What Have YOU Done for Heller?

I've made a few appeals now about supporting Academics for the Second Amendment in their work to draft an amicus brief on behalf of the Heller case.

These good people have devoted much labor that will benefit us all, yet their costs are far from being covered. Who thinks it's fair that, in addition to doing all the research, writing, and production work, costs such as additional attorney fees, printing expenses, filing fees, travel and lodging expenses, etc., ought to come out of their pockets as well?

The brief will be online soon--they file it on Monday. While I have not seen an advance copy, I have been in correspondence with one of the attorneys working on it--David Hardy. I do know they will be raising some things that are vital, and that were not covered in the Respondent's brief. I also know and have faith in not only the reputations of the principals involved, but also the peerless quality of their scholarship and work to date.

If every WarOnGuns visitor today sent them the cost of a box of ammo, they'd be well on their way to recovering most of their costs. If you then took it one step further and sent a link to this plea to your gun owning friends, we'd be able to make them completely whole.

Gratitude is important. Don't you think we owe these men at least this much?

You can either donate via PayPal on the A2A site, or send a check to:
Academics for the Second Amendment
Post Office Box 131254
St. Paul, Minn. 55113

RELATED READING:
Academics for the Second Amendment Need Your Support NOW
How YOU Can Be a Part of History
Academics for the Second Amendment Want YOU

Just stop what you're doing right now and take care of this. I mean, really...

It's Not "The Right of the Standing Army to Keep and Bear Arms..."

The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms today announced its support for legislation introduced by State Sen. Mark Christensen that would amend the state’s concealed carry law to provide a residency exception to non-resident military personnel stationed in the state.

I thought I'd posted on this a couple weeks back, but I guess I didn't.

In short, no.

I just don't get giving special "Only One" exemptions to the standing army while denying it to "We the People." It's not like they have any incentive to invite the rest of us in from the cold once they have their place at the table.

That's not to say I think the state has legitimate power to prevent a service member--or anyone else who's not in due process adjudicated custodial care--from carrying. I just can't get behind unequal protection under ther law.

Maybe if more, not fewer, people felt my pain, there'd be more pressure to get something done about that.

UPDATE: Laughingdog tells me I'm all wet. It ain't the first time, and certainly won't be the last.

UPDATE 2: Bob R tells me not to get the towel out just yet.

The Unforgiven

Johnson was arrested and jailed over the weekend on a marijuana charge while awaiting sentencing on a federal weapons conviction.

On Tuesday, police added a theft charge stemming from reported use of a debit card that was left at a convenience store where he had worked. Johnson had a court appearance scheduled Tuesday.

Y'all know what went down at Jonesboro, right?

I don't care if he was a minor when he made the evil decision to sever himself from humanity. Some things are so broken they can't be fixed, and this defect is one of them. Whether or not God will forgive him is outside the scope of our control. But it could not be more evident that his actions were so deviant, there's no way to reestablish trust meriting his reacceptance into society.

I just read where a couple other young worthies are suing a newspaper for printing their names. I don't get where the age of an offender should outweigh my right to know there's a rabid animal loose in the neighborhood, so that I can take appropriate precautions to secure me and mine from predation. If the maladjusted neighbor kid is skinning puppies in satanic rituals, I want to know about it, especially if I have small children.

The Washington State House Judiciary Committee cast its votes today to strip Washington gun owners of the right to a trial by jury. Since at least 1959, Washington citizens have had the right to a jury trial with a standard of “clear, cogent, and convincing evidence” before losing their right to bear arms due to being involuntarily committed for an alleged mental health illness.

House Bill 3095, sponsored by Committee Chairwoman Rep. Pat Lantz (D-26), effectively removes these protections by stripping citizens of their right to bear arms, perhaps permanently, after being involuntarily committed for a mere 14 days. In these “probable cause” hearings there is no jury, no elected judge, and the standard of guilt is a mere preponderance of the evidence.

And yet again, there's nothing from our leaders.

I guess after selling us on what a great deal we're getting by enabling more mental health records to be entered into NICS they're...sorry, I just can't come up with a convincing defensive cover for them. Perhaps one of you can? Besides accusing also-ran CCRKBA of jumping to unfounded conclusions like GOA as a way to divert money from the only really effective gun lobby group...? [/sarcasm]

Houses of the Holy

Forcing churches to allow guns in their parking lots and use state-mandated language for signs forbidding firearms is an unconstitutional infringement on religious freedom, the state Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday.

I guess my puzzlement is why any gun owner would want to go to a church like these. And why any predator would not--particularly at collection plate time.

For Shame!

"I am totally ashamed of what I did and I am sorry that I did it. I have already paid a heavy price, having been in three prisons, suffered public humiliation, lost my job and my livelihood."

I fear the UK may be lost.

Logic from Nutters

"I think reasonable gun laws are really what we need," Ramsey said. "Nothing's going to be absolute. The only people that obey laws are law-abiding citizens."

You don't see the contradiction in that, Chief?

And this is the guy the head Nutter says will cut Philly homicide in half?

How Others See Us

Guns kill. In the countryside hunter kill their prey. In the city and suburbs guns are for killing people.

Guns create hate. If you own a handgun you have to constantly be thinking about who it is OK to shoot and kill. You have to turn people into an "other". Somebody less than you who you now feel you have the right to kill. This is sick. This works against any decent society...

Hate groups love guns. Go to a gun show and you will see Neo-Nazi groups recruiting under the banner of gun owner rights. Timothy McVeigh stole and sold guns at gun shows. Most white male gun owners I have spoken to have fantasies of shooting and killing brown skinned people. They will demur "in self defense", but our national gun fetish and increasing racism go hand in hand.

Just thought I'd give you a glimpse into how you're viewed by the other side. Yes, there actually are people this loopy.

This site is a few years old, so I don't know if John Ricker's still active or not. I do note there's no trace of Guns Into Art as a registered 501c(3), and his Peaceful Streets effort doesn't file a form 990, probably meaning it takes in less than $25,000/year. Too bad. It would be in our interests to have the antis divert as many resources as possible into lunatic dead ends like this.

But there I go being hateful, racist and sick again.

[Via HZ]

We're the Only Ones Gun Running Enough

A Chicago police officer has been indicted on gun charges.

Sean P. Ryan is accused of selling a semi-automatic assault rifle to a gang member who is a convicted drug dealer.

So how come Snuffy Pfleger and Jesse aren't leading a protest mob down to the police department and threatening to "Snuff out the O-N-L-Y-O-N-E-S?"

And where's Maximum Mike on this? Or isn't this as "willful" a "violation" as entering "Y" or "N" on a Form 4473?

I'll tell ya, if this doesn't illustrate the need to get guns out of the hands of people like you and me, nothing does.

[Via Jeff, via Second City Cop]

This Day in History: February 6

Neither of the two Parties shall conclude either Truce or Peace with Great Britain, without the formal consent of the other first obtain'd; and they mutually engage not to lay down their arms, until the Independence of the united states shall have been formally or tacitly assured by the Treaty or Treaties that shall terminate the War.

Meanwhile, Over at Faux News

See, if you continually make someone an "unperson", the public that relies on TV for their news will never know about him, and you can self-fulfill the "he'll never win" prophecy. At the party level, I'll not be surprised.

I wonder how they'll ignore him when he's drafted to run as an independent?

I'm also amused by all the "pro-gun" sites making excuses for drinking the GOP Kool-Aid. Guess what, guys--they'll never win with all the pissed off activists out there. The numbers will pan out and you'll see.

Then you can either rail against naive traitors like me who are "throwing away our vote," or you can come to the realization thast the only way to keep a dem out is to abandon the criminal rino gang that long ago abandoned us, and truly "Vote Freedom First." Otherwise, it'll be you throwing away your vote.

I hope my hijacking scenario comes true. Meet our demands or feel our pain.

Oh--but then we'll lose our Second Amendment rights.

Any coward who says that has already surrendered them.

The Human Right of Self-Defense

Is there a human right to defend oneself against a violent attacker? Is there an individual right to arms under international law? Conversely, are governments guilty of human rights violations if they do not enact strict gun control laws?

David B. Kopel, Paul Gallant, and Joanne D. Eisen have a new article published in the Brigham Young University Journal of Public Law. Access it by clicking on the title link to the BYU current journal page, and then clicking on the 3rd item down.

[Via Paul Gallant]

We're the Only Ones Freshly Laundered Enough

The sheriff of a southern Tennessee county was arrested Saturday in an FBI sting and charged with extorting money from video gambling operators.

Between April and mid-December, Hamilton County Sheriff Billy Long accepted $17,400, which he was told were payments from store owners "to protect their video poker business and other illegal activity," according to a federal affidavit.

Long, 55, promised to inform them when he became aware of any investigation focused on their involvement in illegal activities, including selling ingredients used to make methamphetamine, the court record said.

Nice place ya got here.

Shame if somethin'...happened to it...

[Via Jeffersonian]

[More from "The Only Ones" Files]

Washington State Campus Carry Alert

From Washington Colleges and Concealed Carry:

As of right now, schools can prohibit students via the WACs from carrying firearms. Each bill seeks to change this, but in drastically different ways.

SB 6841 would
1.elevate carrying a firearm on campus to law
2.institute a gross misdemeanor charge for violation of this new law
subject the violator to the loss of their concealed pistol license, if any, for three years
3.require violators to undergo a mental health examination while incarcerated
SB 6860 goes the opposite way by:
1.bringing public, higher education institutions into alignment with firearm regulations that govern cities, counties, and other municipalities by
2.prohibiting them from making rules regarding the possession or carry of firearms

In other words, committed activism is needed now. Don't wait to get direction from our highly paid leaders, who can't find space for it on their Washington state alert page because of all that sport shooting and hunting legislation that comes first...

Hell, I was hoping I'd be able to give you a link here. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to repro the email I received in its entirety. It'll be rough, I don't have time this morning to format it and make it all purdy:

FRP ALERT: Campus Carry Showdown, 2-7-08 at 10:00am in Olympia!In case you haven't seen the GOAL Alert below already, pass it on toevery list or website you know of that college students read. CampusProtection has been introduced in the Senate, to counter the campusgun ban bill, and it's officially on! The hearing for both billswill be in the J.A. Cherberg Building, Senate Hearing Room 3, at10:00am.Now is not the time for students to be intimidated away by threatsof "repercussions". Intimidation is how bullies operate, so don'tlet it work. The people in authority at colleges are only concernedabout their monopoly on power, and will resort to anything to stopcampus protection from happening. They will let Rebecca Griego andVirginia Tech happen a hundred times over to stop you from exercisingauthority and power to protect your lives, because when that happens,it means the job got done without them, and their power over you isdiminished. They don't care about your safety, so you have no reasonto care what they think. Administrator types will be the primaryopposition we'll be facing in the room. There's also a possibilityof a police chief or two showing up to voice their "concerns" aboutnon-uniformed students possessing guns during a violent episode.It's the same thing with them, they also consider the exercise offorce to be their sole domain, and are only concerned about being theonly ones who are armed when they show up.The thing about bullies is that they are all paper tigers when youmake it clear that not only will their intimidation tactics not betolerated, they will be used to bite them with, and publicly exposethe bullies for what they are.The Higher Education Committee has given us what we've wanted, an allor nothing showdown between the two sides. It's an opportunity wewill likely not see again. If gas is a problem, borrow money. I'lldrive some people there myself from the Seattle area, and I'll donatesome money to carpools if you get in touch. If you have stagefright, get over it, because this will be decided by the number ofpeople present who are willing to stand up, speak and be counted.(Written testimony is an acceptable alternative though.) Thecommittee would not have arranged for this showdown unless they werewilling to actually pass Campus Protection out of committee, if theyare sufficiently impressed, so it's a certainty that one of these twobills WILL be passed out of committee.As you all know, this is about far more than just a gun issue, it'sabout people's lives. The lives of your fellow students, yourteachers and staff, and you. If we miss this opportunity, and liveson campus are lost again in this state, we will have to live with thefact that we failed them ourselves. So let's pull the stops out andwin this one.These are the emails for the Senate Higher Education Committee.Whether you can make it to the hearing or not, contact them rightaway to urge support for HB 6860, and thank them for this generousopportunity."Senate Higher Education":shin.paull@leg.wa.gov,kilmer.derek@leg.wa.gov, delvin.jerome@leg.wa.gov,berkey.jean@leg.wa.gov, schoesler.mark@leg.wa.gov,sheldon.timothy@leg.wa.gov;The sponsors of HB 6860 are Pam Roach (prime sponsor), Val Stevens,and Jerome Delvin. Also write to them and thank them profusely fortackling this issue for us.roach.pam@leg.wa.govstevens.val@leg.wa.govdelvin.jerome@leg.wa.govAlso, a website devoted to Washington State campus carry relatedlegislation is under construction by a campus leader for Students forConcealed Carry on Campus. The site will be at:http://www.campuscarr... . It should be up in a day ortwo, so check back, developments and alerts will be posted there, andthere will probably be an alert list to sign up for as well.Sincerely,Kevin SchmadekaFreedom Restoration Project of Washingtonfrp-wa@mindspring.com360 757-7122

FW:Joe WaldronGOAL Alert 1-2008ATTENDANCE NEEDED AT SENATE HIGHER ED HEARINGAt 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, 7 February, the Senate Higher EducationCommittee will hold a public hearing on two gun-related bills inspiredby the mass murder at Virginia Tech last April. SB 6841 (Murray, D-43)would ban firearms and other weapons on all college campuses. SB 6860(Roach, R-31) would clarify the fact that state preemption of firearmregulation extended to institutions of higher learning, thuspreventingthem from imposing bans on firearms.The two approaches are directly opposite, and offer a greatopportunityto stand up for our rights as gun owners and as citizens of a freecountry. Do we want more "victim disarmament zones" where murdererscancommit their crimes without fear of immediate response, or do we wanttoallow responsible, licensed ADULTS to exercise their right of selfdefense as affirmed by both the federal and state constitutions and bynatural law?The only incidents where spree shooters have been stopped in theirtracks is when armed citizens were in a position to stop the shooter.Pearl, MS, High School. Appalachia Law School. Trolley Square Mall inSalt Lake City. And most recently at the New Life Church in ColoradoSprings.We encourage any who can to ATTEND THE 10 a.m. HEARING. Sign in onBOTHbills' sign-in sheets: AGAINST SB 6841, FOR SB 6860. If you would liketo testify, write "yes" in the appropriate block. Remember: identifyyourself and where you are from, limit your testimony to three minutesmaximum, do not attack the motives of our opponents, do not repeatpoints already made by others. It's a good idea to have a written copyof your testimony to drop off with Senate staff. Additional guidanceon testimony is available athttp://www.leg.wa.gov... Without doubt, the "other side" will attempt to cram the hearing roomwith gun prohibitionists. Are you willing to sit by and allow that?Parking at the Capitol Campus is limited. Car pooling is encouraged.Metered parking is available a few blocks north and a few blocks westof the Campus. For additional parking information, visit:http://www.leg.wa.gov... If you can't make it to Olympia next Thursday, please call, e-mail orwrite your Senator and ask him or her to oppose SB 6841 and support SB6860. To find your legislator(s):http://apps.leg.wa.go...

[Via Zachary H]

Heller Respondent's Brief

Today, attorneys challenging Washington, D.C’s 31-year-old gun prohibition laws filed their written arguments in the U.S. Supreme Court. Washington, D.C. bans the possession of handguns outright, and further forbids rifles and shotguns from ever being operable in private homes for use in self-defense.

They include a link to the .pdf file of the brief.

I do wish they'd mentioned William Rawle, as well as the Preamble to the Bill of Rights, especially with all the focus they put on the Second Amendment's and statutory preambles.

[Via TomZ]

Compare and Contrast

The "Vote Freedom First President's" Heller brief:

Given the unquestionable threat to public safety that unrestricted private firearm possession would entail, various categories of firearm-related regulation are permitted by the Second Amendment.

The Second Amendment:

A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

The Most Busted Name in News

Surveillance video showed him grabbing her service weapon, a .40-caliber Glock, and shooting her 15 times in the head and body.

Hmmm... What happened to the revolver...?


Time was, "Authorized Journalists" would have the decency to issue a correction statement. And for some reason, there's no WarOnGuns link in their "From the Blogs" section...

This Day in History: February 5

On February 5, 1778, South Carolina became the first state to ratify the first constitution of the U.S., the Articles of Confederation.

Ironically, or perhaps indicatively, they were also the first state to secede from the Union.

"Abusive Bullies"

When supporters of the event attempted to "lie down" for three minutes, the time it takes to undergo a background check in Virginia, armed members of the NRA, the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) and Students for Concealed Carry on Campus descended on the vigil, heckled the speakers, including those who had been shot at Virginia Tech, and tried to block participants. These armed bullies conducted a shameful display of insensitivity and intimidation.

Actually, if you want to see "abusive bullies," just look at the tactics employed by state agents carrying out the will of the "peaceful protestors," that is, cowards and anti-gun males who rely on rougher men to do their dirty work for them.

Here's an account of events that includes a little something the hysterical Ben Fordney leaves out: documentation. Of course, he also left out that he's a board member for Virginians Against Handgun Violence, yet presumes to speak for "Most gun owners in Virginia, including strong supporters of the Second Amendment"...

In the Newspeak of those who respect neither the Second nor the First, vocal dissent is "bullying." Tough for you, Ben. With all the police and media at the event, I'm sure if anything untoward happened, there'd be more than your whining thought-up-after-the-fact tactic to go after these horrible, icky people with.

Here's maybe something you could try, Ben: If you don't want people to laugh at you, stop being laughable.

We're the Only Ones Working Well Enough

But spokesmen for Badlands National Park and Wind Cave National Park do say that current restrictions on guns seem to be working well in those parks.

"It's something I wouldn't advocate," Badlands Superintendent Paige Baker said about the senators' proposal loosen those restrictions. "The system is working as it is. When people come out here, it's to look at the wildlife and the natural beauty, not to shoot."

Yeah, right, Paige. Just like these guys. But I guess you professional government workers are "The Only Ones" with lives worth using guns to defend.