NEW JERSEY MILITIA NEWSLETTER
Volume V, Issue No. IX A Monthly Newsletter March, 2000
All persons are by nature free and independent, and have certain natural and unalienabic rights, among which are those of enjoying and defending life and liberty, of acquiring, possessing, and protecting property, and of pursuing and obtaining safety and happiness.
—Article 1, Section 1, New Jersey State Constitution
HCFS RATING SYSTEM
Handgun Control. Inc. puts out a state-bv-state "report card" every year scoring which states have the best and worst gun laws. Needless to say our rating system is the exact opposite of HCI's. Time and space doesn't allow us to cover all states, but here are a few samples:
California improved its 1998 B grade to a B+ because the legislature passed several laws that will keep handguns out of the wrong hands. Governor Uavis has already signed a one-handgun-per-month law and a stricter assault weapons ban. The legislature has also passed bills to ban the sale of cheaply made, concealable handguns while also requiring the sale of child safety locking devices. Next year, the legislature will consider a handgun-licensing bill. In 1996. 675 children and teenagers in California died as a result of firearms.
Ed.: Could HC1 be morally and intellectually bankrupt? Morally so because it utterly denies people the right to self-defense, which is the first law of nature. The weak. the handicapped and women in particular need an equalizer against superior physical force - and nothing beats a firearm for that purpose. HCI seems to he wanting in intellectual integrity too. The "teenagers'' that die from gunfire are predominately criminals and gang members. (Anybody remember the movie Boyz N the Hood set in South Central LA0) Of the 675 how many were children? How many teenagers? How many of the teenage deaths were suicides or justifiable homicides committed either by citizens or police? HCI won't say. - Interestingly, but not surprisingly, HCI's 675 figure is a lie, as the Missoulian of Missoula, MT pointed out in an editorial March 21, 2000: "California Gov. Gray Davis recently announced in a press release that 675 children died from accidental shootings last \ear in just California. When someone pointed out that the state's own Health Department put that figure at just 15,
lie replied, in tlic best Clintonian tradition, that the error was made by a press aide.
"So, if you are totally confused, here are the facts: According to the National Safety Council, in 1995 - the last year for which there is complete data - 181 children were killed all across America in gun accidents. And the number is going down each year, even as gun ownership has soared. That makes bathtubs roughly five times more dangerous. The death of any child is a tragedy, but guns account for less than 4 percent of accidental deaths among children under 15 and barely 1 percent for children under 10. More kids would be saved if morning news shows invested half their gun control time on warnings against leaving children alone in the tub."
Georgia's grade went down from a C-grade to a D+ because it has done nothing to keep guns out of the wrong hands. This year the legislature failed to pass a Child Access Prevention bill, and also became the first state to immunize the gun industry by passing legislation prohibiting Atlanta's lawsuit against gun manufacturers. The Georgia legislature had previously pre-empted Atlanta's tougher gun laws; this year they attempted to prevent access to the courts. Fortunately, Atlanta's suit was filed before the lawsuit preemption bill became law. In 1996, 162 children and teenagers in Georgia died as a result of firearms.
Ed.: HCI seems to be suffering from delusions. Of course it doesn't define terms like "the wrong hands." But based on their position regarding firearms we can be sure that they mean that only the police and military should be armed. By that definition firearms in the hands of the people are in "the wrong hands.'" Their delusion is two-fold, one, that gun control will keep guns from criminals, and two, that the police and the military are incapable of criminality.
Illinois improved its 1998 grade of B to a B+ because the state passed a Child Access Prevention law this year. Also. Chicago has filed a landmark lawsuit against the gun industry after extensive research on straw
purchasing and multiple sales of firearms in Hie state. Uiit'orSur.ateh, the sialc IcyisSaiure failed to pass a bill which would have limited handgun sales to one per person per •month. The state does allow localities to pass laws relating to firearm regulation and has strong juvenile possession and sale laws. In 1996. 309 children and teenagers in Illinois died as a result of firearms.
Ed.: HCI is using '"the children" and Child Access Prevention bills to disarm all Americans. However a study "Urban Delinquency and Substance Abuse," which was conducted from 1993-1995 by the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, found that
* Children who gel guns from their parents don't commit gun crimes (0%), while children who get illegal guns are very likelv to do so (21%).
* Children who get guns from parents are less likely to commit any kind of street crime (14%) than children who have no gun in the house (24%) — and are dramatically less likely to do so than children who acquire an illegal gun (74%).
Children who get guns from parents are less likely to use drugs (13%) than children who get illegal guns (41%).
You can bet HCI will do its best to ignore that study.
Massachusetts maintained its 1998 grade of A- because of the significant legislation which passed in 1998. Among the provisions of the new law, which serves as a national model, are: a Child Access Prevention law which requires firearms be safely stored and inaccessible to children; a requirement for the sale of child safety locking devices with all firearms; a ban on the sale of junk guns/Saturday Night Specials; increase in the minimum age for sale of handguns across the board to 21; funding for the Weapons Related Injury Surveillance Syst m program; and an increase in the penalty for felons in possession of firearms, illegal gun trafficking, illegal sale to a minor, and use of a gun in a crime by a
felon. In 1996, 32 children and teenagers in Massachusetts died as a result of firearms.
Montana maintained its 1998 grade off because it does not regulate the private sale of firearms, allows the carrying of concealed weapons, does not have a Child Access Prevention law and has weak juvenile sales and transfer laws. What's more, Montana passed a bill granting immunity to the gun industry from city lawsuits — despite the fact that no Montana city has indicated interest in reforming the gun industry through litigation. In 1996. 20 children and teenagers in Montana died as a result of firearms.
New Jersey maintained its 1998 grade of B based on extra credit earned for the success of Project LISA. a statewide crime gun tracing system, as well as for its efforts to pass a law requiring the sale of childproof firearms. The state has a restrictive carrying concealed weapons system, a juvenile possession law, a juvenile sale/transfer law, and a permit/license system regulating secondary sales and a Child Access Prevention law. but does not allow cities and counties to enact ordinances to prevent gun violence. In 1996, 67 children and teenagers in New Jersey died as a result of firearms.
Vermont maintained its 1998 grade of D- because it does not have a child access prevention law, does not regulate secondary sales, does not allow cities and counties to enact ordinances to prevent gun violence, and does allow the carrying of concealed weapons without even a permit. The state does have some restrictions on juvenile sales and possession. In 1996, 5 children and teenagers in Vermont died as a result of firearms
TOUGH GUN BILL FAILS IN ILLINOIS
SPRINGFIELD. III., Dec 29 (Reuters) -An Illinois gun control measure thai became a battleground between two of the state's leading Republicans failed to win the necessary majority in the stale senate for passage on Wednesday.
The measure, called the "Safe Neighborhoods Act," called for tough felony charges for illegal possession of a handgun and was strongly backed by Gov. George Ryan, a Republican who has campaigned on the issue of stricter gun control.
The bill failed to gamer the necessary 36 of 50 state senate votes in the special session, falling five short of passage, and the senate adjourned. The session was briefly interrupted bv a power outage that prompted some senators to suspect their votes might be manipulated.
Rvan lobbied hard for passage, but James "Pate" Philip, who leads the Republican-majority state senate, maintained his hold on key members by arguing that illegal gun possession should remain a misdemeanor since more serious penalties
might unfairly corral hunters and other gun owners.
Some legislators also balked because they said they felt bullied by the governor to vote his way.
TRAFICANT SPEAKS
Madam Speaker, the White House wants more gun control. Janet Reno wants more gun control. But something just does not add up, Madam Speaker.
In the last 5 years, prosecution of gun violators dropped 50 percent. Gun violators serve 25 percent less time in jail, and many pardons were granted for gun violators.
Now think about it. Fewer prosecutions, early releases, pardons, but the White House wants more gun control.
Beam me up. Madam Speaker. America does not need more gun control. America needs the White House to enforce the gun luw^
we already have. 1 yield back all the coddling of these gun violators by this administration.
"Rep. James Traficant (D-OH)
REMEMBER...
"An unconstitutional act is not law- It confers no rights, it imposes no duties, affords no protection, it creates no office, it is in legal contemplation as it has never been passed."
-Norton v. Shetby Cowry- 118 US 425
Straight from the US Patent Office.
US5878155 A patent for a tattoo for verification of electronic sales (of course it is for your own security so no one can use your account).
US5629678 A patent for an implantable GPS chip (how to Lo-jack a human) allows a person to be found by GPS satellite anywhere, anytime on planet earth - no place left to hide. —Joseph Lull, via email
ANOTHER FBI COVER-UP
FBI Agent, Davis Farrall, while driving the wrong way on 1-95 in Miami, Florida with a blood alcohol level twice the state limit, struck and killed two men, Maurice Williams, 23, and Craig Chambers, 19.
Florida State Trooper Rene Guillen was ordered to write up the report blaming the victims. He said his supervisors had the attitude that "...the FBI can do no wrong." The FBI and Highway Patrol spokesman claim that these allegations are untrue — but it doesn't explain why it took over a month to release the name of the FBI agent involved in the accident.
Trooper Guillen, who is restricted from making any public comment on an on-going investigation, told the story to a union rep who leaked the story to the Miami Herald.
The Stupidity of Smart Guns
"We have technology which would use fingerprints, radio waves or other ways to ensure that a weapon would fire only when used by its owner. But imagine these scenarios: (1) A family comes under a violent attack and the gun owner suffers a stroke. The remaining members are now defenseless. (2) Five years of research and $50 million produce smart guns, but prices quadruple and few people can afford one. Those who can, find that several fail due to bursts of static electricity, simple battery failure and radio frequency interference. (3) The government declares smart gun technology a success and mandates that all firearms/air guns he retrofitted, including black powder muskets.
Folks, our technology will never protect us from stupid, ignorant or amoral people. livery living thing has the right of existence and self-protection; our government once understood that simple fact." — David A. Freeman, Las I'egas Review Journal, Jan. 5, 2000
Note: Maryland Governor Pan-is Glcndenning is pushing for legislation that would allow only "smart guns" to be sold in that state.
Why We Still Love Jesse
If it were up to Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, the National Endowment for the Arts would be no more, according to the upcoming second installment of his interview with Playboy magazine.
Ventura told Playboy that he is against government involvement in the arts and that struggling artists should wait on tables. " If the government is going to subsidize artists, it might as well subsidize stock-car racers, too", he said."
—People in the News, Las Vegas Review Journal, Jan. 3, 2000
TWO ARIZONA NEWSPAPERS REFUSE FIREARMS CLASSIFIED ADS
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - The city's two daily newspapers will no longer allow individuals to sell guns through classified advertisements.
The Arizona Daily Star announced its policy change, and The Tucson Citizen's editor and publisher later confirmed a similar policy.
In a front-page notice to readers, Jane Amari, the Star's editor and publisher, said there was concern that people buying guns through classifieds circumvent background checks now required by. law.
"In an age of increasing gun violence, it is difficult to defend our pan in the transaction," Amari's notice said.
$20.000 for every man. woman, and teenager serving time.
RUSH LIMBAUGH ON GUN CONTROL
1) Tragedy occurs with a criminal using a gun.
2) Pass more gun control laws.
3) Don't enforce those laws.
4) Another tragedy occurs with a criminal using a gun.
5) Claim the previous gun laws were not enough. Pass more gun control laws.
6) Don't enforce those laws.
7) Another tragedy occurs with a criminal using a gun.
8) Say that gun laws alone are not enough. We need to register everyone's gun and pass more laws.
9) Register everyone's gun. Don't enforce the new gun laws.
10) Another tragedy occurs with'a criminal using a gun.
11) Claim that obviously even registration is not enough. Start confiscating guns.
ISN'T THIS THE TRUTH
"The fact is that the average man's love of liberty is nine-tenths imaginary, exactly like his love of sense, justice and truth. He is not actually happy when free; he is uncomfortable, a bit alarmed, and intolerably lonely. Liberty is not a thing for the great masses of men. It is the exclusive possession of a small and disreputable minority, like knowledge, courage and honor. It takes a special sort of man to understand and enjoy liberty — and he is usually an outlaw in democratic societies."
- H.L. Mencken, February 12, 1923, Baltimore Evening Sun
The Ultimate Heresy
Priests who defend their claimed monopoly of speaking with God label as heretics any who would dare claim the experience themselves. The Stale defends its claimed monopoly of control and knowing what's best for us by labeling any who claim responsibility for their own lives as a threat and a danger to society — a heretic to the Church of the State.
The ultimate heresy for the Church of State is a parishioner with a gun. All the priests and choir members and acolytes can be fully armed, but let a parishioner bring a gun into a pew and there will be hell to pay.
Government is the god of the modem liberal, and woe to them that fail to bow down before their golden idol. That, in a nutshell, is what the "gun control" issue is really all about;
modem liberals, like Stalin's followers, cannot abide any person having any power outside of government. Thus all rights are "granted" by government, and all instrumentalities in society must be subordinate to government. Anvone who might resist the golden-idol-god
of government, in any way, is thus warring against their god and must be dealt with as a heretic. To own a gun is to have some limited ability to resist attack, even by the jack booted thugs of the government; thus, to own a gun is to be a heretic in the eyes of the modem liberal, -email from ataylor
Keeping your gun means you have not yet submitted to the State's ultimate authority over your life. You still retain a modicum of effective response to its growth and control.
Every large organization takes on a life of its own, independent of why it was created. The organization seeks to grow and insure its survival. The State does so by amassing control and eliminating threats to its survival. The State has set itself up as a god, giver of all things good to those who accept its growing controls. A free person with a gun is seen a threat to that State, whether or not she is. She is a heretic, free enough and strong enough to. not run rcflcxivcly to the Slate lor her safety. For the State's well being, she and her kind must be made to see the light.
—Toa of Gun web page
TOP GUN
Camp Perry, Ohio, was the scene for a shooting competition made up of the best shooters in the nation. FBI, Secret Service, Marines and others participated. One event included 1,000 yards with no telescopic sights. Who won? Two teenage girls from Prescott, Arizona, Michelle Gallagher, 18 and sister Sherri, 16 beat everyone.
Nancy Tompkins-Gallagher, 40, won the national high-power rifle championship in 1998.
Their stepfather, Middleton Tompkins. 62, has been champion six times.
"/ like the Secret Service guys, but they aren't that hot with a rifle," said the mom. "I've told Michelle and Sherri that if I'm ever in a hostage situation and a sniper is called for, I want one of you girls to take the shot."
"The fact is, the Tompkins family has almost supernatural shooting ability," said Jim Smith of Glendale, a "master" level rifle competitor. "They've won hundreds of trophies and are among the best marksmen in the world."
NO MORE GUN SALES TO CANADA
NEW YORK (AP) The Clinton administration is suspending the export of guns and ammunition to Canada amid concern that they might be flowing back into the United States, according to the New York Times.
The United States nine months ago began requiring licenses to export weapons to Canada. Since last April, licenses have been issued for 115,000 handguns, 25.000 rifles and 200 million rounds of ammunition, according to U.S. government data cited by the Times.
Senior law enforcement officials in Canada told the newspaper that the import figures were "astonishing," given the country's strict firearms laws. "/ don't know where these handguns could be going," he said.
The suspension was ordered because it is unknown where the firearms are going, the Times reported, citing anonymous U.S. officials. One said it was "extremely possible" the guns were being smuggled back into the United States.
Canada, with a population of 31 million, limits possession of handguns to collectors, target shooters and those who can demonstrate a need of guns to protect their lives. The Canadian government sent a letter to the U.S. State Department on Wednesday asking for the license program to be suspended pending an investigation, officials from both countries told the newspaper. The suspension is effective immediately, the officials said.
The Clinton administration last April suspended handgun sales to Venezuela. worried that the weapons were being used by drug gangs and guerillas in Colombia. A suspension of firearm sales to Britain in April 1998 has been lifted.
X-RATED AIRPORT SECURITY?
Modem science, it seems, has taken 'The Right to Privacy' or the lack thereof, to a new level. It seems that scanning machines used at Kennedy Airport are so sophisticated they can see through clothing leaving little to the imagination.
"You can be exposed like a Playboy playmate by these new voyeur-vision devices -- even when you are fully clothed," warned Steve Dasbach, Libertarian Party national director. "With the BodySearch device, airport officials can eyeball your intimate body parts as casually as they X-ray the contents of your suitcase. And since airport officials don 'I need a search warrant to use these X-rated X-rays, everyone from your teenage daughter to your grandmother can be technologically stripped stark naked — in stark violation of their right to privacy."
Currently, the BodySearch is only being used by U.S. Customs officials to scan airline passengers who have been singled out for "special attention" — but the technology could easily be extended to every security checkpoint, noted Dasbach.
"The tendency of the government is to continually expand the use of invasive search technology, whether it is thermal imaging scans of private homes, gamma ray scanners at border checkpoints, or X-rated X-rays in airports. Unless Americans protest this trend, every traveler's naked body could soon be routinely examined by the government's high-tech Peeping Toms."
But even if the BodySearch is only used by U.S. Customs officials, that's still cause for
ONE MAN'S FIGHT AGAINST GUN BUY-BACKS
Matt Beauchamp, chairman of the Libertarian Party of Chicago, brought a lawsuit against the Cook County sheriff charging that the sheriff needed a Federal Firearms License (FFL) to buy and deal in firearms.
The judge, Elaine E. Bucklo, dismissed Beauchamp's suit. stating it was "frivolous." She stated that is Beauchamp believes that the sheriff is breaking the law he should notify the FBI.
Beauchamp did notify the State Attorney General Dick Devine, and reported the violation of Illinois Code 430 ILCS 65/3. The State's Attorney wrote Beauchamp, saying, "Chief Deputy Art Hill asked [me] to notify you that law enforcement agencies are exempt from the provision" So. the Attorney General calls the sheriff for a clarification of the law — and fails to quote the code which exempts law enforcement from obtaining a proper license.
Beauchamp raises an interesting point:
Why are law enforcement officials exempt from federal law that requires a license to deal in firearms?
HISTORY MARCHES ON
On July 20, 1969, as commander of the Apollo 11 Lunar Module, Neil Armstrong was the first person to set foot on the moon. His first words after stepping on the moon, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," were televised to earth and heard by millions. But just before he re-entered the lander. he made the enigmatic remark: "Good luck, Mr. Gorsky."
Many people at NASA thought it was a casual remark concerning some rival Soviet Cosmonaut. However, upon checking, there was no Gorsky in either the Russian or American space programs.
Over the years many people questioned Armstrong as to what the "Good luck Mr. Gorsky" statement meant, but Armstrong always just smiled. On July 5, 1995, in Tampa Bay. Florida, while answering questions following a speech, a reporter brought up the 26 year old question to Armstrong. This time he finally responded. Mr. Gorsky had died and so Neil Armstrong felt he could answer the question.
In 1938 when he was a kid in a small mid-west town, he was playing baseball with a friend in the backyard. His friend hit a fly ball, which landed in his neighbor's yard by the bedroom windows. His neighbors were Mr. and Mrs. Gorsky. As he leaned down to pick up the ball. young Armstrong heard Mrs. Gorsky shouting at Mr. Gorsky. "Sex! You want sex?.' You'll get sex when the kid next door walks on the moon!"
True story.
City of Los Angeles Public Safety Committee Meeting
Monday, December 6 10:00 AM Ordinance Number 99-1581 Key provisions:
No person shall purchase, sell, give or otherwise transfer ownership of any firearm ammunition whether assembled cartridges or component parts of cartridges. No person shall purchase, sell, give or otherwise transfer ownership of any firearm ammunition-loading device.
The gun-grabbers have found a new way to take away your rights! These bureaucrats are trying to sneak around state and federal laws by denying YOU ammunition and reloading components.
First, you can't get any ammunition at all. You can't buy it, you can't borrow it and you can't make if. You'd better not have any reloading components, such as bullets, primers or powder in the City of Los Angeles, or you become one of the bad-guys. Yup, you could wind up in a jail cell with the real bad-guys because you overlooked that spent cartridge case under the sofa. I am reminded of the hapless traveler who crossed the border into Mexico with a box of .22s and spent weeks in jail. How would the same traveler fare in Los Angeles? The thought is frightening. Sadly, an empty cartridge case that would cause a shrug of the shoulders south of the border, could send you to jail in Los Angeles. Is it possible, in the land of the free, to envy the rights of citizens in Mexico?
Finally, you can kiss your Dillon reloader goodbye. Oh, they'll let you keep it for a while, but it won't do much good without any reloading components. But when you run out of bullets, primers, powder and brass, don't even consider giving it to your brother in Iowa, because that would be breaking the law. I suppose you could create a new table lamp with your Dillon, because that's about all the law will let you do. On the one hand, a Dillon would probably be rather ugly, but on the other, it's a sure bet that they won't let you keep your Dillon around long enough for you to notice. If this ordinance passes the "Safety Committee", it will go to the full city council for a vote. I urge you to act now, in the name of sanity, to show these bureaucrats that responsible gun owners care about their rights (especially the right to vote).
Let your voice be heard!
Dillon Precision Products, Inc.
8009 E. Dillons Way
Scottsdale, AZ 85260
(480) 948-8009
ERIC RUDOLPH DEAD-SORT OF
ARLINGTON, Virginia (AP) " The departing director of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms says he believes
suspected serial bomber Eric Rudolph is dead. The task force leading the manhunt, however. said the search will continue.
"My gut instinct is that he is still there, in a cave, and he's dead," ATF Director John Magaw told USA Today. "That's only my opinion. "There hasn't been any missing food. There haven't been any missing shoes. No cabins have been broken into. Life isn't susfainahle over this period of time if he stayed in there."
AMERICAN PRISON POPULATION REACHES 2 MILLION MARK
Thomas Paine once said that a sign of a well-governed nation was its low taxes and empty prisons. Well. we've just passed the 2 million mark in prison population.
Tuesday, February 15. 2000 is a duv that will live in incarceration infamy — because it's the day America will lock its two-millionth citizen behind bars. And that's no cause for celebration, according to the Libertarian Party.
"These 2 million prisoners do not mark a victory for law enforcement, hut, all too often, mark a defeat for safety, justice, and liberty," said David Bergland, the party's national chairman. "Too many of these 2 million prisoners are behind bars for crimes that should not be crimes, and are serving sentences that no civilized nation should impose."
According to an estimate by the Justice Policy Institute, the number of Americans serving time in federal and state prisons and local jails will surpass 2 million on February 15. To understand the unprecedented magnitude of that number, a few facts should be kept in mind, said Bergland:
* In 1970, fewer than 200.000 Americans were behind bars. By contrast, in the 1990s alone, 840,000 Americans were sent to prison.
* America has more prisoners in one state (California) than do the nations of France, Great Britain, Japan, Germany. Holland, and Singapore -- combined.
* Over the past two decades, one new jail or prison has been built in America every week.
* Violent crime has dropped by 21% since 1993 — but the number of Americans being incarcerated has grown by 5%-6% each year since then.
* Less than a third of the people sentenced to jail each year have been convicted of a violent crime, and at least 400,000 inmates are serving time for non-violent drug offenses alone.
* By one estimate, as many as 750.000 people are in jail for victimless crimes — like gambling, violating censorship laws, not wearing a seatbelt, or consensual sex.
* The cost of keeping 2 million prisoners behind bars is $40 billion a year - or about
concern, said Dasbach, given the agency's alarming track record of privacy invasions.
In 1998. for example, U.S. Customs employees ordered 2,797 international airline passengers to strip off their clothes at gunpoint, intimately groped them, and conducted humiliating body cavity searches. The agency also faces numerous lawsuits for selecting its strip-search victims based on racial profiling.
"The U.S. Customs agency has shown it doesn't respect Americans' Constitutional protections against unreasonable search and seizure" he said. "HTiy should we trust them with a new high-tech way to invade our privacy?"
Of course. Libertarians are sensitive to the fact that many airline passengers may be willing to give up some privacy to guarantee their safety from terrorists or hijackers, said Dusbach.
"Everyone wants to be safe when they fly, and no one would object to reasonable security provisions from the airline companies," he said. "Rut, at the same time, the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights provide a protective harrier against unreasonable search and seiwre that not even X-rated X-rays should he allowed to penetrate."
MENCKEN SPEAKS
"At! the extravagance and incompetence of our present Government is due, in the main, to lawyers, and, in part at least, to good ones. They are responsible for nine-tenths of the useless and vicious laws that now clutter the statute books, and/or all the evils that go with the vain attempt to enforce them.
"Every Federal judge is a lawyer. So are most Congressmen. Every invasion of the plain rights of the citizens has a lawyer behind it. If all lawyers were hanged tomorrow, and their bones sold to a mahjong factory, we'd he freer and safer, and our taxes would be reduced by almost a half."
-H.L. Mencken (1880-1956), "Breathing Space", The Baltimore Evening Sun, 1924 Aug 4
SPEAKING OF LAWYERS....
"During the mid-1980s dairy farmers decided there was loo much cheap milk at the supermarket. So the government bought and slaughtered 1.6 million dairy cows. How come the government never dues anything like this with lawyers?"
-P.J. o'Rourke
SATELLITE STOPS CAR
Three teenagers, after stealing a 1999 Chrvsier Intrepid in Toronto, Canada, were in store for a rude surprise. The car was equipped with a tracking devise that not only told police where the car was but also- when the police
were ready, turned the engine off just where the police were waiting.
"It's an alarm system and a tracking device at the same time. When the car is stolen, the company notifies the customer through a pager system. Then the company will track (the car) via satellite because there is a chip in the car," said Bob Bannerman, manager of Bob Bannerman Dodge.
Reportedly the satellite can also lock the doors so the thieves can't exit the car after the car is stopped.
The security system is from Navlynx System of Canada and costs about $400.
Madness in Grand Rapids
Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2000 18:53:4
Tomorrow morning at 7:15 my wife and [ have a meeting at Harbor Lights Middle School in Holland with the principal, two assistant principals, and four members of the "Hazard and Risk Assessment Team".
My 12-year-old son has been accused of being a risk because he spoke about the Second Amendment in his social studies class.
We have been able to determine that he has their attention because he often speaks of the importance of the 1st as well as the 2nd Amendments - but the comment that triggered this action was when his socialist studies teacher, Mrs.Perkins, asked him to participate in a classroom discussion about school shootings and safety.
My son simply stated that his opinion was that he would feel safer if some of the adults at the school were trained and allowed to carry firearms. As a result, my wife received a phone call at 9:00 PM Tuesday night in which we were informed that West Ottawa Public Schools feels it is necessary to separate my son from the other students and have him enter the "Mentor" program in which he would be put under the watchful eye of an adult to monitor his thought processes.
We were told that this would be in the best interest of my son, and by doing this the school would not have to involve Social Services. We refused.
At this point I have been in contact with an attorney in Grand Rapids (through the NRA Institute for Legislative Action) and have been told by a counsel at the Rutherford Institute that they will be willing to take on this issue.
Oh, yes. I failed to mention that in January, as a part of Martin Luther King Day, my son refused to sign the "Red Letter" which was written by the principal Jerry Klomparens.
In it the students are to take an oath to turn in their friends for suspicious activity, to vow to never defend themselves if attacked, and something to the effect of never to use a gun or other weapons. But we have been assured that this had little to do with my son being labeled a threat.
And the funny thing is that three of the "team" members are also my son's teachers -and they claim they did not know there was
any situation. Bottom line - the meeting is hours away at this point and 1 am willing to listen to any advice. Please advise!
Thanks, Tim Loulzenhiscr
Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners ¦ ¦ P.O. Box 14014, Lansing, Ml 48901.11 http://www.mcrgo.org
MORE HANDGUNS, MORE CRIME?
Not according to the Gun Cite web page. Handgun supply/ownership remained steady from about 1920 to 1967. From 1967 to present handgun ownership has steadily risen. However, total homicide, handgun suicide and (total) suicide has remained relatively unchanged despite an increase in handgun ownership.
DR. LAURA GOES TO THE RANGE
Note: We reported a few issues back that Dr. Laura Schlessinger announced on her radio program that she changed her position on gun control from anti to pro. Here's an update from Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership:
Dr. Laura Schlessinger. the #2 national talk show host, told the world on January 12, 2000 about her first shooting lesson. Her 10-minute discussion might have done more for the gun liberty movement than we can imagine.
She described how she was trained on all the rules of safe use, how she was shocked by the noise of the guns, and how she tried both the revolver and the semi-automatic pistol. She liked the semi-automatic better, because it was more comfortable in her hand and the recoil was less stressful. She said she enjoyed the experience, starting getting used to the noise. and would be taking more lessons.
All of this from a person who had never supported gun ownership before last year and who apparently had never touched a gun or heard one fired before.
We need to welcome her into the ranks of responsible gun owners — people from all walks of life in America. We need to thank her for demystifying handguns and shooting. We need to encourage her to continue her lessons and her practice.
If you value firearms ownership at all, please send Dr. Laura a fax at (818) 461-5140 — it must be no longer than one page, preferably even shorter — and be as nice and friendly and welcoming as you can.
Include a little bit of information about yourself, so that she will see that gun owners are not all "nuts," but are regular people. Her address is:
Dr. Laura Schlessinger c/o Premiere Radio Networks 15260 Ventura Blvd., Ste. 500 Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
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GOD BLESS FRED MASLACK Taking 200-year-old constitutional provisions for the creation of a "well-regulated militia" to their most extreme conclusion, a Vermont lawmaker has proposed a crackdown on Vermonters who do not own guns. Harkening back to the days of town square militia musters and citizens' armies, House bill 760 would require residents over 18 who do not own guns to register with the secretary of state's office and pay a $500 penalty. Hot on its heels was House bill 763, also introduced Friday, which would make military-training a prerequisite for a high school diploma in the state. The man behind both bills is state Representative Fred Maslack. a two-term Republican legislator and quarry worker from East Poultney. Maslack, a longtime proponent of gun-owners' rights. does not expect a mass uprising or to see his bills voted into law. But he does fantasize about greeting gun-control activists and liberal politicians at a grand muster of a citizen's militia under the command of Vermont's Democratic governor, Howard Dean. Whether or not state lawmakers want to admit it, Maslack said, the right to carry arms comes with the obligation to serve in a militia. "What this is supposed to do is illustrate what I consider to be the only constitutionally correct view of this issue," Maslack said. "// certainly isn't politically correct, I can tell you that." Alongside Vermont's progressive approaches to land management, gay marriage, and school funding is a strong lobby for gun-owners' rights that some sav is a natural outgrowth of its rural heritage. Vermont has some of the country's least restrictive gun laws and has one of the highest rates of membership in the National Rifle Association. The state also allows all adults to carry a concealed gun without a permit.
Still, lawmakers on both sides of the gun-rights debate were looking at Maslack's legislation with amusement yesterday. "/ can't believe it's going to be taken seriously," said Representative Ann Seibert (D-Norwich). "There's a lot of common sense in Vermont. You get heated issues, hut common sense prevails." The two militia-related bills are not Maslack's first effort to bolster the rights of Vermont gun owners. He joined two other state representatives two weeks ago in suing three high-ranking public officials on grounds of fraud and conspiracy in protest of Vermont's enforcement of the Brady Law, which requires background checks on gun purchasers. Bills 760 and 763, which he sponsored independently, aimed chiefly to make a point about gun ownership. "Everyone gets focused on the right, and they forget about the obligations," Maslack said. "It's saying, if you have a military alligation, then you have to deal with it. " Vermont li;i_s a proud militia tradition dating back to 1770- when Ethan Alien formed an unauthorized citizens' militia to fend off tax collectors from New York State. Article 9 of the Green Mountain State's 1793 constitution requires financial contributions from Vermonters "scrupulous of bearing arms" in a citizen's army. But historians said that the need for militias waned after the American Revolution and that by the 1830s and 1840s, most of them were poorly organized and undersupplied. "The record overall is that if we had depended on the militias, we would all be drinking tea and eating scones at 4 o'clock," said Saul Comcll, a historian at Ohio State University who is editing a book on militias and the Second Amendment. Michael Bellesile, an Emory University historian who has focused on Vermont's movement, suggested that the fine prescribed by Article 9 may have been designed to "coerce people" into coming out for militia musters - a goal achieved in other states by supplying participants with alcohol, money, or free guns.
But in one way, he said, Maslack's proposal falls squarely into state tradition "Vermonters take enormous pride in being just a little different. They love to be curmudgeons and iconoclasts," said Bellesile. a native of Quebec. "This guy fits perfectly." No state has ever required its citizens to own guns, but Maslack's plan had a precedent in the city of Kennesaw, Ga., in the earlv 1980s. City officials there said the requirement was largely symbolic, but also boasted that crime rates fell dramatically in the years that followed its introduction. "Info supplied by Boston Globe Letter to the Editor Hello NJM On the road again, \& 18 wheeling through mobs of turban crested Pakistanis and Indians. Shades of the Hindu Kush and Khybcr Pass" I lived in India for 4 years and understand their culture, but what on Earth do our bureaucrats have in mind allowing hordes of alien culture into our nation. The very stability of American is at stake; it's no wonder we now face a terrorism threat within our borders. Most of these emigrants, many highly educated, want all the benefits of citizenship but likely have no intention of studying true American civics. California now endures the cultural complexity of similar conditions within South Africa. I agree with Gary Semmens, Nalal Christian Militia, South Africa; the very peace in American is threatened by the unnatural philosophy of cultural diversity. At anv rate the Washington State Militia wishes a good year to our loyal brethren everywhere. IT] be sending my subscription in payday for this year. Kind regards. J.W. Washington State In file beginning of change the patriot is timid join him, a scarce man; brave, hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the for then it costs nothing to be a patriot. - Mark Twain New Jersey Militia
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