Concealed handgun permit holder saves a life at a New Mexico Walmart

A fatal shooting at an Albuquerque Wal-Mart last week was the state's first by someone with a concealed-carry gun permit, authorities said.

Police said Felix Vigil was attacking his ex-wife with a knife near the store's deli counter where she worked when an armed customer intervened and shot him. The woman, Joyce Cordova, was treated for multiple stab wounds and later released from an Albuquerque hospital.

The armed customer, 72-year-old Due Moore, was interviewed after the shooting last Thursday and released.

Police spokeswoman Officer Trish Hoffman said it appeared the shooting was justified. However, it will be up to the district attorney to decide whether Moore, a volunteer with the police department's cold case unit, will be prosecuted.

In another story:

“It’s probably a very good thing he (Moore) was there,” says APD Sgt. Trish Hoffman. “Ms. Cordova may not be here today if it had not been for him.”

I would like to thank multiple readers for sending me links to this story: John Corry, Dennis McMurtrey, and Bill Bulgier. Thanks.

A look at the positive side of price-gouging and greed

Sonya Jones and I have a new op-ed in today's Houston Chronicle. The point is pretty simple:

Understanding economics has never been a requirement to be a politician. With gas prices reaching $70 per barrel on Monday and hotels outside of the disaster area raising rates, "price-gouging" seems to be politicians' favorite phrase these days. In the coming weeks, as people living in the disaster area try to get everything from fallen trees removed to food, the outcry against higher prices will only get worse. Yet, if political threats of price controls and price-gouging lawsuits prevent prices from rising now, it is the consumers who will suffer in the long run.

New op-ed on Judicial Confirmation Process up at Foxnews.com

I have a new op-ed up at Foxnews.com. The piece previews my predictions on Judge John Robert's confirmation, and I think that the confirmation will be much rougher than most others seem to think. I am willing to bet people that his confirmation will be longer than the last two Democratic appointees and that there is no way he will be confirmed before the start of the Court's term in October.

California's Attorney General Bill Lockyer has too much time on his hands

In a lawsuit filed after business on Friday, "Potato chips and french fries could soon come with a warning label if the state's top attorney prevails in a lawsuit filed Friday against nine fast food chains and snack-food makers." The concern is a chemical that has not been really shown to be linked to cancer that exists in very low amounts in potato chips and french fries. Possibly since Burger King's hamburgers are flame broiled they will also have to have a cancer warning lable. If Lockyer isn't trying to ban guns, he is doing things like this.

Outrageous behavior by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to shutdown gun shows

CNSnews reports: "The federal agency that regulates U.S. gun dealers stands accused, along with at least three Virginia law enforcement agencies, of trying to shut down legal gun shows through alleged intimidation of gun buyers and sellers. The law enforcement organizations also allegedly broke the law by sharing gun buyers' information with members of the public."

Thanks to Dan Gifford for sending me this.

Texans will soon be able to have handguns in their cars without a permit

"starting September 1, anyone can drive around with a handgun in their car without a permit. That is as long as they are at least 21 and meet other criteria like not being a gang member. The gun must also be out of sight." Not surprisingly, "Some law enforcement officials say they fear the law may lead to more gun violence." But my guess is that a year from now these concerns will be forgotten.

Thanks to Jorge Valin for sending me this article.

New Op-ed: Stop endangering employees

April Dabney and I have an op-ed in today's Washington Times. The beginning of the piece starts:

Banning guns from the workplace seems like the obvious way to prevent workplace violence. At least that is the policy at ConocoPhillips and many other companies. The nation's largest oil refiner bans employees from storing locked guns in their cars while parked in company parking lots. The issue erupted this month when the NRA announced a boycott of Conoco and Phillips 66 gasoline stations and editorial pages across the country attacked the NRA's action as outrageous.

    Two-and-a-half years ago, 12 employees at a Weyerhauser plant in Oklahoma were fired when they were caught unawares of a change in the company's ban on guns policy that was extended to the parking lot. The company had used trained dogs to find guns in employees' vehicles. Oklahoma's legislature overwhelmingly passed a law letting employees keep locked guns in their cars, but two firms, ConocoPhillips and the Williams Co., are challenging the law in court on the grounds that it endangers worker "safety." . . .

Gun Control Groups not so Grassroot

Chad Baus discusses where the so-called grassroot gun control groups get their funding from. Hint: it isn't from the grassroots. Of course, this is in addition to all the money that George Soros has given to the Brady Campaign to fund their suits against gun companies. Compare this to the millions of small donations that the NRA receives.

Commentary on my op-ed about Canada Blaming the US for its Crime Problems

Free Republic and Packing.org have some commentary on my recent op-ed at National Review Online.

Thank you

My website has passed over 300,000 unique visitors and over 500,000 page views. Thank you all very much for taking the time to visit the site. It is greatly appreciated.

The BTK Killer and defenseless victims

Art DeVany has an interesting discussion on this on his website:

had any of the BTK killer's victims been armed she might have ended his string of victims. I don't carry a gun or own one, but there is a case to be made that females would be safer if more of them were armed and lethal. There would be fewer BTKs, Green River Killers, and Ted Bundys in this world.

A few armed females makes these murderous chain killers uneasy when, at present, they have little to fear of their victims. It increases the chances their run of victims will end in their death rather than in their chosen victim's. And victims are spared down the chain. Don't just mourn the victims of this serial killers, let them take measures to stop these depraved and mad men.

The media bear responsibility for the bias against guns and the female body count of these chain killers. It is a simple case to make; females are easy targets for determined and experienced killers (we all are, but they are even easier). Why are instances where guns protect victims almost never reported (John noted one story buried far back in the NYTs that reported this fact)? How many victims are the result of this bias?

"Get used to officers with guns, police chief warns Scots"

[Mr Tomkins, chief constable of Lothian and Borders Police] told The Scotsman that the increased terrorist threat meant the sight of armed police on Scotland's streets was likely to become more common. . . .

Last month's bombings saw a massive increase in the presence of armed officers on the streets of London, and Mr Tomkins said that the Scottish public should also expect to see an increasingly visible armed presence. Armed officers are regularly deployed at Scottish airports, and after the 7/7 attacks they were also to be seen at train stations in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Thanks to John Williamson for sending me this article.

Bakersfield, Ca.: Woman uses gun to stop drug crazed man

A woman defending her home shot a trespasser after two warning shots Wednesday afternoon. It happened on O Street around 2 p.m.

Police said a man who may have been on PCP was attacking two pitbulls outside the woman’s back yard. . . .

The woman, who is said to be in her 40’s, came to the back yard and asked the suspect to leave. Police said he then came at the couple and pushed the elderly man to the ground.

The woman fired two warning shots into the air before shooting the man in the thigh.

“It sounds like the occupants life was legitimately in danger,” said Det. Jack Smith from the Bakersfield Police Department. “They didn't know who he was he seemed to be under the influence of some sort of drug.” . . .

Investigators said the wound is not life threatening and no charges will be filed against the woman.

Thanks to Nicki for sending me this article.

"Memphis seniors fight back in home invasion"

Two Memphis seniors took matters into their own hands and fought back against burglars, and an old Smith & Wesson will forever remind retired Naval Officer Bryant Green of his Tuesday morning ordeal.

He said it all began when his doorbell rang at 10 a.m., "I got up quickly and did not see anyone."

However, his 76 year old wife Gwyneth saw four men breaking into a backyard window of their West Crestwood house.

Bryant Green came out the front door, crept around his house and into the back courtyard where he saw one of the suspects with a shotgun.

Green said he and the young man exchanged a few rounds, but no one was hurt.

Gwyneth Green said she watched from inside in mortal terror, "I could see the smoke from the shotgun the fellow had...I was trembling so I couldn't stand."

The four med fled on foot and by car. . . .

Thanks to Nicki for sending this to me.

New oped: Is Canada right to blame US for its crime problems?

I have a new op-ed at National Review Online entitled:Canada Blames Us: Gun-control folly here, up north, across the pond...

What do you advise a woman to do when the police can't protect her

"North Carolina lawmakers have approved a measure that would require courts to give battered spouses something extra when they seek a restraining order — information on how to apply for a concealed weapon."

"PA GOP Files FEC Complaint Over Scranton Times Advertising Campaign"

"The Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania has filed an official complaint with the FEC over the Scranton-Times advertisement campaign that allegedly promotes the candidacy of Bob Casey Jr. The letter is signed by Chairman Eileen Melvin and addressed to the FEC’s Lawrence Norton." Part of the complaint is provided at NRO.

I guess that I don't think that the advertising will be found in violation of the campaign finance laws simply because the media is treated differently from everyone else, but I think that simply means that the laws don't have much logical consistency.

Another example of the problems with campaign finance regulations

Why are there limits to how much you can spend supporting a federal candidate, but there is not a limit for a newspaper or other media? Here a newspaper has spent money on ads that trumpet "Casey to run for Senate" when you or I couldn't not even spend the money that it would take to run one of these ads. Casey is running against Rick Santorum for the Senate in Pennsylvania.

Walt Disney changed the lyrics for "Born to Be Wild." Deletes firearms reference.

Walt Disney changed the lyrics for "Born to Be Wild."

For Herbie: Fully Loaded, they used classic rock songs covered by modern bands - like Caleigh Peters singing the Beach Boys' "Fun, Fun, Fun", the Donnas singing BTO's "Roll on Down the Highway", and the Mooney Suzuki singing Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild."

But if you listen closely, the motorcycle anthem's lyrics have been changed to eliminate a reference to firearms. Yeah, gonna make it happen...

"...Take the world in a love embrace.
Fire all your en-gines at once, and
explode into space."

It used to be "Fire all of your guns at once."

Original lyrics can be found here.

New London charging Kelo plaintiffs with rent for five years

I suppose that this isn't very surprising, but it shows how costly it is to defend yourself in court.

"In June 2004, NLDC sent the seven affected residents a letter indicating that after the completion of the case, the city would expect to receive retroactive "use and occupancy" payments (also known as "rent") from the residents.

In the letter, lawyers argued that because the takeover took place in 2000, the residents had been living on city property for nearly five years, and would therefore owe rent for the duration of their stay at the close of the trial. Any money made from tenantssome residents' only form of incomewould also have to be paid to the city." . . .

"The New London Development Corp., the semi-public organization hired by the city to facilitate the deal, is offering residents the market rate as it was in 2000, as state law requires."

Gun stocks are hot

"I'm all for buying Smith and Wesson [SWB, the stock] --- and I'm anti gun!!!!!!

Jim Cramer

CNBC stock guru August 16, 2005
Jim Cramer's Mad Money

New op-ed on the National Organization for Women

April Dabney and I have a new piece on some of the contradictions regarding the abortion debate. Our piece appears at Tech Central Station today.

Women's bodies are theirs to do what they want, but for the National Organization for Women (NOW) that only seems true as long as what the women want to do is politically correct. Despite NOW's rhetoric, the laws they have come out supporting the last couple of weeks appear to have more to do with forcing women to live the way NOW wants them to live then letting women have the freedom to make these decisions themselves.

In the last couple of weeks NOW has launched several campaigns, among them:

-- Some pharmacists have moral objections over selling the so-called "morning after pill." Even though there are virtually always other nearby pharmacists and that any chain store with such a pharmacist makes arrangements for someone else to fulfill the prescription, NOW believes that even that small inconvenience places too great of a burden on a woman's right to use her body as she sees fit, and thus such practices should be outlawed.

-- NOW is also fighting for a continued ban on silicone breast implants. They claim that the claimed health risks are just to great for women to be given the choice of using these implants. . . .

Story of Sandy Froman's move to the NRA

Jewish woman, a Bay Area native, heads NRA

by Joe Eskenazi
staff writer

Just as there are no atheists in the foxholes, there are no gun control advocates locked in their apartments with a large, menacing burglar attempting to batter his way in.

That was Sandra Froman’s experience nearly two decades ago. Her shouting, banging on the wall and even cranking the stereo to 11 didn’t scare off the would-be intruder, but he eventually proved inept enough at his chosen profession that he abandoned his effort to enter her domicile.

Still, the minutes of sheer terror left an impression on the San Mateo-born and raised Froman, and it would prove to be a life-altering moment.

“The next day, I went to the gun store. I didn’t even know where the gun store was — I had to look in the Yellow Pages. I was determined to protect myself,” said Froman, who became the National Rifle Association’s first Jewish (and second female) president earlier this year. . . .

"Statistics belie flood of guns from U.S."

PUBLICATION: GLOBE AND MAIL
DATE: 2005.08.15
PAGE: A1 (ILLUS)
BYLINE: COLIN FREEZE
SECTION: National News
EDITION: Metro
WORD COUNT: 857

------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------

Statistics belie flood of guns from U.S.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------

As Canadian politicians express alarm about a rising tide of guns smuggled from the United States, statistics obtained by The Globe and Mail show that federal border guards are seizing fewer firearms and Toronto police are pulling no more guns off the streets than they ordinarily do.

The Canada Border Services Agency says it has intercepted 318 guns so far in 2005, below the more than 1,000 seized guns that border guards have averaged annually during the past five years, and far fewer than the 1,500 seized annually in the 1990s.

And while Toronto Police Service Chief Bill Blair was widely quoted last week as saying his officers have seized more than 2,000 guns so far in 2005, civilians in his statistics department say the chief inadvertently "misspoke." Their official tally is only 1,151, consistent with the pace of seizures in recent years.

During the past three weeks, eight people have been killed by guns and 25 injured in Toronto. One man was killed and two others injured in two separate incidents Saturday night, the latest in the city.

As the gun violence appears to be rising, officials are left seeking answers. Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and other politicians have started lobbying U.S officials, asking them to help curtail the cross-border gun flow.

But if a glut of guns exists on Canadians streets, the weapons have not materialized overnight. The border agency says its lower seizure numbers stem from anti-smuggling efforts. . . .

No one really knows how many guns are crossing the border, but experts say plenty of problems lie in Canada's backyard and the Americans are not about to solve them.

"Guns from the U.S. are an issue, but a small part of the bigger picture," said Paul Culver, a senior Toronto Crown Attorney. . . .

Eliminating Gun Control Produces Huge Drop in Crime

Interesting report from the Russian News and Information Agency:

Advocates of legalizing firearms in Russia often refer to the experience of neighboring Latvia: After the relevant law was adopted, street crime dropped by 80%, and the Latvian police force has been cut.

Thanks very much to Don Kates for sending this.

The five most conservative and liberal cities in the US

Bay Area Center for Voting Research in California examined 237 cities and claimed that the five most conservative cities were:

1) Provo, Utah
2) Lubbock, Texas
3) Abilene, Texas
4) Hialeah, Florida
5) Plano, Texas

Five most liberal:

1) Detroit, Michigan
2) Gary, Indiana
3) Berkeley, California
4) Washington D.C.
5) Oakland, California

"Armed citizen's quick thinking yields arrests" (Aug 11, 2005)

A citizen armed with a .44 Magnum stopped a suspected thief long enough for sheriff's deputies to make an arrest Tuesday morning.

The decision by Chuck Estes led to two arrests connected to a string of vehicle break-ins in a neighborhood near the intersection of Normandy Drive and View Ridge Drive, west of Lacey.

Estes didn't keep the gun -- a revolver with a 6-inch barrel -- pointed very long, he said. He holstered it immediately after determining the suspect didn't pose a threat, he said.

"I made it very clear to stay in the car and that he was not at risk and that I was not a threat," said Estes, 40, who has a concealed weapon permit.

It was about 4 a.m., and Estes was on his way to work when he noticed someone had sliced into his wife's convertible to steal her stereo and speakers. He didn't think he had time to deal with it right away.

Update on fake pro-gun website run by Democrats

An earlier post noted that:

Hunters and Shooters Website
"The AHSA press person, Dan Drummond, appears to be a familiar name in Virginia Democratic circles:

Dan Drummond
Chairman, Fairfax City Democratic Committee
dan@fairfaxcitydemocrats.org
703-218-4090

Mr. Drummond also has his own blog http://fairfaxcitydems.blogspot.com/

Well, apparently there was a Dan Drummond who used to work for Jim Moran (D-VA).

Self Defense Gun use in Memphis, TN (8/11)

A sanitation worker who unloaded six .357 Magnum slugs into an armed kidnapper won't be charged with a crime, officials said Wednesday.

And Jacob Evans didn't have a permit to carry the pistol, but won't be charged for that, either, officials said.

Dist. Atty. Gen. Bill Gibbons said the shooting was justifiable.

Under state law, he said, a person can't be charged with not having a gun permit if the gun is used in a justifiable self-defense.

And Evans -- an outspoken 59-year-old -- said he definitely feared for his life. . . .

Evans was jumped by two men as he drove up to his home in the 300 block of Edsel Tuesday after work.

The two forced him into his Lincoln Town Car and made him drive to a bank where they wanted him to withdraw $10,000.

One man went into the First Tennessee at 1200 S. Third to fetch a withdrawal slip and gave his pistol to his accomplice, who already had a .22-caliber rifle.

Evans -- who'd been robbed of $465 by the pair three weeks ago -- reached under his car seat, turned and emptied his newly bought pistol on his armed captor.

He tried to shoot the second man when he returned, but his gun jammed.

Evans said after he was robbed, he bought the handgun from a friend at a parking lot for $75 the next day.

A new .357 Magnum can run anywhere from $250 to $500. The sale to Evans wasn't illegal, officials said, though the weapon should eventually have been registered.

The gun cost only $75 because the cylinder was stuck. Evans said he used baby oil to loosen it, but it jammed after he reloaded it. . . .

Thanks to Jason Morin for sending this.

Defensive Gun Use Story: "Owner wounds scrapyard intruder" (Aug 9, 05)

Paul Bronfman says burglars have gotten away with breaking into his Kansas City scrapyard for months.

Monday, he did something about it. He checked his scrapyard near 14th Terrace and Norton Avenue at about 5 a.m. and stumbled upon an alleged burglar wielding a wrench.

Bronfman said he fired two warning shots and then fired twice more at the burglar, who Bronfman said was advancing toward him. The 38-year-old man suffered non-life-threatening wounds to his shoulder and buttocks, police said.

The man remained hospitalized Monday while police investigated. When they are finished, police will forward their case file to prosecutors, who will decide whether to file charges.

Bronfman said he has owned the A/3 Auto Salvage scrapyard on East 14th Terrace about two years. In the past few months, criminals have stolen catalytic converters, aluminum wheels and just about anything else of value, he said.

“I feel that I was in the right,” said Bronfman, 49. “I’ve got to stop them somehow. I’m tired of them ripping me off all the time.”

Burglars began by crawling under his front gate. So Bronfman hauled three tons of rock to fill the gap under the gate. Burglars then used bolt cutters to clip openings in his 8-foot-tall chain-link fence.

“I just paid a guy $175 three days ago to fix one hole in my fence,” Bronfman said, adding that the thefts have kept him from sleeping.

He said he left his home about 4:30 a.m. Monday to check on the property. When he saw a new hole in his fence, he crawled through. Almost immediately, he said, he saw an intruder in a semi. When he fired two warning shots, the intruder started to climb out of the cab and fell.

The man stepped toward him holding a wrench in his raised hand, Bronfman said, so he fired twice more, hitting the man. . . .

Armed Robbery stopped in Shreveport, LA (Aug 4, 05)

an armed man wearing a ski mask walked into Citgo in the 5700 block of South Lakeshore Drive in Shreveport about 9:30 p.m. Sunday, police Detective Mike McConnell said.

"The owner was working in the back of the store and heard the doorbell. He looks and sees one person dressed in all black standing behind the counter."

The 52-year-old recognized he was about to be robbed and pulled out a semiautomatic handgun he commonly carried, McConnell said. The unmistakable sound of the owner racking the gun's slide caused the would-be robber to turn and begin firing.

"The suspect fires first and the owner returned fire."

Several shots were exchanged, but no one was hit and nothing was taken from the store, police said.

The Democrats "game plan" on John Roberts?

Democrats know this nominee isn't likely to be filibustered; he's too well qualified. They assume he will be approved, barring any unforeseen developments. So here's the challenge: Find a smart way to lose.

Sure, the Democrats should do their reasonable best to get the full Roberts record. But they know the conservative story line here; they risk looking obstructionist if they go to the mat. Let's face it: Roberts is not John Bolton. When Democrats waged a battle over the release of information regarding Bush's nominee as envoy to the United Nations, they were on terra firma. Bolton's ex-colleagues had already provided reasons to question his character and conduct. If Bolton was Dr. Evil, Roberts is Ward Cleaver.

This is not to say that Democrats should just raise the white flag. Why not pick a few issues to press, thereby defining the differences between Democrats and Republicans? A good choice would be the right to privacy. Not just abortion; argue about the role of government in our lives. It's broader--and allows Democrats to revisit the Terri Schiavo case, in which the GOP angered a majority of voters by intervening. That way, says one Democratic strategist, "we can also talk to conservative men in the Midwest" who haven't been cheering Democrats on lately. The pitch: Roberts isn't a bad person; he's just the single best example of the different party views of the world.

Brain drain. Yet this is the sad news about the Democrats: For liberals, that won't be enough. In fact, Democrats who are polite to Roberts--and may even vote for him--will no doubt be considered a bunch of appeasing Neville Chamberlains. "We have lost our brains," one Democratic pollster confides. "The left wing controls all of the dialogue." Just last week, when Sen. Hillary Clinton called for an ideological truce within the Democratic Party, she was shellacked by liberal bloggers. Her crime: agreeing to come up with a more positive--and inclusive--party agenda. Imagine that. . . .

More facts on Democrats falsely posing as gun rights group

Dan Z sends me the following info:

American Hunters and Shooters Association's (AHSA) president, John E. Rosenthal, is also the founder of Stop Handgun Violence, Inc.

He also notes that "The AHSA press person, Dan Drummond, appears to be a familiar name in Virginia Democratic circles:

Dan Drummond
Chairman, Fairfax City Democratic Committee
dan@fairfaxcitydemocrats.org
703-218-4090

Mr. Drummond also has his own blog http://fairfaxcitydems.blogspot.com/

Other discussions on this misleading website can be found at here and here.

Thanks, Dan.

Canadian GUN REGISTRY BEING USED AS A SHOPPING LIST BY CRIMINALS?

August 3, 2005 – COMPLAINT TO INFORMATION COMMISSIONER WITH COPIES TO THE PRIVACY COMMISSIONER & AUDITOR GENERAL

. . .

We know from reports to our office by individual firearms owners (particularly owners of registered handguns) that there maybe as many as nineteen suspicious thefts in the Edmonton area alone. Most of these reported thefts involved the theft of multiple handguns from each residence and were reported to either the RCMP or the Edmonton Police Service or both. In the police reports filed by the victims, specific mention has been made about their suspicions that the thieves may be obtaining personal and private information about the types of firearms they own from the firearms registry.

It is inconceivable that these theft of handgun reports to the police haven’t raised red flags in the RCMP and in the CFC. At least, there should be reports saying that these suspicions have been investigated and that there was no evidence that the gun registration information systems had been compromised.

It is also just as inconceivable that both the RCMP and the CFC failed to anticipate the possibility that their firearms registration information systems could be compromised by officials with access to the systems or by criminals with the technological means. Both the CFC and the RCMP must have prepared reports and plans on how to deal with such an eventuality. Even CPIC is accessed illegally a few hundred times every year. This matter has also been a constant concern expressed by firearms owners and opponents to the gun registry (inside and outside Parliament) since 1995 and must have been the subject of reports, correspondence, Risk Assessments and Privacy Impact Assessments by both the CFC and the RCMP.

We hope your investigator can find out what these departments are doing about these suspicious firearms thefts and what they have done to allay the longstanding fears of firearms owners. As it is now, the CFC and RCMP responses to our ATI requests leads everyone to believe that they have done nothing.

Democrats change registration of fake website used to support gun control policies

On August 3rd I posted some information that appears to indicate that Democrats had set up what appears to be a gun owners website that advocates some of the Democrats favorite gun control regulations. In some ways this site reminds me of the fradulent website that gun control advocates set up during 2003 where they pretended to be me and send out emails under my name. A friend of mine has done some additional searching today about the www.huntersandshooters.com website and sent me an update indicating that some aspects of the site's registration have been changing:

"1. The web site huntersandshooters.com is presently (8-5-2005) registered
through GoDaddy.com to one Robert Ricker at a PO box in Frederick, MD. . . .

4. [This friend] can confirm that "the" Ricker has indeed shown up to give anti-gun
testimony before legislative committees in Annapolis, as recently as the
most recent session (which ended in April.) He has a Maryland connection.

5. . . . [This friend now finds] at least one anti-gun group link to huntersandshooters.com."

Ken Maurer writes me that:

"First, Bob Ricker is listed on the web site as one of their Executive Director, complete with a bio that reads as if he's one of the movers and shakers of "the gun lobby". Jody Powell (from Carter's White House staff) is also listed as one of their leaders, while Joe Rosenthal is listed as their Foundation Director. (This probably means that anyone trying to follow the money trail would discover he's the primary funder of the effort.) Finally, while both have been changed to Bob Ricker now as you indicated, when I checked their "whois" information on 8/1 the administrative and technical contacts for their site were listed as being DCCongressional."

A Defensive Gun Use that Got the Newspaper's Attention

Posted on Wed, Aug. 03, 2005


Star carrier under attack fires his gun to fend off assailants

By JOHN SHULTZ The Kansas City Star

A veteran contract carrier for The Kansas City Star parked close to a store at Fifth Street and Troost Avenue as always early Tuesday. It meant a quick trip back to his van.

But not quick enough to evade four attackers.

One assailant and perhaps others in his group rained punches on the 66-year-old carrier through his driver-side window. He used a gun to fend them off, firing three times.

They never asked for money.

“I thought these guys just weren’t going to let up,” said the carrier, who asked not to be identified because his attackers remained free. “He intended to knock me out … maybe leave me for dead. At that time, he’d get whatever he wanted.”

The assault began just before 3 a.m., police said. The carrier said he saw the men emerge from nearby Garrison Park and run toward him.

“I thought at first they were probably just going to ask (for) money,” said the carrier, who has been approached before for money by panhandlers and provided loose change.

But these men, probably in their teens or 20s, sprinted his way.

“He just said ‘Hey,’ then pow,” the carrier said.

While the carrier was being hit, the van, which he already had put in drive, rolled a short distance and smacked into the concrete and brick of the store.

The carrier pulled a .380-caliber handgun from a holster near his seat. The attackers fled, running east, as the carrier fired a shot out his window. He got out of the van, stumbling, the carrier said, and fired two more shots above his assailants’ heads. . . .

The victim, police said, appeared to be within his rights of defending himself. . . .

Some perspective on campaign contributions

"In 2002, there were 695,000 lawyers in the United States.[7] Their campaign contribution for that year’s election cycle was $95,478,421 or $137 per lawyer.[8] According to Mr. Barnes [President, Brady Campaign to Prevent Handgun Violence], this is not “powerful special interests.” During the same cycle, the National Rifle Association contributed $2,027,889.[9] Since the NRA has about 3 million members,[10] this averages out to 68 cents per member. Rather than avail themselves of readily-available monetary wealth, as news reports imply, the organization practices what Barnes implies is the subversive, anti-democratic method of voter activism:"

Thanks to Jason Morin and Howard Nemerov for alterting me to this piece. Donations do not concern me from either group, though it is useful to point out that some perspective is needed in evaluating the different claims being made.

Columbus, Ohio puts forward rules today on gun registration

Columbus city officials will put forward their Assault Weapon registration rules.

Letter in USA Today on Abortion Rates prior to 1973

'Bans' aren't absolute

Laura Vanderkam is correct that few abortions would be stopped by overturning Roe v. Wade, but the argument is even stronger than she thinks.

Even for the states that she lists as possibly re-adopting a ban, a total ban did not exist before Roe. States with "bans" still had life or health exceptions for the mother, which were often interpreted quite liberally by many doctors. Many allowed "mental health" considerations. In fact, according to my research of abortion data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, even among the four Southern states that she notes could adopt a new ban, all of them (Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Georgia) allowed at least some abortions before 1973. The most surprising fact is that many states that allowed abortions only when the life or health of the mother was endangered before 1973 had higher abortion rates than did the states where abortion was legal.

John R. Lott Jr., resident scholar, American Enterprise Institute, Washington

Democrats set up fake organizations to support gun control policies

Below is some information that was sent to me. I haven't had time to check these claims out.

UPDATE: Other updated discussions on this misleading website can be found at here and here. The first link has information by Dan Z that, among other things, "American Hunters and Shooters Association's (AHSA) president, John E. Rosenthal, is also the founder of Stop Handgun Violence, Inc."

Democratic Leadership Council use PR firm to push more Gun Laws

A Washington based PR Firm called DCS - Internet Advocacy Group thats used by a list of who's who in the Democrat party as well as the official PR firm for the Democrat leadership Council (DLC) that Sen. Hillary Clinton is the 'Chair' member as well as reportedly hand pick DCS to do ALL of the DLC PR work.

DCS Has register a bogus 'Pro-Gun' sportsmen group in the attempt to make it appear as hunters and trap shooters are in favor of Assault weapon 'bans as well as other anti gun related issues.

By creating this made up group called The American Hunters and Shooters Association (AHSA), who will inevitably be used in future Democrat led anti gun campaigns in the near future as so called 'expert' witnesses or a 'sane' voice of sportsmen. just so the anti gun democrats can grandstand for gun control non-issues via their willing accomplishes in the press. I'd imagine the closer we get to the '08' presidential election the more (AHSA) will be in the news.

Dick Morris , former Clinton PR man has stated numerously how the Democrats and Sen. Hillary have personally created made up Internet based advocacy groups repeatedly in the past to drum up false public support to site at their press conferences and Senate hearings, just so the Democrats will get their names put out in the news. According to Morris, During the Clinton administration there was a brainstorming group under then first lady Hillary's oversight inside the white house who did this kind of fabricated PR all the time.

So who did DCS make as the head of their bogus gun group, well none other than John Rosenthal, Co founder of Stop Handgun Violence (SHV). SHV has supported every anti-second amendment rights bill since the organizations creation.The personal pet anti gun group of the anti-gun Democrats.

The following background on all involved was uncovered.

[1.] The bogus Pro gun group: The American Hunters and Shooters Association (AHSA) is located at: 600 Pennsylvania Ave SE, suite 200, Washington, District of Columbia 20003 As listed on their website and on their domain name registration.

Its domain name: http://www.huntersandshooters.com was registered on 25-Apr-05 by Registrant:DCS - Internet Advocacy Group, 600 Pennsylvania Ave SE,suite 200,Washington, District of Columbia

20003 As listed on DCS website and on their domain name registration.
DCS website is located here: http://dcscongressional.com/

[2.] The Democrat Leadership Council http://www.dlc.org/
is located at: 600 Pennsylvania Ave SE, suite 400, Washington, District of Columbia 20003 As listed on their website and on their domain name registration.

[3.] The PR Firm called DCS- Internet Advocacy Group http://dcscongressional.com/
is located at: 600 Pennsylvania Ave SE, suite 200, Washington, District of Columbia 20003

[4.] So ALL three groups:The Democrat leadership council (DLC) , DCS - Internet Advocacy Group and The American Hunters and Shooters Association (AHSA) Are located in the same building and all three groups are pushing to take away your rights via their made up causes for the sake of getting their faces in the news.

According to Bernstein Management Corp. the Property Managements website: http://www.bernsteinmgmt.com/
Location: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE Washington, DC,
Contact Number: (202) 363-6301 Austin Herndon

Please click through on the main link to get the original source for this.

CSPAN debate at 2:00 today EDT

For those interested: CSPAN 1 is carrying a debate about campaign spending limits that I will be participating in. I will be on from 2:00 to 2:50 PM today, although the show will go until about 4.

UPDATE: The program will also be replayed from 4:21 AM to 6:21 AM on Thursday morning on CSPAN 2.

Bolton On the Second Amendment

“The United States will not join consensus on a final document that contains measures contrary to our constitutional right to keep and bear arms…We do not support measures that would constrain legal trade and legal manufacturing of small arms and light weapons. The vast majority of arms transfers in the world are routine and not problematic.”
-- Addressing the UN Conference on Small Arms, July 9, 2001.

Thanks to Rex Chadwell for sending me this.

Academics drag feet on giving out data

On June 23, Rep. Barton, chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, sent letters to the climate researchers responsible for developing the notorious “hockey stick” graph, which purports to show a dramatic rise in global temperatures during the 20th century after a millennium of supposedly little change in global temperature.

The hockey stick graph has been key weapon in the arsenal of the global warming alarmists in their efforts to scare the U.S. into signing the Kyoto Protocol and clamping down on greenhouse gas emissions and energy use.

The graph has been criticized for many reasons, including its reliance on dubious estimates of historic temperatures based on the size of tree rings. Not only is temperature merely one factor that contributes to tree growth (as evidenced by the ring size), but a 15th century portion of the hockey stick graph is based on tree ring measurements from a single tree.

Noting that “sharing data and research results is a basic tenet of open scientific inquiry” and that the hockey stick research was paid for with public funds, Chairman Barton asked Dr. Michael Mann of the University of Virginia for the computer code used to generate the hockey stick graph. Dr. Mann had previously refused to provide his computer code to other climate researchers who had requested it.

Dr. Mann apparently decided that he cannot withhold his data and computer code any longer from the public and agreed in a letter to post his data and computer code on the Internet -- but not without squealing about it first. Before Dr. Mann turned over his data, virtually the entire spectrum of global warming alarmists attacked Chairman Barton for requesting access to the data and code.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science, long a proponent of global warming alarmism, chided Chairman Barton in a July 13 letter that Dr. Mann’s hockey stick had already been accepted by the United Nations’ global warming organization and that Congress ought not interfere with that process.

Self Defense Lubbock, Texas style

A retired Lubbock police officer fatally shot a suspected burglar on Thursday and wounded an accomplice after discovering the pair in his home.

James Kimber, 65, returned home shortly after noon and noticed his garage door opened slightly. Kimber went inside, got a handgun from the laundry area and started looking around. He then heard voices coming from a bedroom and the sound of a semiautomatic weapon being cocked, said Lubbock police Lt. Roy Bassett.

When Kimber opened the bedroom door, an armed man rushed him. Kimber fired, striking the man in the chest. Fermin Martinez Jr., 19, of Idalou, staggered out the door and died in the alley behind Kimber's home, police said.

Kimber also shot Richard Steven Lovato, 19, of Lubbock, in the leg and held him at gunpoint until officers arrived.

Kimber retired from the department in 1996.

Ill. Gov. Blagojevich vetoes three pro-gun bills

Gov. Rod Blagojevich vetoed three bills Sunday that were backed by gun-rights advocates, saying the measures would have weakened laws aimed at keeping firearms out of the hands of criminals.

One bill called for the Illinois State Police to purge background check data 90 days after the check is performed. The measure also would have required background checks on potential firearms buyers at gun shows, but Blagojevich signed separate legislation on Friday that accomplished that same goal. . . .

Another bill would have eliminated a waiting period for gun owners trading in one firearm for another. A third would have overridden local laws regulating the transport of guns.