By the Way...: In my lengthy comments yesterday about rifle selection, I neglected to repeat a point I have made earlier. While some people have beefs with the Stoner AR-15 system, it does offer the advantage of being modular in that the upper and lower receivers separate with two push pins. Thus, the gunner who does not wish to spend the money, say on two rifles of different chamberings, can simply purchase one or more additional uppers for an AR-15 (a term I use generically, to include non-Colt clones). In addition to the original .223 chambering, upper receivers can be purchased in 7.62x39mm, 6.8mm SPC, 6.5mm Grendel and .450 Bushmaster, to name a few. Further, they can also be purchased in different "styles," including gas-piston versions, as well as different barrel lengths. One caveat, however - several years back, in an apparent effort to placate F Troop, Colt relocated the hole in the lower receiver for the forward pin on their AR-15's. Most other manufacturers leave it in the same location as the M16. If you try to mount someone else's upper receiver on a Colt AR-15 lower receiver, you may need to use a special adapter pin. --- Similar Words, Different Tune: In an apparent effort to jumble the battle lines in the fight over health care reform, Mississippi Republican Gov. Haley Barbour on Sunday compared the individual mandate for health insurance to forcing Americans to buy guns. "Not only you must buy a product called health insurance, you must buy a product that has been approved by the United States government, and the price of that product will be fixed by the United States," Barbour said on ABC's "This Week." "I do not believe the United States government has a right, it has the authority or power to force us to purchase health insurance any more than, in the name of homeland security, they can force every American to have to buy a gun," the governor said... (On Saturday I linked an article from Salon that argued that the Militia Act of 1792 set a precedent for a federal mandate to purchase a product - a firearm for militia duty. Cities and counties that have passed mandatory firearm-ownership ordinances have usually exempted those with a religious opposition, as did some early American colonial and state militia laws. Big Brother's healthcare bill reportedly has a similar exemption but only for very carefully selected religions, including Muslims.) http://www.politico.com/blogs/politicolive/0310/Barbour_health_bill_like_forcing_gun_purchases.html?showall --- Waco, Jr.?: The FBI said Sunday that agents conducted weekend raids in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio and arrested at least three people, and a militia leader in Michigan said the target of at least one of the raids was a Christian militia group. Federal warrants were sealed, but a federal law enforcement official speaking on condition of anonymity said some of those arrested face gun charges and officials are pursuing other suspects... Michael Lackomar, a spokesman for the Southeast Michigan Volunteer Militia, said one of his team leaders got a frantic phone call Saturday evening from members of Hutaree, a Christian militia group, who said their property in southwest Michigan was being raided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. "They said they were under attack by the ATF and wanted a place to hide," Lackomar said. "My team leader said, 'no thanks.' " The team leader was cooperating with the FBI on Sunday, Lackomar said. He said SMVM wasn't affiliated with Hutaree, which states on its Web site to be "prepared to defend all those who belong to Christ and save those who aren't." ...Lackomar said none of the raids focused on his group. Lackomar said about eight to 10 members of Hutaree trained with SMVM twice in the past three years. SMVM holds monthly training sessions focusing on survival training and shooting practice, Lackomar said... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100328/ap_on_re_us/us_fbi_raids Nine suspects tied to a Christian militia in the Midwest are charged with conspiring to kill police officers, then attack a funeral in the hopes of killing more law enforcement personnel, federal prosecutors said Monday. U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade said agents moved on the group because the Hutaree members were planning a violent reconaissance mission sometime in April - just a few days away. Members of the group called Hutaree are charged in the case, including their leader, David Brian Stone, also known as "Captain Hutaree." Once other officers gathered for a slain officer's funeral, the group planned to detonate homemade bombs at the funeral, killing more, according to newly unsealed court papers... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100329/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_fbi_raids;_ylt=AnbaCLYPDU1pV6.47N62uE5H2ocA;_ylu=X3oDMTMxdTBkbjY3BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwMzI5L3VzX2ZiaV9yYWlkcwRjY29kZQNtb3N0cG9wdWxhcgRjcG9zAzUEcG9zAzUEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHNsawNtaWxpdGlhbWVtYmU- At least seven people, including some from Michigan, have been arrested in raids by a FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana as part of an investigation into an Adrian-based Christian militia group, a person familiar with the matter said. The suspects are expected to make an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Detroit on Monday. On Sunday, a source close to the investigation in Washington, D.C. confirmed that FBI agents were conducting activities in Washtenaw and Lenawee counties over the weekend in connection to Hutaree, a Christian militia group. Detroit FBI Special Agent Sandra Berchtold told The Detroit News the federal warrants in the case are under court seal and declined further comment... (I link these articles with no knowledge of the actual facts but a memory of the fabrications involved in the Waco raid and an awareness of the current drive to discredit the resistance to Big Brother. I do not recall FBI raids on known Muslim training camps in the US. Wait and see...) http://detnews.com/article/20100328/METRO/3280313/Seven-arrested-in-FBI-raids-linked-to-Christian-militia-group=#ixzz0ja4zYPMo --- F Troop to Become Real Cops?: The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is getting back to basics and will emphasize its core mission of combating violent crime, conceding the lead role of investigating and stopping terrorism to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to an unpublished draft of its new strategic plan. The draft plan, which covers fiscal 2010 through 2016, will focus on ten areas including criminal groups and gangs, and illegal fire arms trafficking, among others. The previous strategic plan - which covered fiscal 2004 to 2009 - contained a mission statement that said the bureau's work would seek to "prevent terrorism, reduce violent crime and to protect the public in a manner that is faithful to the Constitution and the laws of the United States." But under the new plan, the ATF is taking on a less prominent role in investigating terrorism - leaving the issue primarily to the FBI - as it instead refocuses on combating violent crime... The draft of the plan, in the final editing stages, lists ten core functions of the bureau. ATF's strategic leadership team prioritized six of those core functions under the new plan. Four of the prioritized core functions are mission activities - criminal groups and gangs; explosives bombs, and bombings; illegal firearms trafficking; and fire and arson. Two others are management priorities in the areas of workforce and modernization... (Get real! F Troop originated as tax collectors - the much despised "revenooers" - and has been seeking a larger fiefdom ever since. This draft appears to be an attempt to resolve the urination contests that develop when F Troop and "the bureau" show up at the same crime scenes.) http://www.mainjustice.com/2010/03/28/atfs-new-strategic-plan-focuses-on-violent-crime/ --- Mexican President Repeats 90% Lie - or Is It Reuters?: Powerful groups in the United States appear to be blocking efforts to stem the flow of assault weapons fueling Mexico's drug war, Mexican President Felipe Calderon said in an interview broadcast on Sunday. Calderon, who has deployed tens of thousands of soldiers and police to fight drug cartels, told Fareed Zakaria's "GPS" program on CNN that there was resistance in Washington to Mexico's demands that sales of such weapons be stopped. "They (U.S. officials) say that they are facing strong opposition and there is powerful lobbies in the Congress in order to change that situation," Calderon said in a pre-taped interview in Mexico City. The Mexican leader added that solving the cross-border gun trafficking problem was critical to his bid to crack down on the drug-related violence that has killed 4,600 people in the past two years. Mexico says 90 percent of the weapons used by drug gangs are bought in the United States, often legally. Mexican officials also want to see the U.S. Congress reinstate a ban on the sale of assault weapons that expired in 2004... (The 90% claim has repeatedly been shown to be a lie; it is a rounding up of the percentage of seized firearms that Mexico has asked the US to trace. Mexico has no reason to ask the US to trace firearms purloined from its own armories or obviously smuggled in from Central and South America. The AK-47, in its original military configuration, is the trademark of the Mexican drug cartels. These are not readily available in American gun stores and would require NFA paperwork if they were.) http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62R13320100328?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews --- More Internal Feuding: After seeing an intriguing advertisement by the United States Concealed Carry Association (USCCA) in the NRA magazine America's First Freedom, I decided to download some "free" shooting skills information. That's when I began to wonder about the USCCA's authenticity. It turned out there were two downloads. The first had the most basic information on shooting skills. You'll learn them better by attending NRA's Basic Pistol class. In order to get the allegedly-good "free" information, you had to join USCCA. Ads like this enable USCCA to gather emails. No problem. That's the way internet marketing works: You get a freebie in exchange for personal information. I didn't think more about it until Tim Schmidt, founder of USCCA, sent an email recently, advertising more "free" material. This time, you had to join to get it. This was interesting, but not in the way USCCA intended... All of this adds up to a suspicion that Schmidt uses his skills to exploit a market need. A reasonable capitalist behavior, except when one derives most of the benefit at others' expense. Then it slips into predation. Your best investment? Join your state organization and take advanced defensive pistol training. (I don't recall what it was that led me not to join USCCA when it was first formed. I had been thinking of giving them a second look recently, after having forwarded a few of their articles, which had been posted at Human Events. All of a sudden, I see a groundswell of complaints about their mass-marketing campaign, which seems to be mimicking that of the NRA, without the lobbying efforts. All I can say with confidence is that those who choose to may purchase copies of my book and travel to Show Low to train with me. My website and mailings remain available at no charge and I have never failed to answer any legitimate question asked of me about the defensive use of firearms, in person, by phone or by e-mail.) http://www.examiner.com/x-2879-Austin-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m3d29-United-States-Concealed-Carry-Association-Web-marketing-experiment --- Iowa Senate Passes Shall-Issue Bill: Iowa would become a "shall issue" state and sheriffs would lose much of their discretion in denying concealed weapons permits under legislation approved by the Senate Saturday. Senate File 2379, adopted 44-4, would create uniform standards in all 99 counties for issuing permits to carry a concealed weapon in public. Under current law, sheriffs can issue or deny permits. There standards vary with some issuing permits to nearly everyone who applies and some denying nearly all applications. Nearly 35,000 Iowans have concealed carry permits, according to lawmakers... The bill is one of four "must-do" bills on the House agenda, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, D-Des Moines, said. Rep. Clel Baudler, R-Greenfield, who has been working on the issue for 12 years, called standardization of 99 sets of rules a "fairness issue." ...Under the bill, Iowans who need to carry a gun for their job could get a permit starting at 18. Otherwise, applicants would have to be 21 to get a nonprofessional permit. Permits could be denied for alcohol addiction or probable cause based on documentation of past actions that an applicant might use a weapon in a way to endanger himself, others or the public safety. Anyone convicted of misdemeanor assault within the prior three years could be denied a permit. Several other federal and state disqualifiers apply... (Iowa's estimated population for 2008 was 3,002,555. If nearly 35,000 Iowans currently hold permits, that's nearly 1.2%. It's not clear how many of those are "nonprofessional" permits.) http://www.qctimes.com/news/state-and-regional/iowa/article_5713d3fc-3a18-11df-966d-001cc4c002e0.html --- Nebraska Legislators Nix Omaha Registration: Nebraska lawmakers want to force the city of Omaha to stop requiring those with concealed-carry gun permits to register their firearms with the city. On Monday, they passed an amendment that would stop the practice in Omaha. The approval of the amendment follows an opinion from Attorney General Jon Bruning's office on Friday that Omaha has been violating state law by forcing people who have permits to carry concealed guns to also register their guns. The formal opinion said Omaha's rule isn't allowed under a law that bars cities from preventing concealed-carry permit holders from carrying concealed guns inside city limits. Background checks, training and fingerprinting are required to get concealed-carry permits. (I assume this bill awaits only the governor's signature as Omaha has a unicameral legislature.) http://www.1011now.com/news/headlines/89415787.html --- California Open-Carry Event: Vallejo's Washington Park is set to be the setting of an "open carry" gun rights gathering next weekend. In what has become an increasingly familiar scene throughout the Bay Area, between 100 to 150 people will show up Saturday to expose the general public to gun rights, organizers say. "We're just raising community awareness and kind of acclimating people to the idea (of carrying guns)," said Brad Huffman, a Martinez resident who is organizing the event in Vallejo. Openly carrying guns on a belt holster is legal in California so long as the firearms remain unloaded and aren't near schools or government buildings. In the past six months, gun rights advocates have gathered with their unloaded weapons everywhere from restaurants in Walnut Creek to coffee shops in Livermore as a way to show their right to bear arms and help normalize the idea of gun-toting by law-abiding citizens in California, Huffman said... http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_14773993?nclick_check=1 --- While in Montana...: Esther Suhr stood on the Capitol lawn Saturday afternoon proudly displaying her .54-caliber black-powder rifle. Suhr, who lives in the Townsend area, said she came to the rally to show her support for the constitutional right to bear arms. About 200 others also participated. The event was a precursor to the national Second Amendment March, which will take place April 19 on the grounds of the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. Suhr and her husband, Bill Waldron, said they are hunters and sport shooters and also carry for protection. They both also have concealed weapons licenses. Waldron had in a holster a .500 Smith and Wesson handgun, which he uses for grizzly bear protection. He said his time overseas in the military taught him to fight for his rights at home... http://www.helenair.com/news/article_f64e8ea6-3a33-11df-b5be-001cc4c002e0.html --- A New Mexico Liberal Defends the RKBA: Because of a Supreme Court argument, McDonald vs. Chicago, the liberals who defend gun rights are coming out of the woodwork. The Supreme Court is expected to rule before June on the case that decides whether or not state and local ordinances violate the Second Amendment. It should be no surprise that there are liberals who see gun rights as part and parcel of their individual rights, and going hand-in-hand with abortion rights, gay rights and civil rights. Bodily autonomy is important to liberals. The liberal view is, if a woman looks in her empty pantry and knows without a doubt that she and her husband cannot feed another child, the choice is hers because it is her body and her family. Likewise, what a body does in his own bedroom is his own business. So why wouldn't any person big on bodily autonomy also support the gun rights that protect that body and the bodies of his or her family? ... http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-opinion/ci_14751179 --- Oops, Wrong Apartment: Columbus [OH] police yesterday identified the victim in a Friday night shooting on the Northeast Side as Charles R. Sprague, 35, of Columbus. Sprague was shot while trying to break into an apartment at 5764 Cooper Rd., said detective James Day of the homicide squad. A man inside the apartment fired shots because he felt threatened by Sprague, Day said. "It appeared that the victim in this incident was the aggressor and that the shooter was acting in self-defense," Day said. "He'd actually tried to force his way into the apartment at the back door when this occurred." Sprague was shot outside the apartment, which is in a three-unit building between Minerva Park and Westerville. He died shortly after 10 p.m. at Mount Carmel St. Ann's hospital. Sprague was a registered sex offender with a criminal history that includes a 2006 conviction for gross sexual imposition. He served a sentence of a year and a half at Madison Correctional Institution before his release in November 2007. He was still under the Adult Parole Authority's supervision, state prison records show. Day said the shooter told investigators that he fought with Sprague, who was nearly twice his size, and tried to convince him to leave before firing shots. Detectives released the shooter after questioning. The case will be sent to the Franklin County grand jury for review. (The victim was the aggressor?) http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/03/28/man-killed-during-break-in-attempt.html?sid=101 --- Oops, Wrong House: Police continued Monday to investigate a deadly shooting in Perry Hall [MD] and have released the names of the homeowner and the man who was shot. Marvin Cook Jr., 29, died in the Sunday morning incident, police said. Officers responded at about 5:45 a.m. Sunday to a home in the 4200 block of Chapel Road. Detectives discovered that the homeowner, William Bozman Sr., 68, was asleep when he was awakened by a suspect who entered his bedroom. Cook pointed a handgun at Bozman and demanded money, police said. Bozman retrieved a handgun he had nearby and pointed it at Cook, ordering him to drop his gun, according to police. Cook then advanced toward Bozman, who fired several shots, police said. Cook was taken to Franklin Square Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. No charges have been filed... http://www.wbaltv.com/news/22979389/detail.html http://www.examiner.com/x-18149-SelfDefense-Examiner~y2010m3d28-Armed-burglar-fatally-shot-by-armed-homeowner --- Rule Four Reminder: A toddler remains in critical condition after accidentally being fired at by officers in Jacksonville [FL] as they attempted to shoot a robbery suspect. Authorities say 2-year-old old Daniel Crichton was shot in the arm and upper torso on Friday after a suspected bank robber forced his way into the car in which the toddler was seated. The child's mother, Joann Cooper, was hit once in the foot. A 7-year-old girl also in the car was not injured. The suspect was killed but has not been identified. Five officers with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office fired a total of 42 rounds at the vehicle. The gunman did not discharge his weapon. (Rule Four: Always be sure of your target and what's beyond it. Having said that, this does not appear to have been the more common scenario of firing at a fleeing vehicle but one of attempting to rescue innocent hostages. In either case, it appears to have been a poor gamble.) http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20100328/BREAKINGNEWS/100328004/1086/Toddler++2++accidentally+shot++wounded+by+police --- Tucson Trap and Skeet Club Recognized: Late February, and the parking lot is jammed with cars and RVs, some from as far away as Saskatchewan. It's time for the annual Satellite Spring Grand American at the Tucson Trap & Skeet Club. Before the weeklong event is over, more than 1,000 participants from all over the United States, Canada and Mexico will have aimed their shotguns at clay targets flying through the air. Repeatedly. "We threw 903,000 targets during the event," club Treasurer Michael Braegelmann says. "It's our biggest event." But far from the only one... Yet most Tucsonans, including yours truly - at least until recently - are unaware of its existence. "We're the best-kept secret in Tucson," says Tom Moore, a member since 1961. The club began in 1948 on 40 donated acres at the southwest corner of East 22nd Street and South Pantano Road... http://www.azstarnet.com/news/local/article_dc0d08e5-0705-546f-adb4-b9d27d188df5.html --- There's a Reason God Put Those People on an Island: Mr Furze, 30, displayed his modified his scooter, with an anti-tailgating flame thrower operated by the flick of switch, in the press earlier this week. But Lincolnshire Police spotted the pictures of Mr Furze allegedly riding his scooter on a public highway - and arrested him on Thursday. He was held on suspicion of possessing an object converted into a firearm, and was released on unconditional police bail without charge until May 6 pending further police investigation. Possession of a firearm carries a maximum prison sentence of five to seven years at Crown Court. Mr Furze, from Stamford, Lincolnshire, declined to comment. Speaking before his arrest, he said: ''Everybody wants a flame thrower on a motor bike. I don't need a flame thrower on the back of my bike, I'm not going to set fire to people's car's, it's just something interesting to do.'' The scooter, which was built before Christmas, was Mr Furze's third attempt at the project after the first did not ignite and the second burst into flames... (A photo is posted with the linked article.) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7528253/Flame-thrower-scooter-owner-arrested.html --- NRA-ILA Alerts: List members are encouraged to check the alerts for the past week, posted on the NRA-ILA website. (I usually include this reminder on the weekend but the alert arrived late yesterday and I count on it as my reminder.) http://www.nraila.org/GrassrootsAlerts/read.aspx -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. The tactics and skills to use a firearm in self-defense don't come naturally with the right to keep and bear arms. http://www.spw-duf.info