Thailand: Queen urges self defense for locals : "Her Majesty the Queen has suggested that self-defence training be provided for local residents living around a Buddhist temple in Pattani where an elderly monk and two temple boys were brutally murdered on October 16. Gen Napol Boonthap, the deputy aide-de-camp, has been asked to coordinate with the army to provide the training in self-defence to locals living near Wat Phromprasit in Panare district. ... The applicants, including 10 women, were aged from 16-66. They will undergo training for six days, said Lt-Col Pakorn. Afterwards, the trainees would be responsible for guarding their communities. Around 15 shotguns would be handed out to the villagers. 'Her Majesty the Queen wants locals to be trained so they can use weapons in self-defence and to protect their villages and temple,' Lt-Col Pakorn said."


Two Texans shoot two intruders in two days : "Some homeowners have taken the law into their own hands. In the last couple of days, two people have shot burglars they said were trying to get into their homes. The first incident happened Saturday morning in Grand Prairie. A homeowner shot and killed a suspected burglar in the 2800 block of Lake Park Drive. It happened again Sunday night in Dallas when Clyde Buchanan said he shot an intruder in the 2800 block of Arizona Avenue."


We will not remain defenseless: "What were they thinking? Of course, I am referring to the illegal and wrongful seizure of firearms in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina hit. The National Guard and Police were supposed to be helping people get needed supplies like food and water, not confiscating firearms inside the personal household of victims. ... San Francisco is now proposing Proposition H which would ban ALL handguns from the city. Both New Orleans and San Francisco official have always been notoriously anti-gun and perhaps they saw this disaster as the golden opportunity to ban guns from law abiding citizens that only want to defend themselves."

Australian firearms legislation has failed, says a top Australian crime statistician: "Gun ownership is rising and there is no definitive evidence that a decade of restrictive firearms laws has done anything to reduce weapon-related crime, according to NSW's top criminal statistician. The latest figures show a renaissance in firearm ownership in the state - a 25 per cent increase in three years. And the head of the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, Don Weatherburn, said falls in armed robberies and abductions in NSW in the past few years had more to do with the heroin drought and good policing than firearms legislation. Even falls in the homicide rate, which have been steady, began long before the gun law debate provoked by the Port Arthur massacre in 1996. Nationwide, the proportion of robberies involving weapons is the same as it was in 1996, while the proportion of abductions involving weapons is higher, the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics fiures reveal. They show a mixed result in firearms-related offences since the mid-1990s. There has been a fall in firearms murders (from 32 to 13 per cent) but a rise (19 to 23 per cent) in attempted murders involving guns. "I would need to see more convincing evidence than there is to be able to say that gun laws have had any effect," Dr Weatherburn said."


S.397 - Victory or Failure?: "Senate Bill 397 -- a bill that grants legal immunity to firearm dealers and manufacturers in the event of wrongful misuse of their products by a third party -- passed the House and the Senate and is expected to be signed into law by President Bush. The anti-gun clauses that were added to the bill have left many in the gun rights community debating about the true benefits of this legislation, particularly since a similar bill -- H.R. 800 -- was also introduced but contained no anti-gun aspects."


Arkansas: Police investigate home invasion : "Shots rang out in a Fort Smith neighborhood Thursday, part of what police now say was an attempted home invasion. According to police, a man who just got out of jail tried to get back into a home where he once lived. About 1 p.m. Thursday, police said Marvin Wilson, 42, showed up at a home on the corner of 46th and Kinkead. Wilson's brother and another woman who lived inside would not let him in the home. That's when, police said, he got angry, which caused Alonzo Wilson -- Marvin's brother -- to use force to keep him out. Officials said they believe he fired one shot at Marvin Wilson, who was not hit. Marvin Wilson reportedly took off in his car but did not get far."

HYPOCRITICAL HOLLYWOOD

But they have always been such models of good character, of course

PISTOL-packing Joe Mantegna is blasting a chink in the politically correct armor of some Hollywood heavyweights - he says they love to own and shoot guns. The "Joan of Arcadia" star says that such left-leaning showbiz types as Steven Spielberg, Leonardo DiCaprio and playwright David Mamet are all avid shooters. "Lots of guys in Hollywood love to shoot," Mantegna, a longtime gun sportsman, tells Fade In magazine. "But they ain't gonna talk to you."

"Apocalypse Now" screenwriter John Milius agrees. "It's fascinating that Hollywood is so hypocritical," he says. "Many people own [guns], but consistently vote against them and never talk about them. I used to shoot with Spielberg and [Robert] Zemeckis and Robert Stack. But no one else would admit they had any."

Producer/manager Jay Bernstein, who shepherded Farrah Fawcett and Linda Evans to fame, carries a gun in public and is prone to flashing it at Hollywood parties. But even he won't confirm that he has a Carry Concealed Weapons permit. "It's one of the most uncomfortable subjects," Bernstein says, "because 'anti-gun' is more popular than 'gun' in Los Angeles."

As if to illustrate Bernstein's point, well-known gun enthusiasts Ben Affleck, Charlie Sheen, Tom Selleck and Steven Seagal wanted nothing to do with Fade In's story. Even gung-ho action director Richard Donner ("Lethal Weapon"), who has a concealed weapon permit, was reluctant to talk. "I am anything but a gun enthusiast," he said in a terse statement. "The only reason I would ever own a gun is for the protection of my home, my environment or my family under the circumstances in which I am forced to live."

Fade In says Seagal, Sylvester Stallone, music mogul Tommy Mottola and billionaire Kirk Kerkorian are among a mere 500 people licensed to carry a gun in public in Los Angeles County (pop. 9.8 million).

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Canada: Feds target gun firms for frivolous suits: "The Canadian government is looking into ways to sue U.S. gun manufacturers for the spread of illegal weapons into this country, the Toronto Star reported yesterday. The action is just one part of a multi-faceted crackdown on gun crime due to be unveiled by the end of November. The package will follow months of unusual violence in Toronto. Of the 61 homicides so far in the city this year, 41 have involved firearms. The policy will also be seen as another shot by the federal government across the bow of Canada-U.S. relations."


Anti-gun groups call for ban on crown molding: "An arrest was made today in the tragic death of the wife of famed attorney, Daniel Horowitz. A sixteen-year-old boy was arrested, and it was disclosed that the boy used crown molding to beat Horowitz's wife to death. Anti-gun groups and Democrat politicians immediately pointed to the extreme dangers of crown molding and called upon President Bush to ban all crown molding. 'This clearly shows that the president has been asleep at the wheel by allowing crown molding to proliferate around the country and cause countless tragic deaths,' said Hillary Clinton. 'No state currently requires background checks or has an age limitation for the purchase of crown molding. There is no valid reason why anyone would have a need to own crown molding. Other countries don't use crown molding. We're barbaric and backwards here in America when it comes to crown molding.'"

CANADA HAS BANNED GUNS AND GOT A CRIME-WAVE IN RESPONSE. NOW THEY ARE BANNING CEREMONIAL DAGGERS. I WONDER WHERE THAT LOGIC LEADS US?

And note that Sikhs are NOT Moslems. It is a different religion altogether

A Sikh man is considering taking Via Rail to the Ontario Human Rights Commission because the Crown corporation won't let him wear his ceremonial dagger on its trains. On Friday, Balpreet Singh was ordered off a Via train as he was about to travel home to Toronto. Another passenger had complained about his kirpan. "To be led off a train that's filled ... [is] absolutely humiliating," said the first-year law student at the University of Ottawa. Singh, 24, says he wears the kirpan for religious reasons. He says he is never without it, even while attending class. "This is essentially one of the signs of the Sikh faith," he said. "It's absolutely required. I'm never apart from this, whether I'm sleeping or whatever. It's basically considered part of my body. "I consider that one of my fundamental freedoms ... [and my] freedom of religion is being infringed."

Via has a policy of not allowing anything that could be considered a weapon on its trains, even if that weapon is only used for ceremonial purposes. News of Singh's situation dismayed the prime minister's parliamentary secretary, Navdeep Bains. The Toronto-area member of Parliament, who is also a Sikh, says he's never had a problem wearing a kirpan in the House of Commons. He says he's disappointed that a Crown corporation would try to ban them. Bains said he plans to take the issue up with the federal transport minister and with Via's board of directors.

In Canada, the debate over whether to allow Sikhs to wear kirpans in public places has been going on for more than a decade. As well as Via trains, the daggers are banned from airplanes, Greyhound buses and some schools.

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Nevada: New policy affects gun buyers: "The federal government is worried about how guns are sold in Nevada. So now the Sheriff's Association and the state are changing the process. The federal government says a lack of uniform policies in Nevada regarding background checks is a concern for them and could become a public safety issue. So starting Sunday, the process of buying a gun, for some, will change. A federal audit shows some Nevada sheriffs are not conducting yearly checks on concealed weapon's permit holders. As a result, the state is changing its policy and now mandating permit holders, go through federal or Brady background checks when buying a new gun. 'My understanding is a sheriff, or two, in Northern Nevada were doing sloppy background checks, issuing the permits because they knew the individuals,' said Bob Irwin, the Gun Store."


Gun possession now OK at FEMA temporary housing: "Following complaints from gun-rights groups, FEMA said Monday it is lifting a ban on firearms at emergency housing parks built in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Under the new federal policy, residents can possess and store firearms. Use of weapons is still prohibited in the parks, said Butch Kinerny, a spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Gun rights groups had sought the change, saying the original policy violated Second Amendment protections for gun ownership."

UK: Police get new shoot-to-kill powers: "Scotland Yard's 'shoot to kill' strategy has been widened to include other offences such as kidnapping, stalking and domestic violence, The Independent has learned. However, the decision to shoot a suspect in the head without the marksman giving a warning would only be used under exceptional circumstances, one of the country's most senior police chiefs said yesterday. The Operation Kratos shoot-to-kill policy was adopted to deal with suicide bombers but a review has identified other types of crimes in which a firearms officer could shoot to kill without issuing any challenge."



Anti-gun U.N.: "The United Nations is trying to ban guns again. The latest "small-arms treaty" seeks to abolish the right of any citizens to own virtually any kind of firearm. In the United States, such an effort would strike at the heart of the Constitution�s Second Amendment. Recently appointed U.S. diplomat John Bolton has already stated his view on this activity, as quoted by NRA Executive Wayne LaPierre in The American Rifleman, �The United States will not join consensus on a final document that contains measures contrary to our constitutional right to keep and bear arms.�"



NRA's new leader shoots holes in stereotypes: "As a Jewish woman and Harvard-educated lawyer who practiced law in Los Angeles, Sandra Froman admits that, at least on paper, she doesn't seem a natural choice to lead the National Rifle Association (NRA). But the Second Amendment, she says, is all about empowerment. 'I've never met a gun I didn't like,' says Froman, 55, a California native who moved to Tucson in 1985. "I shoot pistols, rifles, black-powder rifles." Froman became the newest president of the almost four million-strong NRA in April, immediately presenting a different face for an organization whose vibe has been almost reflexively white and male. Jewish, female, lawyerly and Left Coast is about as unstereotypical as it gets for an NRA leader. But when it comes to gun politics, Froman is as NRA as they come. 'Firearms in America today represent freedom,' Froman says. 'They represent the ability to defend yourself individually, and they represent the ability to defend yourself as a country.'"

Groups Protest Redskins Shooting Event

Gun-control groups and other organizations are putting pressure on the Washington Redskins to cancel an upcoming benefit event at a shooting range in Prince George's County.

The team has been planning to put on the first Redskins Sporting Clays Challenge on Tuesday in Glenn Dale, but the sponsor of the event - NRA Sports - is part of the National Rifle Association, which wants Congress to repeal the District's gun laws.

Redskins spokesman Karl Swanson tells The Washington Post that the team doesn't support repealing the city's gun laws, isn't involved in the NRA's political activities, and that the team plans to go on with the fund-raiser. Swanson says the event is a simple fund-raiser and calls the event "valuable."

Antigun groups plan to go to Redskins headquarters on Monday to protest the event and to deliver a letter to Redskins owner Dan Snyder. If that doesn't work, they plan to protest at Tuesday's event.

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Georgia: Firearms ordinance on table: "After distributing more than a hundred fliers at local hunting and fishing shops, Walton Wood said he hopes residents will turn out in droves to tonight's Houston County Commission meeting. That's when commissioners will likely decide whether to ban the firing of guns within 300 feet of a building. 'If a bunch of folks show up that are opposed to it, we got a chance of shouting it down,' said Wood, who delivered letters to county commissioners Monday morning outlining opposition to the proposal. 'If nobody shows up, then of course, they're going to pass it.'"

THE BRAZILIAN REFERENDUM WAS A WINNER FOR SELF-DEFENCE

A proposal to ban the sale of guns in Brazil has been defeated by a clear majority in a referendum. Sixty-four percent of those who voted rejected the proposed ban, which was backed by the government, the Catholic Church and the United Nations. The gun ownership lobby successfully argued that guns were needed for personal security.

Guns kill one person in Brazil every 15 minutes, giving it the world's highest death toll from firearms. Last year, there were 36,000 shooting deaths. The UN says guns are the biggest cause of death among young people in Brazil.

The immediate consequence of the referendum is that gun shops will remain open. The BBC's Steve Kingstone in Sao Paulo says that the result may surprise outsiders, given the horrific scale of gun violence in Brazil.

The defeated "Yes" campaign had enjoyed an early lead in the opinion polls, but it was quickly outmanoeuvred. The "No" campaign convinced voters that the proposed ban would have no effect on criminals, on the grounds that criminals do not buy guns legally in shops.

It also argued that a gun ban would be a breach of civil rights. Beni Barbosa, the "No" campaign spokesman, said: "We managed to get our message across that Brazilians have individual rights which the state cannot take away." "Here, people were not choosing whether to have a gun or not. They were voting for their rights to choose."

Anti-gun campaigners said the swing away from a "Yes" vote was the result of people's desire to protest against the government's security policy. "We didn't lose because Brazilians like guns. We lost because people don't have confidence in the government or the police," said Denis Mizne, of anti-violence group Sou da Paz. "The 'No' campaign was much more effective. They are talking about a right to have a gun - it is a totally American debate."

More here





Ban baseball bats!: "The baseball bat has become the weapon of choice for a growing number of criminals in New Hampshire. Consider: In May, Mayor Bob Baines witnessed a fight involving a baseball bat outside a downtown nightclub. On Aug. 11 Stephen Raymond was brutally struck down by an assailant swinging a red baseball bat. On Sept. 4, men armed with baseball bats and an ax beat a McDonald's custodian in Meredith. ... All this makes us wonder, will anti-gun types soon begin calling for the registration and regulation of ball bats? Will Louisville Slugger adopt the slogan, 'Baseball bats don't kill people, people do?'"

GOOD OLD GUN-FREE BRITAIN AGAIN

Gun crime is spreading rapidly from city to suburb, one of Britain's most senior policemen warned yesterday. Tarique Ghaffur, the assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said: "Guns used to be confined to London areas such as Hackney, Lambeth and Brent. Now they are spreading to suburbs such as Wandsworth and Putney." It is a trend seen all over Britain. Nottingham, Manchester and Birmingham are notorious for shootings. Last year there were 59 recorded firearm incidents in Nottingham alone, four of them fatal.

Mr Ghaffur believes there is "an arms race going on", as ethnic groups copy the gun-use of Afro-Caribbean gangs. "Gun crime in Islington [north London] increased by 148 per cent last year," he said in an interview with The Sunday Telegraph. "It's up by 50 per cent or more in several other London boroughs. The reality is that the use of guns is ceasing to be an inner-city phenomenon. It's moving into the suburbs and the countryside."

Last week's crime figures showed violent crime rose by six per cent over the year 2004-2005, domestic burglary fell by 11 per cent - and overall, the total amount of crime was down by two per cent. "Murders in London would have been slightly down this year had it not been for the suicide terrorists killing more than 50 people on July 7," said Mr Ghaffur. "But what concerns me is the increasing willingness of criminals to use guns to kill people."

He does not think the trend can be reversed simply by more convictions. "What we're dealing with here is a generation of kids who grow up with a culture of violent crime," he said. "By the time they end up being sent to prison, it is too late." They start shoplifting at the age of 10, graduate to street robbery and drug dealing in their teens, and use guns for extortion and getting rid of rival drug dealers in their early twenties. "By the time these guys are 30 they are either dead, serving a long prison sentence - or are very successful criminals," he added.

More here




North Carolina: Customer shoots robber : "A customer at a private club shot and killed a man who allegedly was trying to rob club patrons, police said. Brandon Brown, 18, was killed at about 1 a.m. Saturday in a private club at 1505 Holloway St., police said. Brown allegedly was trying to rob about a dozen club patrons when one of them, Michael Henderson, fatally shot him, police said. No charges have been filed in the case, which remains under investigation, police said."

South Carolina: Store owner kills man in robbery: "A young man was killed by a store owner Monday when he walked into a convenience store, brandishing a small-caliber handgun and demanding money, Orangeburg County Sheriff Larry Williams says. ... Long-time proprietor Lacey Duncan, who is in his late 70s, was minding the store when the gun-wielding man entered. As they struggled, the gun discharged, but the bullet did not hit anyone, the sheriff said. Hearing the noise, Duncan's wife came into the store from the residence that is attached to the store. Observing the men fighting each other, she came to her husband's defense, the sheriff said. Lacey Duncan then 'discharged an unknown caliber weapon, striking the (assailant) and causing his death,' Williams said."


Georgia: Commission fails to pull trigger on gun rule: "It's still legal for Houston County residents to fire a gun on their property without their neighbor's permission -- for now. Houston County commissioners held off on approving an ordinance Tuesday that would ban residents from firing a gun within 300 feet of an occupied building. The standing-room-only crowd broke into applause when the commission unanimously decided to table the measure. 'That's politics at work -- public input,' Commissioner Larry Thomson said after the meeting. About 50 people showed up for the hearing, some speaking in favor of the ordinance and even more speaking against it."


Dumb British female soldier: "A soldier's weapon has been missing for two days after it was left in a supermarket toilet during a military exercise. An army captain put her waistband holster on top of the cistern in a disabled loo during an exercise on and then left it behind, the Sun reports. The captain, reportedly based at barracks in Chicksands, Bedfordshire, soon realised her blunder and rushed back to the Sainsbury's store in Hitchin. But the US-made Sig Sauer 9mm automatic had gone, along with 13 blanks also in the holster. Hertfordshire police said that the loaded pistol had still not been found and could cause serious injury."

Ohio: Aggressive dummo gets his deserts: "The man pounded on the front door of the home on Kimberly Circle, terrifying the couple inside. Then he smashed the front window, climbed inside and went to the living room where he met the male homeowner, who was holding a gun. '(The homeowner) told him to stay back, but he didn't listen,' Lt. John Huber said. The 62-year-old man then shot the intruder several times."


Myths about gun control: "Guns are dangerous. But myths are dangerous, too. Myths about guns are very dangerous, because they lead to bad laws. And bad laws kill people. 'Don't tell me this bill will not make a difference,' said President Clinton, who signed the Brady Bill into law. Sorry. Even the federal government can't say it has made a difference. The Centers for Disease Control did an extensive review of various types of gun control: waiting periods, registration and licensing, and bans on certain firearms. It found that the idea that gun control laws have reduced violent crime is simply a myth."


Protect lawful commerce in arms: "When a pro-gun bill is introduced in the House or Senate, you would not expect it to contain anti-gun clauses. Right? And yet, that is exactly what appears to be happening with S.397, one of two Lawful Commerce in Arms proposals. The original intent of S. 397 and H.R. 800 is to acknowledge that the Second Amendment is an individual right that shall not be infringed and to protect lawful firearm manufacturers, dealers, and importers from lawsuits resulting in the misuse of their product. Misuse of a firearm primarily includes pointing a loaded firearm at a person and pulling the trigger while not in a self defense situation. Most people would call that murder. But the anti-gun crowd has never sought to hold criminals accountable for their actions; they prefer to blame the inanimate firearm and its manufacturers."

What a lot of BS! Do they think the bad guys are going to take any notice?: "High school students in Birmingham, Jefferson County and Hoover public schools this month are participating in a national effort to reduce gun violence. The Student Pledge Against Gun Violence is a national program that encourages young people to take the lead by pledging to not carry guns to school or use guns to settle disputes, and to influence friends to do the same, said J. Brian Huff, the presiding judge at Jefferson County Family Court. Family Court Senior Trial Referee Andra Sparks, who oversees Jefferson County's juvenile gun court, urged parents to support their kids who are willing to back the pledge. 'The value of this pledge can be taught at home,' Sparks said. Huff agreed, and said parents need to pay attention if their child doesn't want to sign the pledge."



"Security is going to be provided" -- what a laugh!: "The last thing we need in Louisiana right now is Washington interest groups making trouble over practical decisions in an unprecedented national crisis. The National Rifle Association is miffed at federal and local authorities because guns were banned in the Baker travel trailer park housing hurricane evacuees. Those people need homes, and security is going to be provided. They're living in flimsy trailers. An accidental discharge of a firearm might result in a bullet going through several residences."

BRINGING GUNS TO WORK

If you are reading this column at work, don't panic, but I do have troubling news: your right to bring a gun to work may be in jeopardy. Yes, your capacity to defend yourself from that jerk in human resources may, just may, be going the way of the typewriter. But there is something you can do to stop the march of wimphood and protect your Second Amendment rights: don't buy gas from Conoco.

Here's the deal: Three years ago 12 workers at a Weyerhauser Co. paper mill in Valliant, Oklahoma were fired for violating the company's ban of having guns on its property, including the parking lot. The National Rifle Association led a crusade for justice. On June 9, 2005, according to an NRA press release, "Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry (D) signed into law today a National Rifle Association (NRA)-backed bill to prohibit employers from banning locked firearms in company parking lots." Phew.

But now ConocoPhillips and a bunch of other big employers in Oklahoma are being buttinskis and are suing to overturn the law, arguing they should have a right to control whether firearms are allowed on their premises, just like employers and businesses almost everywhere else in the country.

Well, rest easy, the NRA is not going to stand for that kind of anti-American, sissy stuff. They've organized a boycott of Conoco. "Across the country, we�re going to make ConocoPhillips the example of what happens when a corporation takes away your Second Amendment rights," NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre said. "If you are a corporation that�s anti-gun, anti-gun owner, or anti-Second Amendment, we will spare no effort or expense to work against you, to protect the rights of your law-abiding employees. Their rights are worth more than your money!" Wow. So far there seem to be a couple of big signs around Austin urging folks to stiff Conoco (and find oil companies that allow guns in their parking lots!). But I'm sure the boycott will get rolling real soon.

You can take further comfort in the fact that Kentucky passed its own "no employer gun ban" bill and so far it has been free of anti-gun, anti-gun owner or anti-Second Amendment meddling. And the NRA is trying to get laws specifically to keep guns in parking lots in Minnesota, Utah and Florida.

But I don't mean to imply that you should be lax in your vigilance. Do you know that you might not even be able to take a gun into a bar after work? Yep, it's true. The wise legislature of Arizona passed a bill this year that would have sort of codified the perfectly obvious right to bring a gun into a bar or restaurant so long as you're not drinking. They agreed with the NRA's ironclad logic that, "Establishments that serve alcohol are not immune from life-threatening violence. Citizens deserve the opportunity to defend themselves and their families when they dine out." Duh.

Well, enter another buttinski in the form of Governor Janet Napolitano, who vetoed the bill. She apparently bought the inane nonsense spouted by the executive director of the Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police who said, "Guns don't mix with booze any better than driving has." Hard to imagine a man with a job like that just ditching his duty to protect his family with firearms in an eatery.

Luckily, one thing you don't have to worry about is Democrats on the national scene messing with gun control anymore. They've given up on gun control because they have special pollsters who tell them that's the smart thing to do to win elections. Look where that got them in 2004: second place in a presidential election in the greatest nation on earth. That's pretty good if you ask me. They walloped Ralph Nader. So with the Democrats out of the picture, the House of Representatives is poised to approve the "Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act" - another NRA-sponsored bill that would give gun makers and gun dealers legal protections from lawsuits unlike those any other businesses have. The Senate has already passed the bill and the president is sure to sign it. I wonder if members of Congress can keep guns in their trunks at work.

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A lesson from the Third World about the value of gun control: "I've never owned a gun, nor do I plan on owning a gun in the future. I've never really felt the need to own one. I don't hunt. I'm not in law enforcement. I don't live on a farm where I might need one for varmints. I'm not involved in anything else where a gun might be needed. I've never felt the need to own one for self-defense. I've shot guns at targets or for practice once or twice, but that's about it. Part of the reason is that for most of 18 years, I lived in Papua New Guinea, a Third World country that has very strict gun control laws. One expatriate was kicked out for having a pellet gun. Yeah, a pellet gun. They didn't want any guns at all. Period. You would think in this country that had very strict controls on who could own guns that there would be little violence, right? Wrong. Their murder rate is twice that of the United States. And guess who had the guns? Sometimes not even the police because the criminals would steal them!"


Alaska shows the way: "Starting Wednesday, handgun owners won't need permits to carry concealed weapons in the seven Alaska cities where they're still required. There also will be no more restrictions on keeping a firearm in a vehicle. A new state anti-gun control law that goes into effect will essentially bar municipalities from passing gun laws that are more restrictive than state law. The National Rifle Association, which helped Republican state Rep. Mike Chenault write the legislation, says except for the concealed weapon permit requirements, most Alaska city and state gun laws are the same. What the NRA wants to do is prevent cities from passing more restrictive laws in the future. It calls it state pre-emption, and Alaska will be the 44th state to have such a law on its books. "We are looking to make it uniform to all 50 states," said NRA spokeswoman Kelly Hobbs. "Without it, it creates an unfair, inconsistent and confusing patchwork of local firearm ordinances."

Illinois: Homeowner fires handgun at intruder: "A Central Peoria resident who became alarmed by knocking fired his gun after his back door was kicked in by an intruder, police said. The resident, Jacob Scott, 30, told police he heard the noises and grabbed his handgun after the back door of his home was kicked in about 11:20 p.m. Scott, who couldn't remember how many times he fired the weapon, said he was afraid and wanted to protect his three children, who were asleep at the time."


Florida: Suspected home intruder dies: "An unidentified man shot by a homeowner in an apparent home invasion in Escambia County Wednesday night has died at a local hospital, said Sgt. Ted Roy of the Escambia County Sheriff�s Office. Roy said deputies were in the process of notifying the man�s family and soon would release his name. The shooting, which happened at a Chatham Avenue home, still is under investigation, he said. A homeowner allegedly shot the man in the chest during the apparent home invasion shortly after 9 p.m. The injured man was taken by Baptist LifeFlight helicopter to a Pensacola hospital where he was later pronounced dead".

Gun ban at FEMA City: "FEMA just flunked the personality test. FEMA officials didn't bat an eye when teams of police from other jurisdictions descended on New Orleans and St. Tammany Parish in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, disarming law-abiding citizens who had committed no crime. Nobody from FEMA uttered a peep when California Highway Patrol officers body-slammed Patricia Konie to the floor in her own home taking her revolver and forcibly removing her from her residence for evacuation. Yet FEMA went ballistic when a team of trained specialists came to help their fellow Americans, in a region gripped by anarchy, simply because the Phoenix group had the good sense to bring along four armed officers for their security ..."


FEMA firearms ban rouses gun groups: "Under pressure from gun rights groups, FEMA said today it is reconsidering a ban on firearms at a trailer park established to temporarily house Hurricane Katrina victims. The dispute involves a nearly 600-trailer encampment that opened last week near Baton Rouge. Katrina evacuees will be allowed to stay there rent-free while they try to find permanent housing. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it has been general policy at FEMA for several years to prohibit guns at such parks anywhere in the country. But the National Rifle Association threatened to sue, and another gun rights group, the Second Amendment Foundation, said it, too, was looking at legal action."


Georgia: Alleged hijack bid nonstarter: "Gwinnett police on Friday arrested a man they characterized as a would-be hijacker who tried to commandeer a tractor-trailer idling in traffic. Unfortunately for him, said officers, he chose a truck whose driver was armed."

Texas: Man foils robbery by shooting attacker: "A northwest Harris County man foiled an attempted robbery early this morning when he shot and killed one of two men who confronted him as he was walking to his car, sheriff's deputies said. ... No charges have been filed against the shooter. 'It appears to be self-defense,' said Harris County Sheriff's Department Lt. John Denholm, who was at the scene. The shooter told police he left his home and was walking toward his car to go to work when the two suspects confronted him. There was a struggle before the man took out a concealed hand gun."

Florida: Pol goes after workplace gun bans: "State Rep. Dennis Baxley is confident his proposed bill to allow employees to have guns in their vehicles on work property is a surefire winner. 'It's a national issue, really. I felt like Florida should take a position,' the Ocala Republican said Tuesday. 'It's just a matter of time until the anti-gun lobby gets to every major employer.'"

Indiana: Intruder killed, man wounded in 2 shootings: "A Chicago man was killed in a shootout with a Westside apartment dweller during a home invasion Saturday morning. ... Police said Franklin and the slain man, both carrying firearms, accosted two women at the apartment in the 7100 block of Heather Ridge Court around 4 a.m. Douglas Jones, 23, Indianapolis, also was inside the apartment. A shootout occurred, police said, with Jones, formerly of Chicago, armed with a handgun and a rifle. The Chicago man was killed, and Franklin was apprehended later, police said."


California: Program teaching kids about guns draws fire: "Five-year-old Jeff Jagels of Bakersfield is just starting school in Kern County, but he already knows what to do when he sees a gun. And other 5-year-olds in his neighborhood are about to learn what Jagels knows, too. 'Stop, don't touch, leave the area, tell an adult,' is what the youngsters are told by cartoon character Eddie Eagle. The Eddie Eagle Gun Safety Program is a free National Rifle Association project that teaches kids what to do when they see a gun. And Jeff Jagels' father thinks it's a great idea. ... But others disagree. Local emergency room doctor Art Kellermann ... said. 'Rather than try over and over again to gun-proof our kids, I think we ought to child-proof our guns.'"

Good news from Romania: "The thief shot dead inside the home of fashion designer Romanita Iovan should be granted a post mortem medal for having contributed to the promotion of the new Penal Code. Bogdan Iancu, a recidivist, has ended his mission on Earth after having stolen a handful of jewels from the home of Iovan family. He was just getting ready to return to Ferentari base. The operation was a half success as the owner of the villa in Primaverii St. no longer waited for the hare hunting season to begin and discharged the weapon for such game into the body of the 27 year old man. Right to the target. The following day, the newspapers wrote that the dead man was to blame as the owner has released the trigger of the gun in self defense. Tens of prime time talk shows and hundreds of ads would not have aroused so much interest for the changes brought to the Penal Code like the Wednesday night execution did. The extensive coverage of the case made us understand that the term of self defense is no longer an obsolete reply in the American movies. Now, self defense is also working in Romania. "


The family gunsmith: "Each month, I will lead the reader through a simple maintenence, refurbishment, redesign, or upgrade procedure that can be accomplished at your desk or on your kitchen table, employing only a basic minimum of hand-tools. Although I am primarily an adventure novelist today, I've been a shooter for much longer, and the first writing I was ever paid for appeared in gun magazines. Each of these new articles will consist of clear digital photos made with camera and scanner, and explanatory text based on my 48 years of experience with firearms (I was a competitive shooter at age 11), and my 38 years as a gunsmith, holsterer, and professional reloader, with additional stories and information gathered by a lifelong firearms enthusiast."

ANTI-GUN CANADA: BLACKS WANT APARTHEID AS A SOLUTION TO HUGE GUN CRIME PROBLEM!

The idea that making it easy for law-abiding citizens to arm themselves might help does not appear to have occurred to anybody. Criminals like to shoot but they sure don't like the idea of being shot

Decades after the civil rights movement fought for racial integration, a Toronto coalition of 22 black community groups disgusted by gun murders in the city wants a separate set of rules and institutions for blacks - from a government department to a diversion program for minor crimes. The ambitious demands are, black leaders say, a turning point.

Fifteen years ago, you would not have seen so many in the black community "so frustrated that they are willing to consider this a positive - this formation of separateness," said Zanana Akande, a former principal and an Ontario cabinet minister in Bob Rae's New Democratic Party government. "But blacks have now reached the point of such disgust, such frustration, such a feeling of rejection around these issues, that well-trained, well-qualified, capable people have given up and said, `You know what? Maybe we should have our own,'" said Akande, past-president of the Urban Alliance on Race Relations, which is not a member of the coalition. "The more unhappy people are with the systems that are in place, the more acquiescent they are to some special services. And people shouldn't feel good about that," she said. "We're not calling it segregation," said Sandra Carnegie-Douglas, president of the Jamaican Canadian Association and a coalition spokeswoman. "We know what we need. We live it. We attend the funerals. We deal with the dropouts and the children expelled from school. As it stands now, our communities are, in many ways, being destroyed."

Gun deaths have ravaged Toronto's black community more than ever this summer. Out of more than 60 homicides this year, a record 41 have involved a firearm. Black community leaders say "90 per cent" have involved blacks. The Coalition of African Canadian Organizations was spawned in August as a response to the bloodshed. It now represents a wide swath of the black community, which it believes is one of the most underserviced, underemployed, poverty-stricken and encumbered by racism.

Among the more far-reaching solutions proposed is a new provincial ministry office on African-Canadian affairs, created to help black Ontarians get access to services that alleviate poverty, help keep youth in school and allow them to thrive culturally. The coalition is also calling for:

A court diversion program for blacks who commit minor offences.

An economic development agency for blacks.

A skills training and employment access program focused on blacks.

Police to keep race-based statistics.

Repeal of the zero-tolerance school discipline policy, which the Ontario Human Rights Commission is investigating for accusations that it deals more harshly with blacks....

The coalition also supports calls for a black-focused school and envisions a vibrant African-Canadian cultural centre.

The focus of these proposals on a single group makes them highly controversial. Some of the ideas - such as a diversion program and a black-focused school - were broached more than a decade ago but vilified as segregationist. Last month, Premier Dalton McGuinty said he was "not comfortable" with the concept of a black-focused school. That rationale now infuriates these community leaders.....

Coalition members say it's time the black community took ownership of the problem, framing the debate and devising plans to lead, organize and monitor the progress of changes. "Our role will be to take on one of the defined solutions that need to be put to work and lead it. We all have to take a little chunk of it," said George Fynn, an account executive and president of the African Canadian Social Development Council. The coalition's manifesto is an "action plan" it hopes will form the basis of a summit with government leaders.

Members want race-based statistics kept for policing, employment and education, so a clear picture of the state of the community might emerge. And they want funding restored that was cut from social service programs, especially for at-risk youth.....

As to the charge that the proposals are segregationist, "I think that response comes from two types of people: an individual who doesn't understand the challenges the community faces, which are much more significant than those faced by other communities; and the individual who would not wish to see the community uplifted," Graham said.....

Not everyone in the coalition is entirely in agreement. Fynn, for instance, would like to see more effort to repair fractured relations with the police. Donkoh feels a black-focused school might not prepare students to live in wider society. Staff Sgt. Chris Bullen, head of the Association of Black Law Enforcers, a coalition member, said he's not sure about a separate black-offender diversion program. He favours making the current one more equitable. "If you look at a person who is going to make decisions about whether you got to a diversion program or not, they have to look like you. It helps," he said. But they all agree on the need for swift action. As Louis March put it: "I don't want to next year be talking about 100 shootings."

More here




And here is what happens when blacks DO run their own show. A report from Jamaica:

POLICE Commissioner Lucius Thomas who has been in the Jamaica Constabulary for 36 years, mostly in intelligence at Special Branch, often had one-on-one meetings with his predecessor, and so understood what the top job was all about..... I have also been travelling across the island visiting police stations to see the conditions under which police personnel work and live and operate. We are getting there.

Resources is a critical area for us. We pick up over 600 guns off the streets on a daily basis; 90 per cent of them are not analysed, so we have difficulty tracing them to determine whether it is so many guns being used in crime or the same guns being recycled. Also, we want the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), for fingerprint identification.

We picked up 74 persons in Tivoli Gardens on Tuesday and we held them for several hours. With the quick processing the AFIS system offers, we could run the fingerprints in a minute or two and determine, 'We don't want this man', and release him. Our communication system seems to be again running down, but I understand that government has a move afoot to adjust that."

If they pick up 600 guns a day, how many more must there be that the police DON'T pick up? What successful gun-control! (NOT)

Guns Banned at 'FEMA City' Outside Baton Rouge

A Second Amendment group is expressing "shock and disbelief" that people seeking refuge at a FEMA compound outside Baker, La., may not bring their firearms with them. According to a report that aired on the Lehrer News Hour on Thursday, displaced New Orleans residents are being allowed to move into a trailer and RV compound called "FEMA City," but the conditions for residency include a ban on firearms.

"This is not acceptable." said Second Amendment Foundation founder Alan Gottlieb. He noted that the Second Amendment Foundation and the National Rifle Association recently filed a lawsuit in New Orleans, winning a temporary restraining order against the confiscation of firearms by police in both New Orleans and in nearby St. Tammany Parish.

"It doesn't matter whether this refuge community is behind a gate, or whether it is patrolled by police and security guards," Gottlieb said. "This restriction appears to be illegal under Louisiana law and the state constitution, as well as under a federal court ruling some years ago that protected firearms owned by residents in a federal public housing facility in another state.

Gottlieb said his group is making inquiries about the firearms restriction -- and who ordered it. "When we find out, we are going to pursue legal action," he said. "Being the victim of a natural disaster does not require a citizen to surrender his or her civil rights, and that includes firearms rights and property rights," Gottlieb said. "The anti -gun attitude that seems to be growing out of Louisiana's disaster had better change, or we're going to change it in court."

Source





Wotta weapon! "General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, a business unit of General Dynamics, was awarded a $14.7 million contract by U.S. Army TACOM-ARDEC for the production of 1,097 MK19 grenade machine guns. Deliveries will commence in June 2006. The MK19 is capable of firing up to 400 grenades per minute and can provide lethal fire against a variety of targets, including lightly armored vehicles and dismounted infantry. Its high lethality and broad versatility make it the prime choice of the U.S. Armed Forces as an essential weapon in both offensive and defensive operations. Program management will occur at the company's Burlington, Vt., facility. Production work will be performed at General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products' Saco, Maine, facility, which has produced more than more than 32,000 MK19 systems for the U.S. Government and its allies since 1984.