Constitutional Law

The media we remember

Posted on April 10, 2009
Freedom States Alliance (a/k/a Joyce Foundation astroturf) is joyfully announced that it has the media back in harness. 10 PM tonight, ABC News on the evils of gun shows and why guns are no good in defense against crime (leaving us to wonder why police bother carrying them around)...

New acting head of ATFE

Posted on April 09, 2009
Kenneth Melson, who has been head of the Exec Office of US Attorneys, has been named acting director of BATFE. He comes from outside the agency, having been a Justice Dept attorney since 1983. On the side, he taught forensic science at George Washington U law school.

AP story on killings

Posted on April 08, 2009
Right here. Ah, that's the media I remember, with an agenda to push! The agenda here being that permit systems, even that of NY, are not functioning -- because they're just too liberal. Reader Carl in Chicago notes that he emailed the AP (info@ap...

New Gallup conclusions

Posted on April 08, 2009
Gallup's findings indicate public support for gun restrictions is hitting all-time lows.

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John Lott on mass shootings

Posted on April 06, 2009
A short piece here. "For years I would tell news people about the fact that every single multiple victim public shooting in the US involving more than three people killed took place in one of these gun-free zones. The response was they might include this information as part of the story if I could get it to them fast enough so that it could be included as part of the news story...

Thoughts on "active shooters"

Posted on April 06, 2009
The manager of South East Area Law Enforcement has some thoughts, of which the most relevant are: "Where times have been reliably documented, the average post-Columbine ?rapid mass murder episode? lasts just 8 minutes, according to Borsch?s calculations...

Response time at Binghamton NY killing

Posted on April 05, 2009
Police took 1 to 1.5 hour to organize and enter the building (the gunman apparently having shot himself as they first arrived). "The chief defended the time it took officers to go into the building ? an hour to 90 minutes. "If some crazy lunatic decides to pick up a gun and go someplace and start shooting people, I really don't have the answer how long for us that could prevent anything like that," Zikuski said...

Civil War resource

Posted on April 05, 2009
Just found that Nat'l Park Service has an online search capability for Civil War troopers' records.

More on border wars

Posted on April 04, 2009
A few days ago I posted to the FoxNews story, showing the falsity of claims that 85-90% of guns seized in Mexico come from the US (the 85-90% figure only includes those the Mexican government asks ATFE to trace, which logically are guns they already figure came from the US...

Fight for L.A. City Atty position

Posted on April 04, 2009
Carmen Trutanich, partner to pro-gun attorney Chuck Michel, is one of the last two contenders, and the race is getting pretty combative: "Trutanich cast Weiss as a legal ?novice? with little to show for his two terms on the City Council. Weiss hammered Trutanich for representing polluters and sharing a law practice with an attorney for the National Rifle Association, among other gun groups...

Drug cartel story in WashPo

Posted on April 03, 2009
Story here. Two notes: "Holder agreed that the "vast majority" of weapons used by the cartels come from north of the border." and "Holder [added] that the United States is not seeking to change any of its gun laws to slow weapons smuggling."

Crossbow assault

Posted on April 03, 2009
Story here. "Police said alcohol fueled the incident." No kidding -- the argument was over whether a dog was a pit bull or a lab.

Oregon Universities bar student for lawful carry

Posted on April 03, 2009
Story here. Apparently the student has been informed that, not only is he suspended from the U he was attending, but he is barred from attending any State university in Oregon.

Sen. Ensign gets support for DC gun ban repeal

Posted on April 03, 2009
From some TSA screeners.

Central Florida's not a good spot for robbers

Posted on April 03, 2009
It's just not hospitable for that trade. "A pharmacist shot an armed robber dead Tuesday at a drugstore off South Orange Blossom Trail, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said. It was at least the fourth time this year that a robber was killed at a Central Florida business and was the second drugstore holdup that ended in death...

GREAT coverage of guns and Mexico

Posted on April 02, 2009
On FoxNews. A great story that I'd say is the definitive piece to date, and will remain so for quite a time.

The government will protect you...

Posted on April 02, 2009
Via Instapundit comes this report of a lawsuit brought by a NY subway rape victim. Two subway personnel saw it, and their response was to send a message for someone to call the police. As Glenn Reynolds notes, "Eric Holder talked about a ?nation of cowards...

An interesting comparison....

Posted on April 01, 2009
Latest data for the adjacent States of Maryland and Virginia. Virginia, whose laws are gun-friendly, "is the 14th safest state in the country, improving its position for a fourth consecutive year." Maryland, which is NOT gun-friendly, "has the second highest murder and robbery rate in the country, with Baltimore being the 12th more dangerous city in America...

More good news in the States

Posted on March 31, 2009
The Montana Senate passed a modified form of earlier reforms. This version deletes the removal of CCW permit requirement for carry in cities, but preserves "no retreat" and forbids landlords to make disarmament a requirement of tenancy. Reader Denton Bramwell emails that Utah's governor signed two measures into law that (1) allow CCW without permit on your own realty, vehicle, or business premises; (2) allows CCW without permit of a firearm with a barrel of 4" or more if hunting; (3) establishes CCW reciprocity for ALL States; and (4) forbids a company from prohibiting storage of a gun in a parked vehicle where the gun is locked up and out of sight.

Mexican Cartels

Posted on March 31, 2009
At Andrew Breitbart's new Big Hollywood blog-- Dan Gifford has "The ?America Is Arming Mexico?s Drug Gangs? Lie", an excellent post. Jeff Jena has posted "Backdooring the Second Amendment" on the same topic. UPDATE: here's a summary of Mexico's gun laws...

The media I remember

Posted on March 30, 2009
Stereotypes here. Hat tip to reader Ambiguous Ambiguae....

Studies on ammo shortages

Posted on March 29, 2009
Right here.

Another case of armed criminal disarmed by citizen

Posted on March 27, 2009
Howard Nemerov discusses it here. Gun wielding crook invades house, homeowner wrestles with him for gun, crook shoots self, homeowner's girlfriend stabs crook, crook flees. The antis have the narrative of armed citizen being disarmed by criminal, but it's all other way around...

Kansas to vote on individual right guarantee

Posted on March 26, 2009
Story at the Volokh Conspiracy. It's esp. interesting since Kansas' existing wording was cited by its Supreme Court, when in 1905 it basically invented the collective rights approach in City of Salina v. Blaksley. The legislative vote to put it on the ballot was overwhelming: 39-1 in the Senate and 116-9 in the House.

SoF Mag expose'

Posted on March 26, 2009
I am informed that the issue of Soldier of Fortune magazine will cover a Dept of Justice Inspector General's report on ATFE deployment in Iraq. Gist of reports is that millions have been claimed in fraudulent overtime (as in everyone consistently reporting 16 hour workdays, 7 days a week, or everyone reporting 15...

New Alaska Atty General...

Posted on March 26, 2009
Is Wayne Anthony Ross, an NRA director.

A good day in State legislatures

Posted on March 25, 2009
The Ill. House votes down HB 48, which would have required all handgun transfers to be run thru FFLs. And the Texas Senate unanimously passed a bill allowing guns in locked cars on company-owned parking lots.

Back from hospital

Posted on March 24, 2009
I survived, will post an entry after I get relaxed. Amusing event: I'm in the hospital and hear a page "Dr. No, please pick up on line 1420." Looked to the roster of licensed MDs kept by the AZ Medical Board and find: Keun H. No MD 6567 E. Carondelet Drive # 441 Tucson AZ 85710 and Kee Bin No MD 6567 e...

out of action

Posted on March 22, 2009
hospitalized, prob until tuesday. long story, will fill in later.

Time for some laughs

Posted on March 20, 2009
While doing some online research I came across some webpages that were most amusing, in the wake of the Heller decision. The Ethical Spectacle: "The best indication of what any law, including a Constitutional provision, means, is what the courts say it means...

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