...And the Beat Goes On

Jun 28, 12:33 AM EDT

NRA sues to overturn S.F. gun ban in city housing
By PAUL ELIAS Associated Press Writer

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The National Rifle Association sued the city of San Francisco on Friday to overturn its ban on handguns in public housing, a day after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a handgun ban in the nation's capital.
The legal action follows a similar lawsuit against the city of Chicago over its handgun ban, filed within hours of Thursday's high court ruling.

(snip)

San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera said that the Supreme Court ruling didn't address gun bans on government property and that he is "confident that our local gun control measures are on sound legal footing and will survive legal challenges."

San Francisco also requires residents to keep guns in lockboxes or equip them with trigger locks. That law, passed by the county supervisors last year, wasn't challenged in Friday's lawsuit.

A state appeals court has overturned a broader citywide gun ban that voters approved in 2005.

The Chicago lawsuit challenges the city's 1982 ordinance making it illegal to possess or sell handguns there.NRA lawyer C.D. Michel said both lawsuits were necessary to expand the Supreme Court's ruling beyond Washington, a federal district, to states and cities.

LINK to full story here

In other news Washington D.C. officials say that they will not allow Semi-auto pistols to be possessed in D.C.

Speak Up Now On Right-To-Carry In National Parks

I am putting this up again because it is so important, especially after the decision yesterday by the Supreme Court.

June 30th is the last day that comments will be accepted. If you haven't made a comment yet please do so Soon!

Comments can submitted by clicking on the link below:

Comment Here


Remember, all comments must be received by June 30. Submit your comments today!

Michael Reagan Says

"Liberals, who hate guns almost as much as they hate cars, got a well-deserved lesson in Second Amendment rights when the Supreme Court spit in their face by ruling that the Constitution really does guarantee the right of Americans to own guns.

The ruling, which struck down the District of Columbia’s laws almost totally restricting handgun ownership, affirmed the traditional view that the Second Amendment means exactly what it says when it guarantees "the right of the people to keep and bear arms." (snip)

The District of Columbia law was based on the fallacious idea that by banning hand gun ownership by citizens except under the most onerous conditions, criminals -- a not un-sizeable part of the district’s population even with the exclusion of members of Congress as a criminal class -- wouldn’t be able to buy and own guns and thus continue their murderous ways.

C’mon now. Do they really believe that criminals buy their guns in legitimate gun shops? ...


Link to full article!


I find it disheartening that four (4) of the Supreme Court Justices haven't a clue to the meaning and importance of the Constitution! --dean0

The "Supremes" decide?

Today is the day the fateful decision will be made public. Since I get to work today I won't know what it is until later tonight.

How will this effect us here in Western Colorado? I expect if the Supreme Court decision is in favor of the Constitution much will stay the same. On the other hand if they decide to interpret the Constitution incorrectly there will be no doubt some action of some sort. How about a "OPEN CARRY" demonstration one way or the other?

Here is an early article:

WASHINGTON - Anxious District officials prepared Wednesday to respond if the city’s handgun ban is struck down when the U.S. Supreme Court issues its decision in a case challenging that ban, a ruling the court signaled will come today. D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray said the high court was not likely to come down on the District’s side in D.C. v. Heller.

Link to full article

High noon: Out-of-state gun permit battle begins

There's a gunfight shaping up in the Utah Legislature. Gun advocates who want Utah to continue to arm the nation versus government bureaucrats and gun-control advocates who see the dangers in Utah's permissive concealed-carry permitting system.

Utah permits are the Tootsie Pops of concealed-carry permits: easily obtained, inexpensive, long-lasting and unhealthy, for Utahns and the nation as a whole. More than a third of Utah's 100,000-plus permits are in the hands of non-residents, who bypass more-stringent requirements in their home states. That doesn't seem fair.

The opening shots were fired last week at a meeting of the Legislature's Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice interim committee.

_________

An article in the Salt Lake Tribune LINK HERE

Some pursued Utah permits before Colorado had a "Shall Issue" and reciprocity with other states was not available to Colorado Permit holders. Why have a Utah permit?

Training in The Grand Valley

As was pointed out by Gene at Living the Grand Life I (dean0) helped teach a couple of NRA classes over that last weekend (June 21,22--2008). We had a great time with some great students.

I have been involved in NRA basic courses in Mesa County for a number of years (since 1994).

Also I have been involved in a very minor role in some other training that has taken place in Mesa County as well.

From time to time Alone Stivi brings his experts to Grand Junction and trains our citizens as well as our "protectors".

Direct Measures International is unlike any other security company in the world. We provide a full range of interdisciplinary training, consulting and protective services.

When faced with adversity, people look for PROVEN SOLUTIONS. Our team of elite American and Israeli operators and security specialists has over fifty years of DIRECT experience combating terrorism and violence.

Alon Stivi

Some Testimonials from folks in our area that have taken the training
offered.

"Thank you for the service you have provided to me by training a member of my staff. He now feels more confident in performing his duties as my personal security." - Scott McInnis, Member of Congress


Best tactical training I had in 22 years of law enforcement." - Patrol
Sgt.Roy Kinney - Rio Blanco County Sheriff.

I feel better equipped to do my job as a result of your training" - Sgt. Anthony Mazzola - Rio Blanco County Sheriff Department.

Your program should be taught in every law enforcement academy." - Officer Rachel Luchco - Meeker Police Department.

Best shooting / Active Shooter Response class I have ever attended." - Vince Wilczek, Chief of Police - Rangely Police Department.


"The entire course material was relevant and transferable. It taught me some of the best flashlight techniques I have ever tried" - Art Smith MCSD
SWAT /Firearm Instructor.


"The training was very realistic. The instructor was very,very knowledgeable." - Jim Rewald, Deputy, Los Angeles Sheriff
Department.

"The course taught effective survival techniques that addresses
real situations. This program should be taught to all law enforcement." - Sgt. Donna Dougherty, Mesa County Sheriff Department.

"Your arrest & control and defensive tactics can be use on the job
every day and should be taught to every profession that has to deal with
combative,resistive and out of control persons." - Lt. Laurie Galvin,
Professional Standards Training, Mesa County Sheriff Department.

I will Let you know before the next time Alon comes to town for civilian training !

GOD BLESS AMERICA

God Bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above.

From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America,
My home sweet home.

Pro Second Amendment Committee Essay Contest Winner

Bret C.
2nd Grade
Taupe Elementary


I think that everyone should learn how to use and respect guns when they are kids and then I don’t think that the United States would have as many problems with grown ups doing bad things with guns. I also think that it is important that everyone be allowed to own there own guns to protect there families and homes from bad guys. When I read the second amendment with my mom and looked up what militia means I decided that it means more than just the policemen and military. I think that it means all people who are citizens of the United States and like the second amendment says we need to be able to protect our country and we couldn’t with just bows and arrows, spears and knives. So I think that we will always need guns to protect our country from the bad guys.

I don’t think that guns kill people I think bad people kill people with guns. If the government like the president took away everyone’s guns I don’t think that we would be free anymore because then only the police and military would have guns and they would be the only ones who could protect us and there aren’t enough of them to protect everyone all the time. I think even if the president took away all the guns the bad guys would hide there’s and then the good guys would have nothing to protect themselves and there families with. Plus if we give everything to the president then we would lose all of our freedom.

I got my first rifle this year for Christmas and I know that it is a big responsibility because my mom and dad have taught me how to take care of it and that it is important to always be safe with it. I would be very sad if someone ever tried to take my rifle away because I want to become the best shooter and sniper that I can so that when I’m big enough I can hunt with my dad and help feed my family. When I grow up I want to be a SWAT officer. I know that I need to practice shooting a lot with my gun now so that I can help protect people who don’t have guns later. When I grow up I also want to be able to keep my family safe against burglars like my dad keeps us safe now. Those are the ways that I think the second amendment affects me.

OPEN CARRY --A MOVEMENT--?--

IN PENNSYLVAINA

Four members that were part of a group openly carrying guns at a restaurant in Dickson City last month have filed a lawsuit against the borough and its police officers.
Though not yet served, borough officials have said they are not surprised by the news.

LINK

ALSO

Mr. Banks, Mr. McCarren, Larry Meyer, of Susquehanna, and Mr. Banks’ wife, Judy Banks, filed the suit in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The suit names as defendants two officers, Karen Gallagher and Anthony Mariano, along with Police Chief William Stadnitski and Dickson City Borough.

The plaintiffs are asking for compensatory damages in excess of $100,000 and an “injunction requiring the individual defendants to receive such additional training as may be necessary to prevent a recurrence.” The compensatory figure doesn’t include punitive damages, which can be awarded as a punishment and a deterrent to the alleged rights violation being repeated.

The suit differs from the incident report on several points, including an allegation that police demanded “under threat of being arrested” that Mrs. Banks stop video-recording the incident. The police report indicated Officer Gallagher simply asked Mrs. Banks to turn off the recorder.

LINK


AND JUST WEST OF US IN UTAH

In Utah, there are places no one but law enforcement can take a gun, and there are restrictions, for example people without a concealed carry permit can't openly carry a loaded gun, but much of the time, it's allowed.
Jared Belcher is among those who choose to carry a gun. "It's a Bursa Thunder 380 I carry just about every day," he says. He carries it on his belt, out in the open. He said, "Most people, surprisingly, don't notice I have it."
Belcher says he's never had a problem taking the gun anywhere, but he's concerned because others he's met through the organization opencarry.org have. Travis Deveraux says he was walking in his West Valley neighborhood when an officer pulled up, pulled out her gun and ordered him on the ground.
"At the end there were a total of eight officers who'd cuffed me up, taken my firearm. But they let me go because there was nothing wrong I'd done," Deveraux said.

LINK

I find these situations interesting, but are these situations furthering any good cause?

Will there be anyone in Colorado take up this issue, and what will be the consequences of any “Civil Disobedience” in regard to Open Carry in Colorado? (It is legal in many situations, but is it necessary and/or is it wise?)

It seems to me that this is a growing movement and may eventually be an issue in Western Colorado.

More on Open Carry

. . . Now an "open carry" movement encourages gun owners to wear their weapons ostentatiously on their belts, "to make a firearm," in the words of a Los Angeles Times story last week, "as common an accessory as an iPod." Or, as one open carrier said, "Hey, we're normal people who carry guns."

In the great American gun debate, some would forgo the primordial shame the weapon still generates. Hence the "open carry" movement. But given the gun-deaths of children, and the sponsoring gun-paralysis of politics, Americans should have more shame, not less. A gun is no iPod. Shame is the children's last protection.

Entire Article Here

I put this article under the "News Tag" but it is clearly an opinion piece written by an uninformed fear-monger

Pro Second Amendment Committee Essay Contest Winner

Our Right to Bear Arms

James W.
Fruita Middle School
(Middle School 1st Place)

Our founding fathers wrote “A well-regulated militia, being necessary to secure the free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed” (Amendment 2).


I Think that this is one of the most important rights we have. It protects all of our other rights. If we didn’t have that right there really couldn’t be an America. If these right are not in place, we probably would get attacked a lot. What’s great about this right is there is no way anybody can take it away, because the constitution doesn’t say the right to bear anns should not be infringed it says it shall not be infringed and shall mean this is how it’s going to be if you like it or not. If someone even tries to take it away, I think they should be taken out of office immediately. If the right to bear arms got taken away America would not be what it is today, and our freedoms would be gone.


All our rights are important but the right to bear arms is the most important of them all. Like I said before it protects all of our other rights. If tenorist attack The United States of America their going to kill civilians even if they do not have a gun. I don’t know about you. But! I want to be able to protect myself Also, I love to hunt with a rifle and it would make me really MAD if I couldn’t. The people who obey the law’s won’t have guns and you know the bad guys will. The bad guys could just go to some place were there are no police at the time and just start shooting people then by the time the police get and there it will be too late.

OMGC Monthly High Power Scores

This is a run-down of this month's High Power Match at the Orchard Mesa Gun Club in Grand Junction Colorado.

SCORES HERE!

"Patriot Petitions"

The Right of the People ... shall not be infringed", a citizen petition affirming the Second Amendment's individual "right of the People to keep and bear arms."

I urge you to sign this petition today -- right now, please.

We need more than 100,000 signatures in order for this petition to be given the attention it deserves from national leaders.

To sign this petition online, link to --

Sign here

You can also sign this petition by sending a blank e-mail to:
email

PRO SECOND AMENDMENT COMMITTEE ESSAY CONTEST WINNER

Inalienable:The Right to Keep and Bear Arms
by T. Yeager.
Homeschool (Grand Junction)
(High School 1st Place)

Two hundred twenty-one years ago, fifty-five men came together to write out the laws of these United States. One of the documents that they drafted was the Bill of Rights. Within that sacred document are now twenty-seven articles, each carefully outlining the undeniable rights of an American citizen to ensure the freedom of that individual. Article Two, also known as the Second Amendment, contains the words “...the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” The question we are facing in 2008 is: does this amendment, written over 200 years ago, still have meaning in America today? Does it affect the no mal American citizen’s rights, freedom and future? I would say yes, it does affect our lives.

The Second Amendment affects all our rights by giving us the power to defend them. Noah Webster once said, “The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword because the whole body of the people are armed.” Webster knew the ‘supreme power in America’ would realize that when the rights of armed citizens are defiled, they [the citizens] have the power to protect their rights and will most likely do so. Therefore, if the citizens are armed, the government will think carefully about what they are doing, thus protecting the rights of the citizens.

There are few better examples of citizens defending their rights than the time of the Revolutionary War. At the time of this war, the rights of the citizens were constantly being infringed. When their numerous petitions for redress were constantly denied by the English government, they took up their arms and fought for the rights of the Englishmen they were at the time. We should never forget their sacrifice; it was huge. They were successful in winning their rights and instituted one of the most stable governments in the world. Remembering the war with England, the men of the Constitutional Convention took measures when they wrote the Constitution to ensure that the rights of the people would not be abused again. The right to keep and bear arms was very important to the founders. Because of this, although many of them thought that this right would never have to be protected by law, they put in the Second Amendment to ensure the rights of future Americans.

The right to bear arms is inseparable from freedom. Theodore Sedgwick, one of the framers of the Second Amendment said, “It is a chimerical idea to suppose that a country like this could ever be enslaved. How is an army for that purpose to subdue a nation of freemen who know how to prize liberty and who have anns in their hands?” While an unarmed people can do naught but submit to the every whim of their government, however tyrannical, an armed people is free to resist tyranny. They can defend themselves from those who would harm them, their families, or their property. They need not cower in their homes, but they can leave their homes without fear, free to go where they wish without being terrorized. Richard Henry Lee said, “To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them.”

In a society that is free to bear arms, it is the criminals that should fear, not the citizens. Citizens today have defended themselves with arms numerous times. An example of this occurred in Rochester, New York, when a homeowner, after seeing a nearby duplex stormed by a gang of armed men, grabbed his shotgun. Soon after, the gang forcibly entered his home. He exchanged shots with at least seven of them, killing two and wounding a third. The gang fled, and the man and his family were unharmed. This agrees with Samuel Adams’ statement that, “Among the natural rights of the Colonists are these; first, a right to life; secondly, to liberty; thirdly, to property - together with the right to support and defend them in the best manner they can.”

How does this all affect our future? The citizen’s right to bear arms keeps the government in check. They dare not pass laws that would practically enslave future generations of Americans. Keeping our freedom to bear arms is the only way to truly ensure national security. Patrick Henry knew this well. He said, “Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect every one who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined.” Without the right to bear arms, America will eventually be destroyed. We will not necessarily fall to enemies from overseas, although they will do what they can to contribute to our demise, but to enemies from within our own countiy. If we have any respect at all for our descendants who will live in this country, we must hold on tightly to our right to bear anns. Without it, we lose our rights and our freedom. Without those, we will lose our future.

IDPA 101

Howdy Shooters!

Ok, so it is scheduled! IDPA 101 is on! The date is set for Wed evening
June 25th, from 6pm-8pm. at the APG range in Whitewater. The cost will
be $15.00, you will need to supply your own ammo (2 boxes will be more
than enough).

What this class is NOT:
A tactical, concealed carry, or personal protection class.

What IDPA 101 IS:
A class for those that want to learn some of the *basics* of shooting an
IDPA match. Including: *rules, *scoring, *drawing techniques, *dry fire
practice drills, *sight acquisition, *cover, and *live fire drills through
an IDPA stage. 1 hour will be devoted to lecture, and 1 hour will be
devoted to both dry and live fire drills.

Please RSVP if you plan to participate. This class is NOT offered by
the IDPA, it is a training event that was put together by a few of us that are
experienced competitive shooters and certified firearm instructors. We
feel it would be beneficial to the new IDPA shooter, and hope you can
attend.

Please e mail or call me with questions:
Phone: 216-8633
email: email

Have a blessed week,

Rick

Colorado State Shooting Association

Buy 1 - 4 raffle tickets at $5 each!

Buy 5 raffle tickets for $20!

Growing movement to carry guns openly?

People are carrying pagers, BlackBerrys, cellphones,
They see a black lump on your belt and their eyes slide off."
John Pierce, the co-founder of OpenCarry



John Lott's take on open carry.


I guess that I am dubious about how large of a movement this is. I also think that there are probably greater social benefits to people carrying guns concealed since it protects people who don't carry. In addition, if a criminal is going to attack a group of people in public, he can wait for the people who are openly carrying to leave the area or take those people out first.

The L.A.Times story here:
Seattle Times story Here

John Lott's web page Here

London Telegraph covers the open carry movement!

A growing number of Americans are exercising their right not just to own guns but to carry them around in public. As a debate continues in Washington over the constitutional right to gun ownership, supporters of the so-called "open carry" movement argue that sidearms should be precisely that - a common accessory to be worn freely. Their right to wear their gun, usually on a holster at their hip, as they go about their day is protected in state laws that override any constitutional ruling in the US capital, they claim. The founders of OpenCarry, an internet-based organisation that offers advice on gun carrying, say they now have 5,000 members. They regularly get together for social events, such as pistol-packing picnics, as well as helping each other with legal advice. London Times Story Here


Open Carry Dot Org Here

GJ - IDPA MATCH 07-JUNE-2008

Match Scores Here

Gunning for empowerment (From the Aspen Times)

by: Charles Agar (Aspen Times)

There are some ladies in the Roaring Fork Valley that you just don’t want to mess with.

Especially women at “Girls with their Guns,” a personal safety course at the Basalt Shooting Range led by Mathew Bayley, a professional firearms instructor from Avon.

A 17-year military veteran

and longtime weapons instructor,

Mathew Bayley demonstrates to

his class how to use a gun

at close range.

(Jordan Curet/Aspen Times Weekly)

“It’s like a Tupperware party where you shoot the Tupperware,” Bayley says.

Full Article here

PERSONAL PROTECTION OUTSIDE THE HOME COURSE

Personal Protection Outside The Home Course

JUNE 21, 22

Location D.O.W. Training & Education Building Grand Junction Colorado

Who can sign up and take this course? Any law abiding adult who has taken Basic Pistol and the Personal Protection IN THE HOME Classes.

LENGTH: 14 HOURS

DESCRIPTION:

An intermediate level shooting course on how to use a firearm for self-defense in public settings. This course exposes students to many new shooting techniques and strategies which are applicable to self-defense situations outside the home.

COST: $60.00

CONTACT: Sharon Armstrong (970-464-5177).

REQUIRED MATERIALS:
SUITABLE HANDGUN
250 ROUNDS OF AMMUNITION
SUITABLE HOLSTER OR HOLSTER PURSE
EYE & EAR PROTECTION
CONCEALED CARRY CLOTHING (JACKET, COAT, SHIRT OR BLOUSE THAT CAN CONCEAL YOUR HANDGUN)

OPTIONAL (SUGGESTED) MATERIALS:
SPEED LOADERS
SPEED STRIPS
EXTRA MAGAZINES
POUCHES FOR SPEEDLOADERS/MAGAZINES

CCW Reciprocity Questions

I’ve had a number of folks ask me what happened to Packing-dot-org. This was a site that had been used by many to find current reciprocity status for their CCW permits.


Packing-dot.has been down for many months now and its replacement (handgunlaws.us) seems is now, in my opinion, the best site for reciprocity status.