The Gun Control Page

If you are researching the topic of gun control in America, you have come to the right place.  Of course there are hundreds of internet web sites that are all about gun control.  But I still consider this one to be an important public service, because it is an attempt to educate those unfortunate people who ordinarily get all their information from television and have never heard this side of the debate.

Gun ownership has deep roots in America's past, since the colonists' ownership and skill with their firearms led to the overthrow of Britain's rule of America.  These weapons were also used to defend the settlers and their families.  This skill with firearms has also been a contributing factor to the readiness and effectiveness of the U.S. Armed Forces through the decades.  Throughout history, individual gun ownership has been viewed as the ultimate check and balance against a government's abuse of power.  Every dictator throughout time has begun his reign by disarming the population.

If you think the prohibition of liquor caused an upheaval in this country, just imagine the aftermath of the prohibition of firearms!

Why don't other countries — many of which have a fully armed citizenry — have problems similar to those found in the U.S?  Is it possible that gun violence is simply the result of some other influence in American society?  Like Hollywood, for example?  Have you noticed that many of the people in Hollywood who lament the "senseless gun violence" in America are the producers of motion pictures which are saturated with "senseless gun violence"?

All that and more is covered on the pages listed below:


Subtopics:

News media bias related to gun control issues.
If you think you get both sides of any story — or the whole truth about any story — on any television station, you are sadly mistaken.  This is especially true when the topic is gun control.

Airline security, especially the debate over arming pilots.
The federal government apparently cannot stand the idea that anyone should be allowed to carry a gun who does not also carry a badge.  This debate has little to do with the protection of airline passengers' lives and much to do with government control.

Legitimate concerns about Constitutional issues - 2nd Amendment debates.
The Second Amendment, ratified in 1787, does not refer to the National Guard, which was created 130 years later, in 1917.

Cases in which guns saved lives
There are approximately two million defensive gun uses per year by law abiding citizens, according to a recent national survey.

Notable Gun Control Failures,  for example, "Gun Free Zones".

Leftist lies, misconceptions and disingenuousness

Zero Tolerance:  Gun Regulation Taken to its Extremes

Civil Litigation, Boycotts and Other Organized Action

The United Nations efforts to disarm the U.S.

Gun seizures in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

Recommended reading; book reviews.

Web sites about gun control and gun ownership



News and other items yet to be categorized:

 Excellent!   Gun control fact sheet:  Law-abiding citizens use guns to defend themselves against criminals as many as 2.5 million times every year — or about 6,850 times a day.

 Also excellent!   A Primer on the Constitutional Right to Keep and Bear Arms.

Perdue signs law allowing guns in restaurants.  Georgians with carry licenses will be able to tote their concealed guns on public transportation, in restaurants that serve alcohol and in state parks under legislation signed by Gov. Sonny Perdue on Wednesday [5/14/2008].

"Encoded Ammunition"/Bullet Serialization:  In 2007, the sponsor of "encoded ammunition" legislation in Maryland urged lawmakers across the country to introduce the same kind of legislation in their states.  The bill would require ammunition manufacturers to engrave a serial number on "the base of the bullet and the inside of the cartridge casing of each round" of ammunition for popular sporting caliber center-fire rifles, all center-fire pistols, all .22 rimfire rifles and pistols, and all 12 gauge shotguns.  [There are a number of] reasons to strenuously oppose this legislation:  People would be required to forfeit all personally-owned non-encoded ammunition.  After a certain date, it would be illegal to possess non-encoded ammunition.

High court strikes down gun ban.  The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a sweeping ban on handguns in the nation's capital violated the Second Amendment right to bear arms.  The justices struck down the ban in a 5-4 decision, with Justice Antonin Scalia writing the opinion for the majority.  Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty said he was disappointed in the ruling but will give the district's police department 21 days to implement a process for registering handguns.  It still will be illegal to carry handguns outside the home, and all pistols must be registered with police.

Bull's-Eye!  In a 5-4 decision written by Antonin Scalia, the kind of justice John McCain says he'd appoint, the high court overturned a draconian District of Columbia law enacted 32 years ago that barred private ownership of handguns.  The court ruled the Second Amendment indeed protected an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia and to use that firearm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.

Stop or I'll Vote.  Over the past two decades, it has slowly dawned on Democrats that gun control is a losing issue for them.  Gun owners care a whole lot more about the issue than non-gun owners, and there are 80 million of them.  The number of people for whom stricter gun control is a top issue is relatively tiny.  Thus the pro-gun position almost always moves more votes than the anti-gun position.  This has caused a divide in the Democratic Party.

Celebrate Freedom and Learn What it Means to be Free.  In the light of a modest civil liberties victory last week with the Supreme Court's acknowledgment (barely) of the Second Amendment, it's important to remember this Independence Day that rights are not assigned to us or given to us by government.  The Declaration of Independence tells us our rights come from the "Creator," they are ours by birth.

The Court defers to plain language.  No sulking conservative can imagine the Second Amendment would have been upheld if Republican presidents had not appointed the five members of yesterday's majority.  Who can doubt that Jimmy Carter, Walter Mondale, Michael Dukakis, Al Gore, John Kerry and ol' Bubba would have appointed judges dedicated to throwing out the constitutional guarantee upheld yesterday?

Silver Bullet.  The 2008 Supreme Court term ended with a bang yesterday as the Justices issued their most important ruling ever in upholding an individual right to bear arms.  The dismaying surprise is that the Second Amendment came within a single vote of becoming a dead Constitutional letter.

What politicians can't take from you — your right to carry a gun.  Homicides in Oakland are up 27 percent so far this year.  In preparation for a mayoral run, a state senator and FBI suspect is resurrecting his worn arguments favoring gun control.  California and the Bay Area have tinkered with gun control for decades, and yet Oakland falls further into chaos.  Despite politicians' efforts to eliminate private firearm ownership, homicide is nearly a daily event in Oaktown.

NRA sues to overturn S.F. gun ban in city housing.  The National Rifle Association sued the city of San Francisco on Friday [6/27/2008] to overturn its ban on handguns in public housing, a day after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a handgun ban in the nation's capital.  The legal action follows a similar lawsuit against the city of Chicago over its handgun ban, filed within hours of Thursday's high court ruling.

Lawsuit filed over Atlanta airport barring guns.  The nation's busiest airport duelled with gun rights advocates Tuesday [7/1/2008] over whether a new Georgia state law allows visitors to carry firearms at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.  City officials in charge of the airport declared it a "gun free zone" when the new law took effect Tuesday.  Gun rights supporters, including a state legislator who helped pass the law, quickly filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the designation.

Right to Bear Arms:  Washington, D.C., will become a safer place to live and work thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling Thursday [6/26/2008] against the city's absolute ban on handguns.  The Court ruled that the Second Amendment's guarantee of the right to bear arms is an individual right, not just one that permits states to maintain militias, striking down one of the nation's toughest anti-gun laws.  As someone who lived in the District at the time the city imposed its ban 32 years ago, I say it's about time.

Chicago ban is challenged, other suits expected, now that DC gun ban is struck down.  Gun-rights groups have already filed a lawsuit against Chicago's handgun ban — after a similar ban in Washington, D.C. was struck down by the Supreme Court.  The National Rifle Association is planning to go to court and challenge San Francisco's ban.

DC Gun Ban Blown Away.  As I swab down one of my hundreds of privately owned, individually possessed firearms again this fine morning, I snicker and shake my head in disbelief that there are four "justices" on the "supreme" court that do not believe Americans have individual rights.  Sure, I am somewhat pleased that we now have a SCOTUS confirmation of the self-evident truth and God given individual right to keep and bear arms, but the 5-4 ruling is another painful example, like Guantanamo and the decree against the death penalty for child rapist decisions that indicate a divisive culture war raging on, and four supreme justices frighteningly disconnected from the heart and soul of America.

Boston police jump the gun with "Safe Homes".  The police department in that Massachusetts city has just launched an initiative that exhibits a cynical disregard for the rights of the citizenry, even as it cleverly cloaks the program in language pretending to protect the people toward whom it is directed.  I refer to the "Safe Homes Initiative," with its slick brochures and smooth rhetoric.

Chaos ensuing?  Politician wants you to keep your guns.  Gun owners could get a guarantee that their firearms and ammunition won't be seized during a state of emergency under a bill headed today to the state Senate floor.  The governor is allowed to commandeer and restrict the sale of guns, alcohol, explosives and combustibles during natural disasters or other major emergencies under state law.

Appeals Court Shoots Down New York City Gun Law.  The media have been telling us to watch the gun-control case now before the U.S. Supreme Court, where we await a decision about Americans' Second Amendment rights.  But the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals just handed down an equally important gun decision that has additional implications against judicial supremacy.  The court, which convenes in New York City, shot down the longtime liberal dream of achieving gun control by suing gun manufacturers for crimes committed by firearms.

Take-your-guns-to-work law passed.  Most Florida residents would be allowed to take guns to work under a measure passed by Florida lawmakers today [4/9/2008].  The bill, allowing workers to keep guns in their cars for self-protection, was approved by the Florida Senate by a vote of 26-13.  It now goes to Republican Governor Charlie Crist to sign into law.

Control Criminals Not Guns.  Gun control laws will not protect us from murderers.  We need protection from the criminal justice system politicians have created.

Guns and Crime:  Philadelphia had 406 homicides in 2007, and, at 28 per 100,000 people, it also had the highest murder rate of any major city in the United States.  No wonder Philadelphians want things done.  Recently, the city focused on a new tragedy, the murder of a 12-year police veteran and father of three, Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski, by three bank robbers with long, violent criminal records.  To Gov. Rendell, Mayor Nutter, Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, and freshman U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, the solution is simple: more gun control.

The Roe v. Wade of Gun Rights.  Gun bans fall particularly heavily on women, minorities, the elderly, and the disabled who own guns for self defense purposes.  Though stereotypical gun owners are white adult males in the prime of life, the reality is that these are the people who need guns the least.  Most people are more likely to be a victim of violent crime, and thus have a greater need for a tool that neutralizes any would-be criminal's greater size, strength, or speed.

Gun Control Advocates Introduce 'Microstamping' Bill.  A gun control group is hailing Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.) for introducing legislation that would require gun microstamping in all fifty states.  The National Crime Gun Identification Act, introduced in both the House and Senate on Feb. 7, "will help law enforcement track down armed criminals and solve gun murders," the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence said.  The National Rifle Association calls such legislation "incremental gun control."

Some worried by law that allows drivers to have weapon.  The state's new castle law has grabbed the spotlight.  But some say a lesser-known gun law, which also took effect in September, could have greater consequences.  The law allows Texans to carry guns in their cars, even without a concealed handgun license.  As long you meet the law's other requirements — such as not being a gang member, refraining from criminal acts and keeping the gun out of sight — you can pack heat in your glove box.

Texas' Castle Law in its entirety.  [PDF]

Senators want guns allowed in national parks.  Nearly half the Senate is pushing the Bush administration to let gun owners carry handguns and other firearms into national parks and wildlife refuges.  Forty-seven lawmakers, including Sens. Jon Kyl and John McCain of Arizona, have signed a letter asking Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to lift Reagan-era restrictions that prevent citizens from carrying readily accessible firearms onto lands managed by the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

The Marxist tactic of Crisis revolution:  When Bill Clinton constantly perceived various crises which demanded solutions that involved the passage of a new laws, he was unapologetically using the Marxist/Leninist "crisis revolution" tactic to spur passage of Leftist-legislation.  For example, with each violent crime, like Columbine or other public shootings that took place during his presidency, Clinton pushed for more gun control to alleviate the crisis but he never enforced laws which were already established.

Parking Lot Gun Laws and the Right to Transport Firearms.  The U.S. Constitution and the constitutions of 46 states protect the right to arms and/or self-defense.  And since 1986, federal law has protected the right to transport firearms in vehicles interstate.  However, over the last few years disagreements over the right of people to leave firearms locked in their vehicles on business property have arisen.

New York City Lawsuit Against America's Firearm Industry Dismissed.  The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act proved the basis for today's dismissal of a lawsuit by the City of New York against the American firearms industry.  This lawsuit by the City of New York and Mayor Michael Bloomberg sought to hold manufacturers responsible for the criminal misuse of firearms.

Appeals Court Overturns San Francisco Handgun Ban.  A San Francisco handgun ban approved by city voters in 2005 was overturned by a state appeals court Wednesday [1/9/2008].  A three-judge panel of the Court of Appeal in San Francisco said the measure, known as Proposition H, conflicted with state laws regulating handguns.  The court ruled in a lawsuit filed by the National Rifle Association, four firearms rights groups and seven individuals to challenge the ban.

Arizona bill would let guns onto campuses.  Two Mesa lawmakers are drawing up legislation to give teachers — and some students — a chance to carry firearms on campus.  The proposals by Sen. Karen Johnson and Rep. Russell Pearce would allow anyone who has obtained a state permit to carry a concealed firearm to bring it onto public-school campuses, something now a crime under state law.  It also would overrule similar policies at community colleges and state universities.

District Files Supreme Court Brief Defending Handgun Ban.  The District told the Supreme Court yesterday [1/3/2008] that even if the Second Amendment affords an individual right to possess firearms, the city's ban on handguns is a reasonable restriction to prevent the "tragic harms" brought by gun violence in an urban setting.

District attorneys nationwide ask Supreme Court to keep gun ban.  Prosecutors from across the country, afraid that an upcoming U.S. Supreme Court ruling could erode state gun laws, on Friday [1/11/2008] asked the high court to uphold a ban on unlicensed handguns.  The district attorneys, from 18 jurisdictions, weighed in on a case in which justices will decide whether the Constitution's Second Amendment can overrule tough Washington, D.C. handgun laws.

Justice Dept. Critical Of Appellate Ruling On D.C. Handgun Ban.  The Bush administration told the Supreme Court last night [1/11/2008] that, although the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to own firearms, an appeals court used the wrong standards in declaring the D.C. handgun ban unconstitutional.

Bang, bang ... ban.  It's become as regular and predictable as a half-witted Canadian poet applying for a public grant.  Assorted leftist politicians, misnamed peace activists and fellow travelling dunderheads calling for a total ban on handguns.  It happens every time someone is killed on Canada's streets by an evil punk with a pistol.  Which should lead us to call for a total ban of evil punks.  But no.  That would require original thought and original policies.

New Gun-Grab Scheme Exposed.  Gun banners try new tactic on dealers; BATF aims to bankrupt honest sellers.

FBI's Gun Ban Listing Swells.  Since the Virginia Tech shootings last spring, the FBI has more than doubled the number of people nationwide who are prohibited from buying guns because of mental health problems, the Justice Department said yesterday.  Justice officials said the FBI's "Mental Defective File" has ballooned from 175,000 names in June to nearly 400,000, primarily because of additions from California.

HIPAA, Guns, and Public Health.  Now, most of us assume such sensitive health records are protected in the interest of "privacy."  Isn't that what we've been assured by HIPAA?  So what's the loophole that permits the feds access to sensitive hospital records to make their lists?  What if I had an anxiety disorder or depression in my medical history requiring inpatient admission.  Would I end up on the FBI's "Mental Defective File?"

Openly carrying a gun is not a crime.  In the political tussle over Ohio's concealed-carry gun law, one fact seems to have been overlooked by many:  You never needed a permit to carry a gun in public, and you still don't --- you just can't conceal it.  As long as you haven't been convicted of a felony, if you want to wear a pistol on your belt or walk around town carrying a shotgun, Ohio has no law against it.

Your doctor could put you on no-gun list.  The House of Representatives has fast-tracked new legislation to "improve" the National Instant Criminal Background Check System by allowing doctors to now decide who can own firearms. … The plan is the first congressional effort to curtail gun ownership rights in a decade, but by being put on the fast track was exempted from the ordinary committee hearings and public scrutiny most proposals are sent through.

Support for gun control dwindling in America.  Public support for stricter gun control has reached a low ebb in modern times, according to a new report of the Gallup Poll.  Just 51 percent of Americans believe that laws governing the sale of firearms should be made more strict.  Those saying laws ought be kept the same or made more lenient are running at a comparable 47 percent in the early-October survey.

Things to Think About.  What do Virginia Tech's 32 murders, Columbine High School's 13 murders, Jonesboro Westside Middle School's five murders, Germany's Gutenberg High School's 16 murders, the murder of 14 legislators in Zug, Switzerland, and the murder of eight city council members in a Paris suburb all have in common?  Answer:  All the murders were committed in "gun-free zones."  So a reasonable question is:  Does legislation creating gun-free zones prevent murder and mayhem?

Mayor offers package of gun control laws.  [San Francisco] Mayor Gavin Newsom quietly introduced a package of gun control measures on Tuesday [5/16/2007] that would make it illegal to possess guns on city-owned property and require residents to store handguns in locked containers.  But, even some of the legislation's co-sponsors conceded the proposals will have little effect on the proliferation of illegal guns on San Francisco streets.

A liberal's lament:  The NRA might be right after all.  Like many academics, I was happy to blissfully ignore the Second Amendment.  It did not fit neatly into my socially liberal agenda.  Yet, two related cases could now force liberals into a crisis of conscience.  The Supreme Court is expected to accept review of District of Columbia v. Heller and Parker v. District of Columbia, involving constitutional challenges to the gun-control laws in Washington.

Gun Control on the Back Burner.  The gun control movement has lost momentum in recent years.  The Democratic Party has been conspicuously silent on the issue in recent elections because they know it's a political loser. … Gun control may have faded as a political issue, but the mentality that Washington knows best — and that certain constitutional rights are anachronisms — is alive and well.  Look for gun control advocates to bide their time and look for new ways to resurrect the issue in 2008 and beyond.

Rifles And Rights:  Zach Doty is raising eyebrows by taking the Second Amendment for a walk.  Doty, who turned 18 last month, has been stopped by police twice in the past month after citizens spotted him with a loaded 9mm Glock pistol in a hip holster in plain view.  No citations were issued because Idaho code allows residents 18 and older to openly carry a firearm in public.  To carry a concealed weapon, you must be 21 and have a permit.

Illinois County Says NO To Gun Control.  The Media was all a frenzy on the debate about gun control right after the VT killings cynically attempting to push their Constitutionally illegal gun banning ideas on a grieving public.  But one Illinois County has bravely decided to make moves to protect their 2nd Amendment rights with action by the County Board.



Guns are banned in the District of Columbia
Is it legal?  Is it effective?

Washington, D.C. has, perhaps, the most restrictive gun control laws in the country, and yet it has one of the highest murder rates in the nation.*.

The Case For Repealing DC's Gun Laws:  Thirty years ago, local politicians in the District of Columbia thumbed their noses at Congress, the 14th Amendment's guarantee of "equal protection of the laws," and the rest of the United States, and began conducting a social experiment of their own design, against the city's law-abiding residents.  The experiment, unlike anything known elsewhere in America, took the form of the multi-faceted Firearms Control Regulations Act, imposed by the D.C. Council in 1976.

The DC Gun Ban:  Understand that residents of DC can be convicted of a felony and put in prison simply for having a gun in their home, even if they live in a very dangerous neighborhood.  The DC gun ban is no joke, and the legal challenges to the ban are not simply academic exercises.  People's lives and safety are at stake.  Gun control historically serves as a gateway to tyranny.  Tyrants from Hitler to Mao to Stalin have sought to disarm their own citizens, for the simple reason that unarmed people are easier to control.

Major ruling against D.C. handgun ban.  In the most important ruling on gun control in 70 years, a federal appeals court Friday [3/9/2007] for the first time used the Second Amendment to strike down a gun law.  In a 2-1 decision, the court overturned the District of Columbia's long-standing handgun ban, rejecting the city's argument that the Second Amendment right to bear arms applied only to militias.

Appeals Court Refuses to Reconsider D.C. Gun Ban.  A federal appeals court in Washington today [5/8/2007] refused to reconsider a ruling that struck down a restrictive D.C. ban on gun ownership, setting the stage for a potential constitutional battle over the Second Amendment in the Supreme Court.

D.C. gun ban suit waits for last shot.  The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to announce by Tuesday [11/13/2007] whether it will hear the District"s appeal of a federal court ruling that lifted the city"s ban on handguns.  The high court"s decision, which could come as early as today, may signal the end of the 30-year-old ban, considered to be among the most restrictive gun laws in the nation.

Crime Data Underscore Limits Of D.C. Gun Ban's Effectiveness.  Three decades ago, at the dawn of municipal self-government in the District, the city's first elected mayor and council enacted one of the country's toughest gun-control measures, a ban on handgun ownership that opponents have long said violates the Second Amendment.

High court takes no action on D.C. gun ban.  The Supreme Court took no action today [11/13/2007] in the case involving Washington D.C.'s ban on handguns.  The justices discussed the case at their private conference on Friday, but reached no resolution.

Repealing the DC Gun Ban:  It is unfortunate that people in the federal capital city have for nearly thirty years faced some of the most restrictive gun control laws in the country.  This fact is particularly unfortunate given Washington, D.C.'s recent history as the murder capital of the United States.  Ironically, the place where people most need to bear arms to defend themselves from violent crime has been one of places where the exercise of that right has been most restricted.

District of Inequality:  It is one of the benefits of being a politician.  While handguns are banned for citizens in Washington, D.C., congressmen are allowed to have a gun for self-protection on the Capitol grounds.  Well-known liberal politicians such as Senators Chuck Schumer and Ted Kennedy have armed bodyguards.  The wives of politicians, such as Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle's wife, Linda, also have bodyguards.  Undoubtedly, these politicians and their families have extremely good reasons for this protection, but many other Americans, especially those living with the high crime rates in D.C., also feel the same way.

Supreme Court Will Hear D.C. Guns Case.  The Supreme Court said Tuesday [11/20/2007] it will decide whether the District of Columbia can ban handguns, a case that could produce the most in-depth examination of the constitutional right to "keep and bear arms" in nearly 70 years.

Lawyers, Guns and Washington.  By deciding yesterday [11/20/2007] to hear the District of Columbia's appeal of the federal court ruling that overturned DC's gun ban, the Supreme Court has ensured that gun control and gun rights will play a major role in the coming election — and perhaps in the high court's future, too.


"Quemadmoeum gladius neminem occidit,
occidentis telum est."

(A sword is never a killer, it's a tool in the killer's hands.)

— Lucius Annaeus Seneca "the Younger"
(ca. 4 BC-65 AD) *    


Blair wants gun crime age reduced.  Tony Blair wants to lower the age to 17 at which young people can receive long prison sentences for possessing a gun.  Announcing a firearms law review, he said he was considering lowering the age from 21 for a mandatory five-year jail term for carrying a gun.

Gun Owners Irked By Newspaper Database Ploy.  Virginia handgun owners are fired up over the publication of their names and addresses in a database posted online by a state newspaper.  The database of every Virginia resident who holds a state-issued permit to carry a concealed handgun was posted on the Roanoke Times' website Sunday to accompany a column in the paper by Times editorial writer Christian Trejbal.

Why the Instant Background Check Is a Bad Idea.  The Centers for Disease Control, an anti-gun federal agency, has examined several studies that focused on guns and crime.  Their conclusion?  They found that there is no impact from gun control laws, including the Brady Law, on crime.  More dramatic evidence comes from the "laboratory" of England.  This island nation has banned handguns.  They don't need a background check because there are no legitimate sales.  Following the confiscation of over 1.5 million guns, including all legally owned handguns in 1997, violent crime has skyrocketed.

Idaho town asks residents to own guns.  After seeing the chaos of Hurricane Katrina, a city councilor in this tiny Idaho town founded by pacifist Quakers came up with a novel idea.  Ordinance 208, passed by the City Council on Tuesday [11/14/2006], asks Greenleaf's 862 residents who do not object on religious or other grounds to keep a gun at home in case they are overrun by refugees from disasters like Katrina.

Many players regard firearm as a necessity.  A tower of power, he stands 7 feet 1 inch, weighs 325 pounds, and bears a tattoo of Superman's signature "S" on his massive left arm.  Yet NBA great Shaquille O'Neal protects himself off the basketball court with more than his physical might and inky bond with the Man of Steel.  He is licensed to carry a concealed weapon.

Guns and Crime:  Atlanta suffers from a rate of violent crime about four times the national average; murders take place in the city at a rate about five times the nation's average.  The reasons Atlanta's crime statistics remain stubbornly high are many and persistent, but criminologists and law enforcement experts know that none of them is the fault of the National Rifle Association.

Bar Association, NRA Battle Over Guns In Cars.  Employee parking lots have become an unlikely focus in the fight over gun rights.  The nation's largest lawyers group is taking on the biggest gun rights organization over employers' rights to bar workers from leaving guns in their cars while on the job.  The American Bar Association says the issue is workplace violence and how to reduce it.

Over 60 and licensed to carry.  Elderly and middle-aged residents are more likely to get concealed handgun permits than people in their 20s, 30s and early 40s, according to Texas Department of Public Safety figures released last week.  People 60 and older hold more than one-fourth of the permits in Texas.  And although those 55 and older represent just 28 percent of the state's population older than 21, they carry 42 percent of the permits.

House Suspends Trigger Lock Requirement.  The House on Thursday [6/29/2006] passed legislation that would suspend a new requirement that gun dealers provide a trigger lock with every handgun they sell.  The development came on the heels of a 230-191 vote late Wednesday to block the Justice Department from enforcing the trigger lock law.  The vote came during debate on a spending measure funding the department's budget.

The fall of gun control:  Terror, hurricanes spur gun ownership.  Since the Sept. 11 terror attacks and especially since Hurricane Katrina, Americans are taking pro-gun positions.  Both events underscored the ease with which civil order can collapse, and have renewed people's interest in home security.  Democrats have been getting the message that gun control is becoming a loser with voters.

Start of hurricane season triggers gun debate.  The start of hurricane season has become a selling point for gun-rights legislation spurred by Hurricane Katrina.  During the during storm's chaotic aftermath, government officials hoping to ensure public safety seized hundreds of legally owned guns from Louisiana residents, some seeking to protect themselves from pillagers and assailants.  The seizures have triggered outrage among gun-rights activists, spawning a lawsuit and bills nationwide to ban future confiscations.

NRA warns of U.N. gun control.  An American delegation will participate in a controversial United Nations small-arms conference criticized by Second Amendment advocates as a threat to U.S. gun ownership.  The U.N. Small Arms Review Conference will meet in New York City June 26 to July 7 to discuss illegal trafficking in arms, "ineffective national controls" and related issues.

We're From the U.N. and We Want Your Guns.  The U.N. will gather in New York City this July for the 2006 Small Arms Review Conference.  Doesn't the name alone make you nervous?  The U.N. is "reviewing" guns.  If you don't own one, doesn't it make you want to go out and buy one just so you can be ready for whatever Kofi's got planned?

Did someone mention the U.N.?

Colorado Supreme Court upholds Denver gun control law.  The tie vote means that a lower court ruling upholding Denver's law stands, but the high court gave no clear opinion on what the law of the state should be.

New York Panel OKs Pistol-Packing Judges.  It's one way to assure order in the court.  The New York state Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics has ruled that it is permissible for judges to pack a pistol beneath their robes while on the bench.

Chestnuts Roasting As We Open Fire.  You may say that I'm a dreamer.  But I'm not the only one.  I hope some day you'll join me.  And the whole Islamic world will know we live with guns.

Senate unanimously OKs gun seizure bill.  Legislation that would prohibit local, parish or state police officers from seizing firearms from law-abiding citizens during a state of emergency sailed out of the [Lousiana] Senate, 36-0, on Monday [5/22/2006] and headed back to the House for final approval of minor changes.

Editor's note:
This was the result of gun seizures in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Have Gun, Won't Travel.  The Gun-Free School Zones Act … made it a federal crime punishable by five years in prison to possess a gun within 1,000 feet of a school. … According to an analysis by gun control scholar Alan Korwin, the gun-free zones created by the statute cover so much of Phoenix and Cleveland that they are impossible for people traveling in those cities to avoid.  The upshot, he says, is that "virtually all public travel with firearms is now a violation of law."

Apply July 1 to carry a concealed gun in Kansas.  A new law will let Kansans carry hidden weapons, but permits won't be issued until Jan. 1, and training is required of everyone.

Attacking gun rights does not save lives.  In 1982, the Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution determined that the Second Amendment protects an individual right. Last year, Congress reaffirmed that finding in legislation that states, "The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution protects the rights of individuals, including those who are not members of a militia or engaged in military service or training, to keep and bear arms."

Pro-Gun Liberals?  The entire government machine is based on force or the threat of violence.  If I don't pay my property taxes, the government sends out a bunch of guys with guns to kick me out of my house.  If I don't claim all of my income on my "voluntary" federal income tax return, then you send out the guys with guns to put me in jail for tax evasion.

NRA fights San Francisco gun ban before judge.  The National Rifle Association pressed its case against San Francisco's voter-approved ban on firearm sales and handgun possession in court Thursday [2/23/2006], arguing that the ordinance flouts state law by requiring law-abiding residents to surrender their pistols.

Granny deserves self-defense.  Luckily, Susan Buxton wasn't alone.  Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson have been Susan Buxton's constant companions for the past twelve years, ever since a stranger tried to abduct another granddaughter from her front yard.

Coming Next:  A Ban on Sharp Sticks?  A ban on "long pointed kitchen knives" has been proposed by the authors of an article in the British Medical Journal for the purpose of reducing the murder rate in Britain. … Gun control interest groups on both sides of the issue in the United States reacted with amusement.

Gun Rights Group Outraged that New Orleans Officials Confiscated Guns.  "There have been many stories of self-defense, where stranded survivors were able to use firearms to protect what little they had, against the criminal thugs who had been released from the prisons.  To take away their firearms now is simply adding 'insult to injury,'" said Erich Pratt.  "Unfortunately, we have yet to learn the lessons from previous dark episodes in our recent history," Pratt said.  "We need to remember those lessons, such as the riots of Los Angeles more than a decade ago."

New Orleans Gun Seizures Allegedly 'Creating More Victims'.  Few people objected when police began gathering firearms they found in abandoned New Orleans homes, to prevent them from falling into the hands of criminals.  But one gun policy expert says confiscating guns from law abiding citizens who remain in the city is increasing the danger posed by criminals.

NRA sues to overturn San Francisco gun ban.  The National Rifle Association sued Wednesday [11/9/2005] to overturn an ordinance voters here overwhelmingly approved a day earlier that bans handgun possession and sales of firearms in the city.

LA Sheriff charging for guns' return.  To the dismay of gun owners, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is now charging $54 to return firearms seized during arrests or searches – even if the gun was legally owned and not used in a crime.

Guns in America:  A national survey on private ownership and use of firearms. [PDF]

Guns and Public Health:  [The focus of this article] is the remarkable difference between the way medical and public health writers treat firearms issues and the way social scientists treat those issues.  Examination of the literature produced by medical and health writers reveals why their conclusions on firearms diverge so radically from those of criminological scholarship.

'If you value your life carry a weapon'.  In a bitter denunciation of the lack of police officers on the beat and the lenience of the courts, Rod Eastman said it was better to risk arrest for carrying an offensive weapon than risk being murdered by muggers.

A matter of trust.  Wisconsin is, by all accounts, a fairly modern state.  They have interstate highways, running water, electricity, and the internet.  But Wisconsin doesn't have something that forty-six other states do:  concealed carry.

Armed Resistance to Crime.  Huge numbers of Americans not only have access to guns, but the overwhelming majority of gun owners, if one can believe their statements, are willing to use a gun defensively.  In a December 1989 national survey, 78% of American gun owners stated that they would not only be willing to use a gun defensively in some way, but would be willing to shoot a burglar. … Nevertheless, having access to a gun and being willing to use it against criminals is not the same as actually doing so.  The latter requires experiencing a crime under circumstances in which the victim can get to, or already possesses, a gun.  We do not know how many such opportunities for crime victims to use guns defensively occur each year.

Don't blame American guns.  With Canada's murder rate rising 12% last year and this year's high-profile rash of gang murders (six shootings just this week in Toronto), politicians are looking for someone to blame.  The bogeyman, as usual, is America….

Oshkosh police conduct door-to-door gun confiscations.  The shooting of an Oshkosh police officer results in a knee jerk neighborhood gun grab.

Gun Show Owner, Patrons May File Civil Rights Suit.  The owner of a gun show targeted by federal law enforcement for a half dozen undercover enforcement operations may join with some of his customers in filing a federal class action civil rights lawsuit against the agencies that participated in the operations.

Records Confirm at Least Seven ATF Gun Show "Stings".  Virginia State Police records confirm that at least seven gun show "sting" operations since July of 2004 have targeted gun buyers in the Richmond, Va., area.  The documents support allegations that protected information may have been illegally shared with local police and gun buyers' relatives and neighbors.

Gun Facts version 4.0:  Over 80 pages of information, divided into chapters based on gun control topics.  Each chapter lists common gun control myths, then lists a number of documented and cited facts that directly dispute the gun control claim. [PDF]

Senate poised to pass a law that shields gun industry.  Gun manufacturers have pressed for years for such a law, arguing that it is needed to protect them from lawsuits filed by municipalities or individuals that the industry says could bankrupt it.  Dozens of such lawsuits are pending across the United States.

City's assault-weapons ban is ineffective and unneeded.  When the federal assault-weapons ban expired in September [2004], its fans claimed that gun crimes and police killings would surge dramatically.  Sarah Brady, one of the nation's leading gun-control advocates, warned, "Our streets are going to be filled with AK-47s and Uzis."  The Columbus City Council racheted-up the rhetoric, claiming the banned guns are "the weapons of choice for terrorists."  Well, more than 10 months have gone by and the only casualty has been gun-controllers' credibility.

Quotes from the Founding Fathers Regarding Guns

Shooting Blanks.  This month the National Academy of Sciences issued a 328-page report on gun-control laws.  The big news is that the academy's panel couldn't identify any benefits of the decades-long effort to reduce crime and injury by restricting gun ownership.  The only conclusion it could draw was:  Let's study the question some more (presumably, until we find the results we want).

The Cold, Hard Facts About Guns.  Myth No. 3:  The United States has such a high murder rate because Americans own so many guns.  There is no international evidence backing this up.  The Swiss, New Zealanders and Finns all own guns as frequently as Americans, yet in 1995 Switzerland had a murder rate 40 percent lower than Germany's, and New Zealand had one lower than Australia's.  Finland and Sweden have very different gun ownership rates, but very similar murder rates.  Israel, with a higher gun ownership rate than the U.S., has a murder rate 40 percent below Canada's.  When one studies all countries rather than just a select few as is usually done, there is absolutely no relationship between gun ownership and murder.

The Gun Show "Loophole:"  More Gun Control Disguised as Crime Control.  Gun control advocates are seeking to close a nonexistent loophole.  Logically, this will lead to calls for closing other nonexistent loopholes until all private firearms transfers – even those between family and friends – are under government regulation.  California has already banned all private gun sales, requiring that a licensed gun dealer handle them.  There is also a fee for the background check, a two-week waiting period and the sale must be registered with the California Department of Justice.

Gun control doesn't reduce crime, violence, say studies.  The National Academy of Sciences issued a 328-page report based on 253 journal articles, 99 books, 43 government publications, a survey of 80 different gun-control laws and some of its own independent study.  In short, the panel could find no link between restrictions on gun ownership and lower rates of crime, firearms violence or even accidents with guns.

History of Gun Control in England:  Tony Martin of Emneth, Norfolk, England, killed one burglar and wounded a second.  In April 2000, he was convicted and is now serving a life term.  How did it become a crime to defend one's own life in the once great British Empire?

Connecticut Court Rules on Self Defense Shooting.  The state's highest court ruled Friday [7/9/2004] that a cab driver had no right to carry the pistol he used to shoot a robber because his taxi is not a place of business.

How to collect guns and irritate PETA:  Mike Adams lists his favorite guns.

PETA-files.  When the assumption that rights apply exclusively to governments and not to citizens goes unchallenged, tyranny is the inevitable consequence.  So, today, I plan to fight your strategy to disarm me by making a few additional gun purchases.  The guns I plan to purchase have been selected for two reasons.  First, I do not actually need any of them.  Second, the guns are all pretty.

"No Guns" Signs Come Down in Ohio.  Ohioans for Concealed Carry said it is pleased to announce that two national chains — Southwest Ohio Kroger stores and Perkins Family Restaurants — have "begun removing discriminatory signs banning concealed handgun license-holders from their stores."

Release of Home Addresses Angers Concealed-Carry Licensees:  A Second Amendment group says the sheriff in Shelby County, Ohio, had no right to release the home addresses of 87 people licensed to carry concealed pistols.

Police seize legal gunowner:  A gunowners group is protesting the seizure of a legally armed citizen in a bookstore by two police officers who responded to an anonymous caller alarmed by the weapon.

Who Needs Guns?  Newly elected Australian Prime Minister John Howard enacted laws banning all self-loading rifles and shotguns.  All pump-action shotguns were also confiscated.  (Pump-action guns were also confiscated in Germany in 2002, and the "Million" Mom March favors similar confiscation in the United States.)

Gun Control:  The Final Blow.  As the AP reported, "An independent CDC task force reviewed 51 published studies about the effectiveness of eight types of gun-control laws.  The laws included bans on specific firearms or ammunition, measures barring felons from buying guns, and mandatory waiting periods and firearm registration.  None of the studies was done by the federal government.  In every case, a CDC task force found 'insufficient evidence to determine effectiveness.'"

Get a Gun:  Someday someone may kill you with your own gun, but they should have to beat you to death with it because it is empty.

Guns — Not Political Correctness — Will Thwart Terrorists And Killers.  Prior to the advent of thousands dying in fiery skyscraper bombings, the serial killer was the most provocative news event that reporters could have come across their desks.

Senator Bill Frist on Gun Control:  "Crime control begins with deterring criminals through both prevention and swift and certain punishment.  It is not achieved by restricting the liberty of law-abiding citizens.  Regulating gun ownership is not the answer to America's crime problem.  A person intent on violent crime will not be stopped by gun control laws.  Our enemy is the criminal, not the weapon, and Congress should focus on restoring common sense to criminal law."


"Are we at last brought to such a humiliating and debasing degradation, that we cannot be trusted with arms for our own defense?"
— Patrick Henry *    


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