The Beat Goes On: Data released by the FBI's National Instant Criminal
Background Check System (NICS) reported 1,243,211 checks in February
2010, ranking the month the second highest February (eighth highest
month overall) for most NICS checks. This figure, while being a 1.3
percent decrease from the 1,259,078 checks conducted in February 2009 -
the early stage of an ongoing surge in firearms and ammunition sales -
is an increase of 21.7 percent over checks in February 2008. The total
number of background checks reported since the beginning of NICS is
112,380,272.
http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/7162
Walk into almost any gun shop these days and you'll likely find that a
large percentage of the customers are looking for a type of rifle that
was developed by the military and has been widely used since the Vietnam
war. Known as the AR-16 by the military and as the AR-15 in the civilian
world, this so-called "black rifle" has finally emerged as one of the
all-time favorites among hunters and gun lovers... While I enjoy the
more conventional bolt action, single or double barrel guns with
beautifully crafted wooden stocks, I do have to agree with the shooting
sports fraternity that prefer the AR-15 type of guns and the fact that
these guns are here to stay until something better comes along...
(Actually, the original Stoner selective-fire rifle was the AR-15. When
it was adopted by the US military, it was designated "M16" [note the
lack of hyphens in small arms designations]. At that point, "AR-15"
became the designation for the semi-automatic, commercial version.)
http://www.theapexherald.com/view/full_story/6608499/article-Sales-of-%E2%80%9Cblack-guns%E2%80%9D-increases-as-popularity-grows?instance=secondary_sports_left_column
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That Tricky Word "Regulation": Yesterday, I speculated about public
reaction to some hypothetical gun maker problem analagous to Toyota's
out-of-control-cars. I contrasted that with Violence Policy Center
executive director Josh Sugarmann's . . . remarkable assertion that gun
manufacturers are "the last unregulated industry." ...Sugarmann is not
referring to shoddy manufacturing or poor design, rendering firearms
"more dangerous." Actually, improved metallurgy and other advances have
arguably made firearms considerably safer than many designs popular
decades ago. What Sugarmann objects to instead is the increased
capability of modern firearms - capability he does not believe should be
available to private citizens... It seems to me that if we want to talk
about gun regulation and gun safety, a decent case could be made for the
argument that over-regulation has decreased safety. A good example
would be the more the draconian regulation of suppressors ("silencers,"
in popular parlance) for the last 75 years, and the ensuing, otherwise
very avoidable hearing loss among many shooters. Another example would
be the 10-year sentence and quarter million dollar fine for adding a
second handle, to help stabilize a large pistol (particularly useful for
a paraplegic like me, with my limited trunk strength)... (I have spent
most of my adult life in the two most regulated arenas in American life
- firearms and lawful pharmaceuticals.)
http://www.examiner.com/x-2581-St-Louis-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m3d12-Gun-safety-regulation-VPC-style
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Wyoming Firearms Freedom Act Would Penalize Feds: Wyoming has joined a
growing list of states with self-declared exemptions from federal gun
regulation of weapons made, bought and used inside state borders - but
lawmakers in the Cowboy State have taken the issue one step further,
adopting significant penalties for federal agents attempting to enforce
Washington's rules... WND reported just days ago when Utah became the
third state, joining Montana and Tennessee, to adopt an exemption from
federal regulations for weapons built, sold and kept within state
borders. A lawsuit is pending over the Montana law, which was the first
to go into effect. But Wyoming's law goes further, stating, "Any
official, agent or employee of the United States government who enforces
or attempts to enforce any act, order, law, statute, rule or regulation
of the United States government upon a personal firearm, a firearm
accessory or ammunition that is manufactured commercially or privately
in Wyoming and that remains exclusively within the borders of Wyoming
shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, shall be subject to
imprisonment for not more than two (2) years, a fine of not more than
two thousand dollars ($2,000.00), or both." ...
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=127787
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Illinois Gunners Push for CCW: In light of an upcoming Supreme Court
decision that might overturn the Chicago handgun ban, a gun-rights group
stopped in Elmhurst last week to tell residents that allowing concealed
carry of firearms in Illinois would be a proper next step.
IllinoisCarry, a southern Illinois-based offshoot of the Illinois State
Rifle Association that since 2004 has advocated for statewide permission
of concealed carry of firearms, hosted about 300 guests March 4 at the
Diplomat West Banquet Halls... IllinoisCarry participated with about
6,000 gun rights activists Wednesday for Illinois Gun Owners Lobby Day
in Springfield. State Sen. Kirk Dillard, R-24th District, of Hinsdale
introduced legislation in 1995 that would have allowed concealed carry
with background check safeguards, but the measure failed in the Senate
by two votes. However, he said the attitude toward concealed carry since
has changed...
http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/elmhurst/topstories/x673416304/Concealed-carry-activists-host-town-hall-meeting
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Conflicting Rulings on Seattle Park-Carry Ban: On Thursday, a federal
judge ruled that Seattle's ban on carrying firearms in city parks and
community centers passes constitutional muster. But last month, a King
County Superior Court judge ruled that the city cannot ban firearms in
those areas. In this instance, the King County ruling takes precedent
[sic]. Despite Thursday's federal court decision, the city's gun ban is
still on indefinite hold... Last year, under the direction of then-Mayor
Greg Nickels, the city's Parks and Recreation department instituted a
new rule banning firearms on certain city property where children were
likely to be present... That same month, five people and several
gun-rights organizations filed suit in state court challenging the ban.
And in November, Robert C. Warden, a Kent attorney, actually tested it.
After announcing to the media and city officials what he planned to do,
he walked into Southwest Community Center with a Glock pistol under his
jacket. He was asked to leave and did so. Then he filed suit against the
city in federal court... (Warden claimed that his suit was better
structured than the SAF suit because, having been evicted from a city
community center, he could not be denied standing. It was never clear to
me why he chose to go to federal court. Arizona copied Washington's
constitutional verbiage, that "The right of the individual citizen to
bear arms in defense of himself or the state shall not be impaired..."
but the Washington Supreme Court has apparently set a rather high bar to