Another 48 Hours

Our good friends over at the Maryland General Assembly are enacting "The Police Officers Protection Bill," which will require gun owners to report stolen weapons within 48 hours of discovering the theft. If you don't, say, if you report it in 49 hours, they could technically add to your woes by fining you up to $5,000 AND imprisoning you for up to 3 years.

Among the bill's sponsors--a stooge named "Moe" (Why, you, I oughtta...) and someone named "Bobo," who I can only assume is actually not a sign-talking chimp. (Press the green button, Bobo!)

But remember--this is to guarantee police officer safety. Just to prove it, and to gin up flock sympathy, Annapolis' The Capital presents us with one-sided testimony from two officers horribly wounded in the line of duty by criminals with stolen firearms. The reporterette doesn't think to question exactly how this bill would have prevented these crimes, nor the extreme unlikelihood that filing a report would result in a stolen weapon being recovered. And forget asking the basic question: whose property is it, anyway?

There's one other factor that seems to have been overlooked in their zeal to exploit pity into a stronger police state: What if a defiant Patriot has retained possession of a weapon that Moe and Bobo have ruled verboten? Wouldn't being forced to report it stolen also force him to surrender his right against self-incrimination?

Oh well, there's no longer any Second Amendment in Maryland. What makes us think there should be a Fifth?

And there's yet another interesting dilemma this creates: What if the thugs stealing your firearms work for the government?

Bug Me Not

This is a cool tool to get you through web pages requiring registration. It's a real time-saver for doing research.

A Little Bit of “Sunshine”

By now you’ve no doubt heard about the “Million Mom” who was arrested for having an “illegal” gun.

She says it was her son’s, and she just wrapped it up and left it in a drawer because she didn’t know what to do with it.

Claire Wolfe quotes Rich Lucibella: “If she doesn't know what to do with a gun in her own home, HOW ON EARTH can she purport to know what I should do with mine?”

It’s true. The gun grabbers have always made me recall that powerful and defiant promise from folk singer Jonathan Edwards’ 1972 hit “Sunshine”:

He can't even run his own life
I'll be damned if he'll run mine...

I’ll be damned if any of them will.

Cops Find All Objects in the Physical World Alarming

“The soft-air gun that was fired on a Thunder Bay school bus Wednesday is considered a firearm, Thunder Bay Police said…

“‘I think it’s fair to call it a firearm,’ police spokesman Chris Adams said Friday.

”It could be considered a weapon if it was used in a threatening or criminal manner, he added.”

Me, I find ignorance on the part of “authoritah” alarming. And dangerous to the lives, liberty and property of free people.

Yo, Chris--no, it is certainly not fair:

"Main Entry: fire•arm
"Pronunciation: 'fIr-"ärm
"Function: noun
": a weapon from which a shot is discharged by gunpowder -- usually used of small arms"

And for the record, anything “could be considered a weapon if it was used in a threatening or criminal manner.”

Not to alarm you and the rest of Thunder Bay’s finest...

Shameless Plug: "Thinking of England"

"Can we sneer at the prosecution of Tony Martin and forget about Hale DeMar, the Wilmette, IL, homeowner who shot a burglar and was then charged by officials for violating the village’s handgun ban?"

"Thinking of England" is my Rights Watch commentary for the April issue of GUNS Magazine, on sale starting today at discriminating newsstands across the kingdom...uh...Republic.

Addendum to "BATFE Fails the Constitution"...

Out of deference to Aaron Zelman and JPFO, some of my commentary was toned down a tad so they can use it to promote their new video.

Here's something that didn't make it into my review:

I have taken to referring to the gungrabbing federal goons as "BATFU." I'd like to see this usage spread--if for no other reason than to promulgate disrespect for these wretched thugs. (If anyone claims prior usage of this term, let me know-- I thunk it up all by my own self, and couldn't find any prior references on Google.)

Because of their sheer incompetence, I was also gonna say something about "jackboobs," but thought better of it...

BATFE Fails the Constitution

“JPFO'S NEW DVD, ‘BATFE FAILS THE TEST’ has apparently got the gun goons shaking in their boots. Unable to counter the blatant evidence that their ‘experts’ are unscientific bumblers who don't even understand firearms, ATF agents are now spreading the rumor that the footage is fake.

“HA! When you see it you know that the only thing "fake" about it is the BATFE's ‘expertise.’ I'm in awe of Len Savage (the real firearms expert you'll see in the film) having the guts to take these goons on.”—Claire Wolfe

Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership has once again proven it deserves the reputation for producing the most innovative educational materials for educating Americans about our right to keep and bear arms. They have followed up the gut-wrenching historical documentary "Innocents Betrayed" with another outstanding and infuriating video, "BATFE Fails the Test."

Competition shooter John Glover is an ordinary American who is fascinated by firearms--to the point where he learned gunsmithing and began assembling and selling guns from kits.

Enter the federal gun grabbers. Seven of his rifles are seized and Glover is charged with manufacturing and selling a machine gun. In other words, the federal government has decided Mr. Glover is a criminal, and it sets out to steal his property and destroy his life.

"BATFE Fails the Test" is raw video footage of BATFE Agent Michael Cooney, the supposed expert who wrote the report declaring one of the weapons a machinegun, saying that it fired “automatically more than one shot without manual reloading by a single function of the trigger.” We see Agent Cooney at a police firing range in North Carolina, demonstrating the weapon's operation. There's just one problem--he can't get it to fire full auto.

Twelve attempts produce just two incidents of string fire, which Glover's defense team firearms expert, Len Savage, declares a "malfunction." Cooney doesn't want to hear it, and becomes increasingly irritated and defensive as Savage challenges his "expertise." Savage then analyzes the disassembled weapon parts on camera, and sure enough, just as he predicted on the range, firing pin components are worn, causing the occasional string fire malfunction.

The thing could have blown up in the "competent" government "expert's" face, but he was too oblivious to realize it.

The upside for Mr. Glover is all charges against him were dismissed. The downside, in addition to having his life turned inside out and having the fear of government put into him, is that he is left in debt from fighting a legal battle that should never have taken place--plus, the BATFE has refused to return his rightful property.

Gun owners need to see this to believe it, so that we understand this could happen to any of us--own a semiauto rifle that needs some gunsmith work and we could be declared felons and pursued with vengeance. And if we're not fortunate enough to be able to afford mounting a competent defense against the unlimited resources of the federal government, our lives will be destroyed.

You owe it to yourself to get this outrageous and infuriating video, and to understand what power the Michael Cooneys of the world have assumed over us.

Read the Shotgun News article: VITAL WARNING TO ALL OWNERS OF SEMIAUTOMATIC FIREARMS

Order your own copy of "BATFE Fails the Test" on VHS or DVD:
http://jpfo.org/batfevideo.htm

Is it Any Wonder…

…that Jack Nicholson believes in gun control?

REMINDER: Carner on "Standing Up for America" Tonight

Charles Robert Carner will be the featured guest on 'Standing Up For America' with Rick Stanley, tonight at 7:00 PM MST, to discuss his remake of the cult classic 'Vanishing Point'.

To listen, go to http://www.stanley2002.org and click on the link at the top of the main page for the Radio Network.

Why I Love Guns

By Charles Robert Carner

Guns. I love guns. Guns in the hands of private citizens are the best means for defense of home and family against criminals, and for restraining the tyrannical tendencies of government.

Guns save lives. All across the United States, from cities to suburbs to towns and rural hamlets, guns are used every day to prevent crime, protect property and deter predators. Guns allow women to walk alone without fear of assault. Guns protect policemen, and help them protect the citizens they watch over. Guns protect political leaders, prominent businessmen, celebrities, cabbies, bank guards and jewelry merchants. Every day, all day and all night, guns make it possible for people to perform risky but necessary work, and to remain alive and safe while so doing.

Guns ensure freedom. From Bunker Hill to the Battle of the Bulge, men with guns have fought oppression and liberated nations. Guns made the extraordinary philosophical vision of America’s founders possible in the real world. Without guns, Thomas Paine’s stirring call to action in Common Sense would have remained mere rhetoric – or led to futile rebellion. Guns freed the slaves in America’s Civil War. Guns stopped Hitler’s mad dream of world conquest, and Tojo’s planned Pacific empire. Guns liberated Africa from colonial chains; Africans served their masters at war – then applied the weapons and tactics they learned in distant battles to win their freedom at home. Conversely, when citizens are denied the right to own guns, oppression often follows. In the 20th century – the bloodiest in human history – genocide from Armenia to Cambodia was in each case preceded by stripping the citizens of their arms.

Guns are beautiful. From pinfire pistols to Kentucky rifles, from Samuel Colt’s "equalizer" to the H&K battle rifle, guns are gorgeous physical objects, pleasing to the mind and the senses. To hold a 1911 model .45 in one’s hand is to experience ergonomic delight; to field-strip an FN-FAL is to thrill at the elegance of its engineering and the profound simplicity of its design. From the venerable Browning Hi-Power to the cutting-edge titanium revolvers of this new millennium, from the storied Lee-Enfield to the sexy new Steyr Scout, guns give eloquent testimony to the genius of man.

Guns are fun. From plinking with a Ruger Mark II to thundering away with a .44 Magnum, from cocking the lever on a Winchester 94 to feeding the belt into a 1919 Browning, recreational shooting is one of the most enjoyable sports ever devised. It is also one of the only sports in which age and athleticism hardly matter at all. A petite grandmother can shoot just as well as a massive linebacker; all it takes is a little practice.

Guns are teaching tools. Learning to shoot means learning discipline, respect and the right way to do things. Learning to handle guns means learning to master fear, and builds confidence. You don’t just shoot the gun. Afterwards, there is the joy of field-stripping, cleaning and maintaining your firearm. It’s easy to do (unlike, for example, performing maintenance on your car after taking it for a drive), and you learn how the weapon operates. Guns teach us about history. Do the serial number and cartouche on that old M-1 Garand mean it was used to liberate Europe from the Nazis? It may very well indeed. Was that nicked-up German Mauser refitted to .308 by the Israelis to help establish the Jewish homeland? What a satisfying irony! Go to a gun show, and seek out the display of Revolutionary War-era rifles. Each whorl in the stock, each unique, handcrafted metal band and stud, reminds us of the courageous individual Americans who took up arms, shed blood and gave blood to hand down the legacy of freedom we now take for granted.

Guns provide peace of mind. From the rancher protecting his stock from wolves, to the night clerk protecting his shop from hoodlums, from the homeowner protecting his lifelong investment from thieves, to the soccer mom protecting her child from molesters, guns provide security during waking hours, and a sound sleep at night.

Times change, fashions shift, political theories come and go. Crime rises, crime falls. Felons serve hard time, or plea-bargain their way to continued mischief. What never changes is human nature. There will always be those who devote their energies to taking what isn’t rightfully theirs, whether it be property or human life. There will always be despots who seek to rule by force rather than consent. As long as people have guns, they will have the ability to control their own destiny, rather than have it dictated to them.

That is what America is all about. And that is why I love guns.
_________________________________________________________
This essay originally appeared on GunTruths.com.

Charles Robert Carner wrote and directed "Vanishing Point," which is being released to DVD on March 8. If you think this is the kind of worldview that we need in Hollywood, I encourage you to read my review and see this film.--David Codrea

Jay Knox’s NRA Board Picks

Jay Knox writes in an open letter:

“Don Turner, formerly of Arizona, was the manager of the Ben Avery Shooting Facility and stood up to the city of Phoenix when it wanted to carve up the range in a land grab. I will vote for him.

“Anyone who receives 250 write-in votes is eligible to run for the 76th Director at the Annual Meeting, so my other votes are going to be ‘write-ins’ for Christopher W. Knox of Phoenix, Arizona and Jeffrey Allen Knox of Gainesville, Virginia.”

I still maintain we need a way to rate Board candidates, just like politicians are rated. No meaningful change will ever come about unless and until candidates can be rated and supported based on values and performance, and punished for betrayals and compromises. But no one evidently cares, guaranteeing more of the same.

Safe at Last, Safe at Last! Anna Kournikova Safe at Last!

“THE homeless man accused of stalking Russian tennis beauty Anna Kournikova has been issued with a civil restraining order.”

Let’s see, he stalks her both physically and via sexually explicit emails. He swims nude to her estate. He’s already been behind bars for stabbing a man. He’s hinting at pleading insanity. And if that isn’t enough, he’s a dude who knows who the individual members of the Spice Girls are--that’s nuts just by itself. (God help me—I saw a commercial and learned the Fanta Girls have individual names!)

I hope Anna feels safe with her “civil restraining order” when this wackjob is released. I’d be surprised if she doesn’t have armed bodyguards, but what about the next woman he fixates on?

The best restraining orders are issued from a modified Weaver or isosceles stance.

How Gun Owners Can Make Society Safer and Protect Americans

Jennifer Freeman (cool last name, huh?) of Liberty Belles thinks ordinary Americans have a role to play in protecting our nation’s borders.

A citizen militia defending community, state and nation—why that’s a concept worthy of our Founders!

San Francisco Handgun Ban Media Project

Guy Smith wants to educate the public in San Francisco so that the proposed gun ban is defeated. He’s recruiting support for the project at http://www.gunfacts.info/sfban/.

If you’re not already aware of Gun Facts, check it out. It’s a great resource, and this announcement just reminded me to add it to my list of links.

Carner on "Standing Up For America"

From Rick Stanley:

"Charles Robert Carner will be the featured guest on 'Standing Up For America' with Rick Stanley, Sunday night at 7:00 PM MST, February 27, 2005, at http://www.americanvoiceradio.net to discuss his new movie remake of the cult classic 'Vanishing Point' . This movie has an incredible 'freedom and liberty' message not seen in mainstream Hollywood. I am not talking about the 'freedom and liberty' mentioned over and over by President Bush and his Police State of America either. We are talking the real thing. I would urge folks to listen in Sunday night and to check out the film as well.

"Information about the American Voice Radio Network and Rick Stanley are available by going to http://www.stanley2002.orgwith a link at the top of the main page for the Radio Network."

Imagine That!

"Young people have some funny ideas about those days," [Black Panther historian Billy X Jennings] says. "They think it was all about the guns, but the guns were just a symbol. It was the right to carry them, and use them to defend yourself, that was important.” [Note: registration required to view article.]

Imagine that! The individual right to keep and bear arms stated clearly in the Contra Costa Times—with no hysterical counter-argument against the idea!!!

“Guns were front and center from the start," the article tells us, "partly because self-defense resonated in the black community because of a series of alleged police brutality incidents, partly because all that hardware got people's attention fast."

Imagine that! Guns are deemed useful for protecting citizens from abuse by those in power. Why, isn’t that the “Insurrectionary Theory” leftwing rags like the CCT discredit as the province and fantasy of white knuckle-draggers?

“That became evident in May 1967," the story continues, "when the Panthers exploded out of obscurity when news cameras filmed them on the steps of the state Capitol in Sacramento, carrying rifles to protest a bill that would have restricted gun ownership.”

Imagine that! Instead of suing gun makers, like the NAACP, or sponsoring gun turn-in programs, like so many urban churches, a group of blacks demand their right to keep and bear arms. They scared the Establishment so much with that event, that NRA’s Second Amendment Champion Ronald Reagan signed The Mulford Act into law, banning that type of open carry in California (along with supporting a host of other unconstitutional gun control edicts).

There's no outraged quote from a representative of VPC or the Million Moms/Brady Campaign, or from the cops, or from some posturing politician. The paper hasn't demonized the Panthers for being armed. Imagine that!

And, before protesting the Panthers were racist commie thugs, that’s not the point. This is.

Sauce for the Goose

Well, if anti-gun CNN can violate firearm edicts with impunity, why can't anti-gun churches?

Just don't expect "authoritah" to treat them like they would you and me. When it comes to the antis violating the law to make a point, BATFU has been committed to looking the other way for years. After all, if you have a group of useful idiots out there helping you demonize guns in private hands, that's free advertising.

Plea for Help: Publicola Was Here

Read Publicola's take, written in Sept. 2003, on the lawsuit against the "Plea for Help" gun store owners.

I Need a Drink...

“Britain’s Kalashnikov Joint Stock Vodka company has revealed plans to change its name to get rid of the military connotations. The move came after a number of campaigns were launched to boycott the brand because it allegedly promoted violence.”

Thanks to Dennis Walker of PRO for tipping me off to this one.

Vanishing Point Reappears

FOX TV Movie releasing to DVD in March
By David Codrea

PRESS RELEASE:
“Charles Robert Carner’s action-packed remake of the cult classic 'Vanishing Point' roars onto DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment, March 8, 2005. Viggo Mortensen (“The Lord of the Rings”) stars as Kowalski, the lone hero in the Dodge Challenger who leads an army of lawmen on a wild car chase across the American West…”

Viggo Mortensen in VANISHING POINT
Produced by Alan C. Blomquist
Directed by Charles Robert Carner
Screenwriter Charles Robert Carner
“Vanishing Point” also stars Jason Priestley, Christine Elise, Keith David, Steve Railsback, John Doe and Peta Wilson
________________________

HISTORY
Back when I was young and immortal, I fancied myself fast behind the wheel. But this was the era of muscle cars, and as proud as I was of my old Buick V-8, it fell short of the "gold standard"--it wasn't a Mopar.

As if to remind boys like me of our place in the food chain, the movie “Vanishing Point” came screaming into theaters, featuring Barry Newman as the pill-popping Kowalski, who leads police on an interstate chase over a bet. But for me, the real star of the film was the white 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T with the 440 Magnum engine.

“Vanishing Point” became a hit with a cult following, for many, the benchmark for car chase movies. There was no way for me to know at the time that a generation later it would bring a friend into my life, resulting in collaborative efforts on GunTruths.com and the Citizens of America national advertising campaign for gun rights.

When I first heard of Charles Robert Carner I was producing a newsletter for the Westside Los Angeles NRA Member’s Council, 2nd Amendment West, my first foray into gun rights commentary. Because he was a nominal member of the Council and wanted to publicize the film to gun owners, Charlie contacted me about his soon-to-be-broadcast television movie for 20th Century-Fox, a remake of the Newman classic.

“What is this guy,” I remember thinking to myself, “nuts?”

Besides, what did a car movie have to do with guns?

As it turned out, not that much--at least, not as it applies to We the People. But it had plenty to do with the main reason we have guns. It had plenty to do with freedom.

What follows is not going to be a “movie review” per se, as much as a series of observations. You can read a review I am told is good here. I informed Charlie I didn’t want to read it until after I had finished this article, to avoid any influence on what I wanted to say.
________________________

THE FILM (and why gun owners/liberty activists should care)
First impressions: Gentle guitar notes set a sad, serene mood. A horned toad establishes the terrain. Machine sounds invade—bulldozers, it turns out, doing what? Squad car lights are flashing. Helicopter blades thud. Other instruments have joined the guitar; the music is more urgent now, and ominous. A Man in Black directs activities. The bulldozers have formed a roadblock. A white Challenger appears over a rise, pursued by flashing police cars.

Protestors carry signs on the sidelines. One, just briefly visible, reads “Don’t Forget Mt. Carmel.”

This is a “mainstream” television movie?

“If you do not stay back,” a bullhorn blares, “you will be arrested.”

The Challenger stops. We see a close up shot of Kowalski, the driver. His face looks grim, determined, resigned.

It is Easter Sunday in Riddle, ID.

Basic Plot/Synopsis:
Former Army Ranger and racer Kowalski restores vintage muscle cars and delivers them to customers. While in transit to deliver a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T, he learns his pregnant wife, who suffers from Lupus, has been admitted to the hospital and is gravely ill. Unable to schedule a flight at the local airport, he decides to take advantage of the awesome machine at his disposal and drive from New Mexico to the hospital in Boise. Cops stop him for speeding. They won't listen to him and want to take him in to process his citation, which will result in a long delay. Desperate, Kowalski takes off and the chase is on. And then the feds get involved.

In Carner's words, "The story is also a spiritual quest." It explores Kowalski's religious awakening, thanks to his wife, as well as the deep bond and commitment the two have made to each other. Faith and the sanctity of marriage--there are two concepts Hollywood doesn't beat to death.

Important Differences:
The car looks the same as it did in the Newman classic. There is a difference, we learn--the 440 Magnum has been replaced with a 426 Hemi.

One big difference is with Kowalski. Mortensen's has a first name (Jimmy), and unlike the pill-popper in the original, the new Kowalski has a purpose.

There's another big difference. This remake focuses its lens on the government's War on Freedom, and the evil tactics they employ.

"In the 25 years between Richard Sarafian's original and my remake," Carner writes, "the right and the left had switched places. It was deep in the Clinton era. The 'counter-cultural' 'anti-establishment' attitude of the original gave it a hip, '60's left-liberal-nihilism. In my remake, it's the small businessman (once the backbone of America) who has become the outcast - and that neo-fascist state is populated by Leftists. The FBI = the Gestapo. The theme - the individual vs the state - is the same; it's just that the state is now the former '60's radicals in power."

Memorable Characters:
That's why my favorite character in the new VP is The Man in Black, sinister FBI supervisor Warren Taftley, played as the Javert to Mortensen's Valjean by Tony-winning stage star Keith David. We first meet him when the camera pans down from portraits of Bill Clinton and Janet Reno, as he is instructing a subordinate to tie Kowalski's flight in with drugs and guns.

"How do you figure guns?" the agent asks.

"Idaho. Extremists. Right-wing militias," Taftley replies. "That's our way in--domestic terrorism, high explosives, planning another Oklahoma City."

"It could be--but we don't have any evidence," the agent cautions.

"We'll get it," Taftley confidently assures him. "He's run across four state lines. It's gotta be something big."

In the minds of those corrupted by power, there can be no innocent explanation for a subject exercising freedom. We are all suspects. And evidence is just a formality.

Carner did something cool here in the casting, breaking away from sterotypes--having a black man represent corrupt authority to the point of being an enthusiastic persecutor. That had to be a very liberating role to play, and Mr. David does it well.

"We worked Keith's shooting schedule around a play he was doing," Charlie tells me. "He was great and he really enjoyed playing a guy who assumed his own righteousness to the point of absolute dictatorship."

There are other great characters as well--Kowalski is assisted in evading his pursuers by a happenstance ally, a libertarian/Constitutionalist talk radio broadcaster known as "The Voice," portrayed by Jason Priestley, in another bit of inspired casting that certainly helps break the sterotype of a Beverly Hills 90210 heartthrob.

Replacing the hip "SuperSoul" role Cleavon Little played so well in the original VP, The Voice warns Kowalski about his pursuers so that he can take alternate routes, all the while decrying tyrannical abuses and philosophizing to his listeners about liberty-oriented themes, and how "The Bill of Rights is as forgotten as the Dead Sea Scrolls."

"Once upon a time," The Voice laments, "the police would have given this man an escort, instead of trying to run him into the ground!"

Another good portrayal is turned in by Steve Railsback, playing Sgt. Preston of the New Mexico State police.

"It takes a Mopar to catch a Mopar," Preston explains to his deputy, abandoning his squad car for a black '68 Charger R/T in a subtle tribute to another great car chase film, Bullitt. (The Charger should have blown the doors off Steve McQueen's 390 fastback Mustang).

The rest of the cast acquit themselves nicely as well. Christine Elise as Raphinia, Kowalski's wife, provides a moral anchor and spiritual mentor for Jimmy, and the gorgeous Peta Wilson, as the Motorcycle Girl, plays a provocative temptress and then ally.

The Ending:
I won't reveal it here-- you'll have to get the DVD and see it for yourself. I will say that Carner doesn't let up on his freedom theme. We see the protestors more clearly now. In addition to the "Mt. Carmel" sign, there's one that reads "Remember Ruby Ridge."

How did he get away with it on Establishment TV?

"You can tell I had a lot of fun on the movie," he tells me. "When I wrote the script, I just ranted away - went for it. I figured when the network started whining, I could pull back a little and still respect myself in the morning. But when Viggo signed on - and was only available right this minute - that first draft got green-lit. And the network never squawked. I kept all the politics in the final cut."

Carner's is an important voice in the film industry for principles of freedom that are almost universally ignored. "Vanishing Point" is a good example of popular art we could use a lot more of.
_______________________

CHARLES ROBERT CARNER FILMOGRAPHY
Chicago-born Charles Robert Carner began working in the entertainment industry after graduating valedictorian of his class at Columbia College, where he directed the film Assassins, starring Joe Mantegna, which was named Best Student Film at the Chicago International Film Festival.

Carner then went to work as a story editor for director Tony Bill, writing screenplays in his spare time. His first produced script was Seduced, starring Gregory Harrison and Cybill Shepherd. He followed that with the action-adventure feature Gymkata; Let's Get Harry, with Mark Harmon, Robert Duvall and Gary Busey; and the telefilm Eyes of a Witness, starring Jennifer Grey and Daniel J. Travanti. Carner expanded into producing on the feature film Blind Fury, with Rutger Hauer. He then began realizing his lifelong dream of directing his own scripts. He began with episodes of "Midnight Caller", "Reasonable Doubts" and "The Untouchables", before moving on to such television movies as A Killer Among Friends and One Woman's Courage.

Carner's list of television movies continued to expand, with such titles as Vanishing Point, starring The Lord of the Rings’ Viggo Mortensen, and The Fixer, starring Jon Voight, both of which went on to win several awards. In July 2000, his film Who Killed Atlanta's Children?, starring Jim Belushi and Gregory Hines debuted on Showtime and became that network's highest rated movie of the year. Carner made a huge splash on basic cable when he wrote the TNT Western Crossfire Trail, the highest-rated cable movie in television history, starring Tom Selleck. He wrote, directed and executive produced the holiday hit Christmas Rush for TBS Superstation, starring Dean Cain and Eric Roberts, and directed Red Water, the highest-rated basic cable movie in history, starring Lou Diamond Phillips and Kristy Swanson for TBS Superstation. His last network directorial effort, Judas, aired on ABC Television in 2004.

Mr. Carner is a Life Member of both the National Rifle Association and the Sierra Club, serves on the Executive Committee of Catholics in Media, and is a biographee in Who's Who in America.

You can read his gun commentaries here. (Click on "GunTruths Correspondents")

--Report compiled from various sources including Mr. Carner.