Department of Education - A List member Comments: Sometime after 9/11 when Homeland Security was formed, there were internal recommendations for security of government offices that included number of guards, how trained, how armed, etc., etc. Because no one understood just how much funding would be required for each government entity, they were left responsible for paying for their own equipment, including guns. Thus, DOE pays for their own guns, even though their security is done by GSA contact cops or federal SS policemen. They have a "reaction force" that needs equipment and shotguns is one of the items of equipment they need. If a scan were done of all of the other stuff bought by DOE (and other government offices) you would find gas masks, EMP resistant radios, etc., etc. Speaking of Which...: ...Unlike officers with the Pentagon Force Protection Agency who gunned down shooter John Patrick Bedell last week, most security guards at federal buildings in the Washington region are employed by private firms that have contracts with the Federal Protective Service. The FPS, part of the Department of Homeland Security, provides security at more than 9,000 federal buildings across the country and uses about 15,000 contract security guards to support about 1,200 officers, inspectors and administrative staffers, according to agency officials. A House hearing Tuesday will focus on the FPS's future and its response to a 2009 Government Accountability Office investigation that exposed security gaps at 10 major federal buildings. The GAO report also faulted the FPS for inconsistent training and poor oversight of private guards. Next month, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) plans to introduce legislation that addresses the agency's future and broader threats and security measures at all civilian and military facilities, aides said... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/10/AR2010031003955.html And a Related Commentary: http://www.examiner.com/x-4525-Seattle-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m3d10-Why-does-Department-of-Education-need-12gauge-shotguns --- After McDonald?: ... First, certain restrictions on the purchase of firearms will likely be overturned. California maintains a "safe gun roster" of handguns that manufacturers have successfully submitted for safety testing. Following the Heller decision, the District adopted California's roster. The roster is very specific, and handgun models are certified "safe" right down to the color. The District rejected applications to register two-tone guns, discontinued models, and guns not on the California roster. Three plaintiffs filed suit, alleging that this policy violated constitutional protections against irrational administrative regulations. The District relented, expanding its roster to include the "safe handguns" listings for Maryland and Massachusetts... Second, jurisdictions will be forced to allow some form of handgun carry, either open or concealed. Outright bans on concealed carry cited in cases from the mid-1800's come from a time when it was assumed that only brigands carried handguns concealed, and it was an unquestioned right of the people to carry arms openly wherever they went. States and localities will not be able to delete the right to bear arms from the right to keep and bear arms... http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/2010/03/10/gun-control-after-mcdonald/ --- Complementary Rallies: April 19th looks to be a big day for gun rights. On the 235th anniversary of the "shot heard 'round the world," the Washington Monument grounds in D.C. will be the scene of the Second Amendment March (actually more a rally than a "march"), from 10 AM to 4 PM (also discussed here). Follow the link for much more information. For those who can't make it all the way to Washington, click here for developing information on coordinated state marches. What I really want to talk about, though, is another event on April 19th - not at all far from the main march in D.C. itself. I refer to the Restore the Constitution Rally, mustering at Ft. Hunt National Park, and from there, moving to Gravelly Point Park - only about a mile from the D.C National Mall. Why a separate rally, near D.C., but not in it? Because the point of the Restore the Constitution Rally is for it to be a visibly (peaceably) armed rally, which would, of course, be more than a little illegal in D.C. - and an argument can still be made for the idea that the time for open (very open) defiance of gun laws has not yet arrived... http://www.examiner.com/x-2581-St-Louis-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m3d10-April-19th-Libertys-show-of-force --- NRA Outranks Big Brother in Poll: The National Rifle Association has a higher mean approval rating among likely voters than Barack Obama. This and other fascinating facts emerged from the Democracy Corps/Third Way national security survey released this week. According to its liberal authors, the "sobering" results of the survey provide "a wake-up call for President Obama, his party and progressives on national security." ... Another less noted but highly significant result was that 42 percent of likely voters self-identified as conservative but just 21 percent as liberal. The poll also documented the decline in Obamamania; "drop-off" voters, those who voted in 2008 but are not likely to vote in 2010, were much more likely to be those who voted for Mr. Obama and congressional Democrats in the last election. The liberal authors of the study argued that, "Democrats will need to pursue new steps to forge a closer bond with the military institutions and culture" while separately advocating that they forge ahead with repealing the "don't ask/don't tell" law regarding homosexuals in the military. Good luck with that one. Maybe Democrats should run the idea by some NRA members first. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/mar/11/the-nra-outshoots-obama/ --- Firearms Freedom Acts: Utah has become the third state to adopt a law exempting guns and ammunition made, sold and used in the state from massive federal regulations under the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and supporters say about 30 more states have some sort of plan for their own exemptions in the works. Officials in Utah say they expect a lawsuit over their direct challenge to Washington if the federal government succeeds in its current case against Montana's law. Gary Marbut of the Montana Shooting Sports Association, who has spearheaded the Montana law, now describes himself as a sort of "godfather" to the national campaign. He confirmed Montana, Tennessee and Utah have enacted such laws. "Wyoming and South Dakota, they have passed legislation and it's on their governors' desks," he said. "We learned today Oklahoma's House has passed a plan over to the Senate. Idaho's House has just passed it along. Alaska's has passed the House and is in the Senate Judiciary committee," he said... (It's worth clicking the link to look at the map, if only to see how few states have not yet initiated action in this field.) http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=127490 --- One More Gun-Free Zone Shooting: By now most of you know about the shooting at Ohio State University early yesterday morning. At around 3:30am, Nathaniel Brown, who was reportedly serving a suspension for a poor job performance review, entered the university's maintenance building and began shooting. Building supervisor Larry Wallington was killed and operations shift leader Henry Butler wounded. Brown killed himself before police could arrest him. Gun control advocates will point to this as an example of why guns have no place in schools or the workplace. The problem with this logic is that it was already illegal for Brown to bring a gun into the maintenance building. Not only is it a violation of workplace policy but it is also banned by Ohio law since it is a building on school property. None of that deterred Brown from carrying out his murderous plan of revenge. The gun ban did, however, ensure that nobody was able to fight back... http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-2206-Cleveland-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m3d10-Gun-bans-and-workplace-violence --- Harvard Is Creating an Anti-RKBA Database: A new firearms research database launched by the Harvard School of Public Health purports to make scholarly articles more accessible to reporters, law enforcement, public health officials, policymakers, and the general public. But gun owners are right to worry that the database will not be even-handed in reporting both sides of gun ownership. The release from the Harvard School of Public Health claims, "With the new availability of gun violence data and research, one of the primary goals of the website is to help those in law enforcement, public health and government develop best practices and smarter approaches to curbing gun crime and violence." But a quick check of online work from the school shows an unbalanced treatment of gun ownership, with a high incidence of items of research on gun appearances in suicides... (Note the word VERITAS on the Harvard emblem - that's Latin for "truth.") http://www.gunreports.com/news/news/Harvard-Online-Firearms-Research-database-Public-Health_1896-1.html?ET=gunreports:e662:183810a:&st=email --- Massachusetts Supremes Reject RKBA Defense in Trigger-Lock Case: In a case that had drawn attention from the Gun Owners Action League and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, the Supreme Judicial Court today upheld a state law requiring trigger locks on guns kept in people's homes. In a victory for law enforcement and advocates of gun control, the state's highest court ruled that the Second Amendment does not currently apply to states and therefore Massachusetts has the power to regulate gun ownership. "We conclude that the legal obligation safely to secure firearms in [state law] is not unconstitutional,'' Justice Ralph Gants wrote for the unanimous court. In a companion ruling, it upheld the convictions of a New Bedford man who had argued that the Second Amendment right to bear arms trumped state law making it a crime for an unlicensed person to have a handgun... http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/03/_in_a_victory_f.html http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gamKqZ1Y1OSIR9L_uLEQks7ZNSJAD9EBTS980 A state trooper who lives in Sandwich won't have to sweat a second prosecution on a charge that he improperly stored his department-issued gun. Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O'Keefe said he won't refile charges against state police Lt. Richard Bolduc, despite yesterday's ruling by the state Supreme Judicial Court that upholds the state's gun storage laws... Bolduc was charged in a June 2008 incident in which his son, who was 12 at the time, grabbed his father's Sig Sauer P226 .40-caliber handgun from an unlocked bureau in their Sandwich home. The boy took the unloaded gun to a neighbor's house, pointed it at a 5-year-old girl and pulled the trigger. During the follow-up investigation, police found a loaded clip in the same drawer where the boy grabbed the gun... (It's hard not to wonder if a private citizen would get the same pass. Rule Five: Maintain control of your firearm.) http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100311/NEWS/3110313/-1/NEWSMAP --- Ohio Supremes to Hear Cleveland Appeal: If Cleveland had its way, every gun in the city would have to be registered, no one would carry a weapon openly and assault weapons would be banned. All three of those rules, however - and there are others the city would like to impose - run contrary to an Ohio gun law that took effect three years ago establishing one set of firearm rules for everyone from Lake Erie down to the Ohio River. The city has had its tougher gun restrictions on hold ever since House Bill 347 passed while it has battled the state to a draw in court over whether the local rules are legal. Now, the Ohio Supreme Court has decided it will hear the case to settle the dispute for once and for all. A lower court sided with the state, saying only federal and state codes could restrict firearms. But an appeals court backed the city, saying the state gun law is not "general law"... http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2010/03/cleveland_to_fight_for_its_gun.html --- More Infringements in Maryland Would Waste Scarce Funds: Maryland politicians should be focusing on the state's budget crisis. Instead, some lawmakers are wasting the remaining days of the legislative session to pass more gun-control laws. These efforts to limit freedom should be shot down. One of the slew of proposed gun laws getting serious attention is the Firearm Safety Act of 2010, which was introduced by state Sen. Brian E. Frosh, Montgomery County Democrat. The bill promises to tighten up Maryland's supposedly "lax" registration and licensing laws, but its main legacy will be to waste money. By diverting funds from crime policies that work - like more cops on the beat - and discouraging gun ownership, the proposal will increase crime. Registration programs in Hawaii, the District of Columbia and Chicago can't point to any crimes that have been solved as a result of gun registration. In Canada, since the 1930s and up to a few years ago, the government could point to only three handgun crimes solved using registration information... http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/mar/11/registering-guns-in-maryland/ --- New Mexico Governor Signs Restaurant-Carry Bill: Governor Bill Richardson today signed a bill that removes the ban on concealed carry licensees from bringing their weapons into New Mexico restaurants with beer and wine licenses. However, Governor Richardson is ordering additional safeguards to address public safety concerns surrounding the bill... "My decision to sign this bill came after much contemplation and thought. I heard strong opinions from both those for and against the bill," Governor Richardson said. "As the Governor of a western state, I know well the deep feelings that come with such a measure, but I also understand those feelings and beliefs must be tempered by the enactment of certain safeguards." Under current New Mexico statute and regulation, there is no clear and explicit prohibition on the consumption of alcohol while carrying a concealed weapon. Governor Richardson is directing the New Mexico Department of Public Safety to revise its regulations to make it clear that consumption of alcohol while carrying a concealed weapon is prohibited. Governor Richardson is also encouraging the legislature to consider legislation that would make such a prohibition unequivocal in state statute... (While this bill is overdue, I am troubled that the governor intends to amend the law by means of a DPS administrative rule. Aside from being a violation of the separation of powers, many visitors to New Mexico may not realize how much more restrictive DPS administrative rule are than the statutes. For example, the rules limit concealed carry to one handgun, something that is not in the statutes.) http://www.governor.state.nm.us/press/2010/march/031010_02.pdf --- New Mexico Gunners Protest Fairground Ban: A local gun rights advocacy group is taking aim at the Otero County Fairgrounds over posted signs that prohibit guns on the premises. Members of the Alamogordo Second Amendment Task Force say about a handful of signs posted near the fairground's entrances, as well as others spread across the grounds, are illegal. "We want (the gun) restriction removed from the fairground's signs, plain and simple," said Chris Dearstyne, a member of Alamogordo 2ATF. "There is no ulterior motive. We want to get people's rights restored in areas where those rights can be infringed upon." The signs to which Dearstyne is referring display three restrictions with which people must comply before entering the fairgrounds: No pets (except service animals), no guns and no alcohol. The group delivered a letter to the fairgrounds earlier this week. They also distributed an e-mail copy of the letter to its members, as well as to the Daily News. The letter requests the "removal of all signage posted on the fairgrounds property restricting the carrying of arms." It references an Otero County ordinance 96-04 that was signed Feb. 19, 1996, that states " It is therefore ordained by the Board of County Commissioners that no law, rule, regulation, and/or ordinance infringing on, regulating or otherwise affecting the right of the citizens to bear arms of their choice shall be enacted, imposed or ordained in Otero County." The letter further references Article II, Section 6 of the New Mexico Constitution, which states: " No municipality or county shall regulate, in any way, an incident of the right to keep and bear arms." "That's pretty straightforward to me," Dearstyne said... http://www.alamogordonews.com/ci_14652402 --- New Restaurant-Carry Bill Advances in Tennessee: A new guns-in-bars bill cleared its first legislative hurdle Wednesday, a step toward allowing handgun-carry permit holders to go armed in restaurants that sell alcohol [emphases added]. A similar bill passed the General Assembly last year but was overturned by a Davidson County court that said it was unconstitutionally vague. While the state is appealing the Chancery Court ruling, "we don't know what the courts are going to do. So we would rather come back and make it clear for the permit holder where he can carry and not carry," Rep. Curry Todd, R-Collierville, the bill's sponsor, told House Criminal Practice and Procedure Committee members... The House bill must clear several more panels before reaching the House floor. The Senate bill is expected to begin moving next week, Rep. Todd said. After last year's bill was passed, Gov. Bredesen vetoed it, but legislators easily overrode the veto. Restaurateurs sued and, on Nov. 20, Davidson County Chancellor Claudia Bonnyman ruled the law unconstitutionally vague. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2010/mar/11/new-guns-in-bars-bill-advances/ --- Open Carry Suffers Partial Defeat in Oklahoma: A proposal to allow unrestricted open carrying of weapons was shot down by legislative procedures Wednesday in the state House of Representatives. But a proposal to allow those with permits to carry concealed weapons to also carry them out in the open is still alive and may be attached to another bill today, the last day House members can act on House-generated bills. Both proposals were filed as amendments to House Bill 2538, which would have allowed a gun owner who has a permit to carry a concealed firearm to put a loaded weapon on the dashboard or seat of a vehicle. Oklahoma only allows concealed gun permits, and gun owners with permits must conceal the weapons in their vehicles. Both efforts failed as Rep. Sue Tibbs, the author of HB 2538, eventually withdrew the measure after more than an hour of debate and legislative maneuvering. Before withdrawing her bill, Tibbs, R-Tulsa, had accepted an amendment by Rep. David Derby, R-Owasso, which would allow those with concealed carry permits to carry the weapons in the open. She also had accepted an amendment by Rep. Mike Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City, that would allow any person to carry a rifle, shotgun or pistol at any time if the person has a reasonable fear of bodily harm... http://newsok.com/article/3445516 --- The Predictable California Response: A California lawmaker has stepped into a growing gun rights debate by introducing legislation that would essentially outlaw what's called the "open carry" of unloaded weapons on public property. The measure, which was first introduced last month but is not expected to have its first hearing until April, is meant to address the growing "open carry" movement, in which some gun owners have taken to meeting in coffee shops, parks, and restaurants while wearing holstered weapons to raise awareness about gun rights... Assembly Member