Gun.Debate-2721863.shtml Related Letter: http://www.sltrib.com/ci_5228702 --- Kansas Businesses Banning CCW: Little white signs displaying a crossed-out handgun have been cropping up around Manhattan since last month following the state's adoption of concealed-carry laws. The signs render the properties off-limits to concealed weapons...Property owners are allowed to ban concealed weapons on their property by posting signs that meet standards set by the act. The city commission voted last month to put such signs on much of its property, including City Hall and several parks. http://www.kstatecollegian.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticlePrinterFriendly&uStory_id=0a6af877-b615-49e1-b058-c7222ddb86f2 --- More People In Hawaii Apply For Gun Permits: A report from the state with the nations second most strict infringements on the RKBA waltzes around the fact that it's not the criminals who are applying to buy firearms legally and fails to mention that Hawaii does not grant concealed-weapon permits even though it already has the laws to do so. http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070215/NEWS06/702150366/1001/NEWS --- Thief Sides With Shotgun-Wielding Farmer: A retired farmer who was charged with felony assault for wielding a shotgun near a gasoline thief got support from the thief as he pleaded guilty to stealing gas and a car radiator..."I don't think he should be held responsible for, you know, anything involving any of these issues," Smith said. "I committed a crime and, you know, he did what he probably thought was right to ... resolve the situation." http://wcco.com/local/local_story_046071415.html --- Oops, Wrong Store: A Texas man who tried to rob a liquor store is dead after being shot by the store's owner, who took advantage of the distraction of a customer opening the store's door to "pull out his own weapon." (It's not clear from this report if the weapon was drawn from a holster or another location but this is the second report in two days in which a business owner depended on a distraction in order to access his own handgun.) http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4554960.html --- Home Invasion "Suspect" Dies: A 21-year-old Pontiac man who was shot by an armed homeowner when he allegedly forced his way into a home with two other men last month died early Tuesday from a gunshot wound to the chest...The 33-year-old homeowner told police he armed himself after hearing a loud noise when the men kicked in a door. The man shouted for the three to leave and when they ignored him and continued advancing into the house, he fired off two shots. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070214/METRO02/702140368/1009 --- A Scot Looks At Knob Creek: ...No, his problem is this: where do you fire a weapon of such heart-stopping power and range that American gun-control advocates believe it poses a serious threat to post-9/11 national security? Answer: Knob Creek Range in Kentucky, home to world's largest machine-gun show, a three-day blast-fest which is - outside of actual combat - an unrivalled display of the deadliest firearms ever made.... http://www.sundayherald.com/life/people/display.var.1185291.0.an_armed_america_is_a_polite_america.php --- From AzCDL: Your pressure worked! On Thursday, February 15, 2007, the Committee of the Whole (COW) in both the House and Senate passed important pro-rights legislation. The House passed HB 2469 and the Senate passed SB 1250 and SB 1302. Information on these and other bills can be found at the AzCDL website: http://www.azcdl.org/html/legislation.html . The following is a synopsis of these bills and a summary of the hearings: HB 2469 reduces the penalty for a concealed weapon permit holder failing to have their permit in their possession while carrying concealed. During the House COW debate, Representatives Crandall, Pearce and Konopnicki stated their support of HB 2469. Representatives Sinema, Ulmer and Gallardo stated their opposition to HB 2469 and demonized gun owners. Rep. Ulmer also mentioned that she received lots of YOUR letters supporting the bill. Good job! SB 1250 eliminates the fingerprint requirement for concealed carry permit renewals. During the Senate COW debate, Senator Burton-Cahill attempted to add a "floor amendment" to reinstate training for permit renewals. The amendment failed. SB 1302 clarifies that the intent of the Castle Doctrine bill that restored "innocent until proven guilty" applied to all court cases pending on April 24, 2006 when the bill was signed. These bills will now be scheduled for a Third Read and vote in their respective chambers. We'll keep you up to date on the progress of these and other important bills. These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots organization. Join today! AzCDL - Protecting Your Freedom http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html