House Democrats Reveal True Colors Over RKBA: In the analysis of CCRKBA's Alan Gottlieb, it appears that an amendment to overturn DC's blanket ban on privately owned firearms served as the "poison pill" to kill a measure that would have given predominantly Democratic DC residents full representation in the House of Representatives. (Gottlieb sidesteps the issue of the effect that passage of the bill with the amendment would have had nullifying the recent Parker decision.) http://www.bendweekly.com/Opinion/3911.html The New York Times Version: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/23/opinion/23fri3.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin --- The New York Times On Giuliani's RKBA Shift: One of the nation's most liberal newspapers reviews the anti-RKBA history of the former mayor of its hometown in light of his current posturing for the 2008 presidential campaign. (This article is at least as damning as anything I've seen from the RKBA camp.) http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/23/us/politics/23rudy.html?pagewanted=all --- Parking-Lot Bill Resurrects Controversy In Florida: The business lobby and gun-rights advocates are set to clash in the Legislature over private property rights - a fight many Florida Republicans likely want no part of because it splits their core supporters... http://www.jacksonville.com/apnews/stories/032307/D8O24H9O0.shtml --- Expanded Castle-Doctrine Bill Killed In Colorado: Hysteria trumped reason yet again at the State Capitol when a senate committee killed the so-called "Make My Day Better" bill on a party-line vote...House Bill 1011 was sound and reasonable, extending to workers in a business the right to protect themselves against an imminent criminal threat - the same right that Coloradoans have enjoyed in their homes since 1985. http://www.thepbj.com/story.cfm?ID=10422 --- Tennessee Governor Opposes Anti-Confiscation Bill: A bill that would prohibit the governor's ability to seize firearms and restrict ammunition sales during an emergency has run into opposition from the governor himself. Senate Republican Leader Mark Norris (R-Collierville) is sponsoring a bill to prohibit the governor from seizing, suspending or restricting the possession, sale or use of firearms or ammunition during an emergency. http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cfm?section_id=9&screen=news&news_id=55305 --- New Orleans Residents Arm Selves: "I got a 6,000-watt generator and the cutest little Smith & Wesson, snub-nose .38 you ever saw"...In New Orleans, the number of concealed-carry permits issued jumped from 432 in 2003-04 to 832 in 2005-06. In Jefferson Parish, 522 permits were issued in 2003-04, and 1,362 in 2005-06. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_New_Orleans_Guns.html?source=mypi --- Zumbo, Others, Should Accept Space-Age Guns: Recalling the revulsion expressed by traditionalists when Remington introduced its .22-caliber "Nylon 66," about 30 years ago, an "outdoors writer" in Nebraska suggests, "But times have changed, and maybe the old guard, Zumbo included, should accept these space-age guns and even the paramilitary look of the AK-47s." (For those who may not have noted it, Zumob's original derogatory remarks about modern rifles, but not his apology, have been read into the Congressional Record - http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi?position=all&page=S3347&dbname=2007_record.) http://www.fremontneb.com/articles/2007/03/23/sports/sports5.txt --- Oops, Wrong House: An Ohio man, recently released from jail, used a sledgehammer to break into a home and strike the homeowner in the head, demanding money or jewelry. His criminal career was ended by a fatal gunshot to the head, three shots in the chest and a fifth shot in the left side, Butler County Coroner Richard Burkhardt said. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070323/NEWS01/303230014 --- Training Helped Officer In Shooting: Article emphasizes a crucial point - when bad things happen, there is not time to deliberate and one relies on training and pre-programmed response. Those who settle for the training that comes in the box with the gun are not well prepared to deal with emergencies. http://www.kndo.com/Global/story.asp?S=6249759&nav=menu484_2_7 --- Engineers Who Shoot Analyze Target Shooting: "To be at the world class level, you have to do mental training to unlearn all the rah rah stuff of getting up for the game that you learned through all the coaches you had in high school and college," McConnell said. "If you're in the match and your anxiety level goes up and your adrenaline level goes up, what happens to your hold?" (Despite the common factors in the operation of a handgun, this brief quotation should emphasize the difference between marksmanship competition and using a firearm in a fight for your life.) http://www.silive.com/newsflash/metro/index.ssf?/base/news-21/1174659013185900.xml&storylist=simetro --- Fecal Matter Occurs: Of particular interest in this account of a SWAT marksman taking out a barricaded man, who had been shooting at police in Montana, with a head shot, is the fact that a second shot was required because the first shot appears to have been deflected by a tree limb. http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/03/19/news/local/45-shoot_g.txt Related Article: Subsequent discoveries appear to confirm that the incident was a suicide-by-cop. http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/03/20/news/local/35-power.txt --- Attention, Mousegun Users: My uninhibited internet friend Teddy Jacobson seems to have returned to firearm issues in his blog. He is currently offering a critique of North American Arms pistols and a comparison with Kel-Tecs. (I am not a fan of sub-caliber handguns but recognize that there are those who feel that is all they can carry. The Kel-Tec comments most likely apply to their full-caliber pistols as well.) http://www.actionsbyt.blogspot.com/ --- Nevadans Protest BLM Shooting Ban: A protest is scheduled this weekend over a proposed shooting ban that would affect 11,000 acres of public land on the south end of the Pahrump Valley... http://www.pahrumpvalleytimes.com/2007/Mar-23-Fri-2007/news/13343930.html --- Meanwhile, In Arizona...: The 128,000-acre Ironwood Forest National Monument is under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management and is generally opened to dispersed recreational shooting. A management plan just released for public review and comment is likely to change that if BLM's preferred management alternative (Alternative C) is adopted. Alternative C would close the Monument to recreational shooting. Hunting would continue to be allowed for the time being. http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?id=2739 --- NRA Youth Education Summit: Youth Education Summit is a seven-day, expense-paid leadership week in Washington, D.C. Current high school sophomores and juniors are eligible to apply. The 2007 program takes place July 9-15. http://www.nrafoundation.org/yes/ --- From NRA-ILA: For those who appreciate the alerts from NRA-ILA, the current e-mail format is not friendly to copying and pasting. Please check for those states and issues that concern you on the web page; note links and tabs for further reports. http://www.nraila.org/ --- From AzCDL: Your calls and letters worked! SB 1629, which reduces the penalty for carrying a concealed weapon without a permit for otherwise law-abiding citizens, will be reconsidered in the House Homeland Security and Property rights (HSPR) committee on Monday, March 26, 2007. SB 1629 was previously heard in the House Homeland Security and Property Rights (HSPR) committee on Monday, March 19, 2007, but because of a tie vote (5-5) cast by Representative Barto, it looked like the bill was effectively killed for the session. When word got out, many of you contacted Rep. Barto expressing your disappointment with her for voting against SB 1629. At the same time, Dave Kopp and John Wentling, AzCDL's president and vice-president, met with Rep. Barto and the House leadership to address her concerns about SB 1629. The end result is that Rep. Barto has asked the committee to reconsider SB 1629 and it has been scheduled for the final committee hearing this coming Monday. Please take the time to send a polite note to the committee members thanking them for reconsidering SB 1629 and urging them to pass it out of committee with a recommendation for passage by the full House. Below are email lists of the committee members in semi-colon and comma separated formats. Use the list compatible with your email software. HSPR committee members in semi-colon format: wnichols@azleg.gov; dclark@azleg.gov; rbarnes@azleg.gov; nbarto@azleg.gov; clcampbell@azleg.gov; sgallardo@azleg.gov; tprezelski@azleg.gov; ksinema@azleg.gov; jpweiers@azleg.gov; jpaton@azleg.gov HSPR committee members in comma format: wnichols@azleg.gov, dclark@azleg.gov, rbarnes@azleg.gov, nbarto@azleg.gov, jpaton@azleg.gov, clcampbell@azleg.gov, sgallardo@azleg.gov, tprezelski@azleg.gov, ksinema@azleg.gov, jpweiers@azleg.gov We will keep you informed on the progress of SB 1629 and other important legislation. Information on this and other bills can be found at the AzCDL website: http://www.azcdl.org/html/legislation.html 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