Concealed carry? Forget it. Wear it out in the open.

PHIL KADNER pkadner@southtownstar.com

Last Modified: May 6, 2011 10:10PM

 

Now that a concealed-carry law has failed to pass in the state Legislature, it’s time to consider another option: open carry.

If the purpose of such a law is to provide personal protection and deter crime, carrying a gun where everyone can see it is obviously more effective.

Unlike concealed-carry, wearing a weapon in a hip holster sends a clear signal that you are armed and prepared to fight back.

A bad guy will not mistake you for some defenseless victim. And, should he ignore the obvious, the citizen carrying a weapon in the open would be in a better position to use it.

No digging around in a purse to find the gun among the lipstick, face tissue and perfume. No need to ask the criminal to wait a second as you bend down and try to pry that gun from its ankle holster.

Do not make the mistake of thinking I am anti-gun.

I accept the obvious. Forty-eight states now have concealed-carry laws because citizens have demanded the right to defend themselves against their neighbors, who cannot be trusted.

Wisconsin and Illinois are the only holdouts, and legislation now being proposed by Republicans in Wisconsin has a good chance to pass.

I grew up in a neighborhood full of World War II veterans and can’t ever recall seeing a man with a gun.

My father, a former Army captain, said he had the opportunity to take his .45 home with him and declined because he thought it might just go off accidentally and hurt someone.

Times have changed. Our world is not as safe as it was during the Cold War when all we had to fear were nuclear weapons falling out of the sky.

Today, women can be assaulted going to a grocery store, men can be mugged waiting for a commuter train, children can be shot sitting on their front porch.

Even when the nation is not on full alert for a terrorist attack, it must always be prepared for the next madman who opens fire on a college campus or fast-food franchise.

That’s why we need video cameras on every street corner and metal detectors in every courthouse, sports stadium and school building.

That’s why its time to openly carry loaded weapons in this nation.

I envision a day when a gun in the hand of an American will be as common a sight as an Englishman with an umbrella.

How many criminals, I wonder, would actually be desperate enough to attempt an armed robbery, or even a random act of violence, knowing that he would immediately be riddled with bullets?

All right, it happens every day in certain Chicago neighborhoods, but the right to carry guns not be waylaid by gang members who pay no attention to statistical data.

As for those who fear that an otherwise law-abiding citizen might, in a moment of anger, shoot a friend, relative or workplace supervisor, well, how many people are killed or injured in traffic accidents each year as the result of road rage?

Despite the human carnage, we all continue to drive, talk on our cell phones, send text messages and yell at our children, while ignoring government efforts to intervene.

Finally, no man should be forced to conceal his weapon. I want thugs to know in advance that I am willing to kill another human being to protect my family, or my wristwatch.

I look forward to the day when I can carry a sidearm openly in Illinois, with bandoleers crisscrossing my chest. That would be awesome.

Brady Campaign cites 'craziest' gun laws

Published: May 5, 2011 at 11:46 PM

WASHINGTON, May 5 (UPI) -- A gun control group has singled out Kansas, Utah, Virginia and Florida for its "Craziest Gun Laws" award.

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence pointed to laws in Kansas allowing guns in schools, in Virginia allowing patrons to bring guns into bars as long as they do not drink while they are carrying, and in Utah, where it is legal to carry guns on college campuses. In Florida, a bill before the legislature would penalize doctors for discussing guns in the home with children and parents.

The organization was founded by James Brady, who served as President Ronald Reagan's press secretary, and his wife, Sarah. James Brady was wounded in 1981 in a failed attempt to assassinate Reagan.

The campaign issued its annual ranking of gun laws in the 50 states. California was at the top of the group's favorable list, with the campaign citing its thorough background checks, strong regulation of gun dealers and ban on assault clips.

On the other side, 31 states have few or no limits on gun ownership, the campaign said. Alaska, Arizona and Utah essentially have no meaningful gun control laws.

The campaign said there is evidence strong gun laws save lives. California ranks 33rd in gun deaths per 100,000 people, while the five states that follow it have the lowest rates of death from firearms.

 http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/05/05/Brady-Campaign-cites-craziest-gun-laws/UPI-95951304653580/print/#ixzz1LYwx4EYD

Arizona Tied for Worse Gun Saftey Laws in US

by Alia Beard Rau - May. 5, 2011 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Arizona this year earned a zero for its loose gun laws.

The state joined Utah and Alaska as having the worst gun-safety laws in the nation, according to the Brady Campaign To Prevent Gun Violence.
The Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group has ranked states for four years. It released its latest ranking Wednesday.

 

The group judges states based on laws on the books as of 2010 because some Legislatures are still working on bills this session.

Gun-rights activists called Arizona's ranking proof that they are successfully protecting gun rights, and they vow to continue their efforts. Gun-violence-prevention groups said it's proof that the state is continuing to move away from the values of most Arizonans.
"After the Tucson shootings when the Legislature and other officials in Arizona should be doing more to protect its citizens because it is too easy for dangerous people to get dangerous weapons, the Legislature tries to get more guns in more public places," said Brian Malte, director of state legislation for the Brady Campaign, referring to a bill lawmakers passed this session.

The Brady Campaign assigns up to 100 points total for a state's gun laws.

Arizona received its lowest ranking this year.

The first two years of the scorecard, Arizona received 6 points. Last year, Arizona earned 2 points because of its law that allows state universities to ban firearms on campus. This year, it ended up with zero points. It got the 2 points again for the university law, but the group for the first time docked states 2 points if they do not require a permit to carry a concealed weapon. Arizona passed such a law last year.
The amount of points given varied by topic. The greater the public benefit the group perceives, the higher the points. There were 17 points possible for requiring background checks for all firearms, 7 points for requiring background checks at gun shows, 5 points for selling childproof locks with all handguns, and 2 points for not forcing employers to allow guns in their parking lots.

California, with 80 points, received the highest ranking this year.

No state has ever received below a zero, but with the addition of docked points, that could change. In fact, Arizona could be among the first if it passes bills to require universities to allow guns on campus and local governments to allow guns in public buildings. Bills that would make those changes to state law passed the Legislature but were vetoed by Gov. Jan Brewer this year.

The Brady Campaign, which has fought gun violence since it was started in 1974, was renamed in honor of Jim and Sarah Brady in 2001 for their work on gun issues after Jim, a former White House spokesman, was shot and injured during the Ronald Reagan assassination attempt.

Arizona Citizens Defense League spokesman Charles Heller called Arizona's ranking a victory and said his group is working for negative points next year. His group lobbies for gun rights in Arizona and was behind this year's bills to allow guns on college campuses and into public buildings.

"Hallelujah, we finally got a perfect score," Heller said. "We're a bit happier with the Brady Campaign than we are with the Arizona Legislature."

The Legislature watered down the league's two bills before finally passing them, including making changes to allow guns on campus rights of way but not inside buildings.

Heller said he had written letters to the Brady Campaign asking for a zero score.
"We've been trying for that for years," he said. "It means we're doing the right thing."
Hildy Saizow, president of Arizonans for Gun Safety, said the state's ranking is not surprising.

"Over the last several years, the Legislature has continued to relax our gun laws and move us into this very extreme position," Saizow said. "It's particularly unfortunate because that's not where the Arizona public is."

The national coalition Mayors Against Illegal Guns released a poll in March that indicated that most of the 600 Arizonans surveyed opposed allowing guns in public buildings and on college campuses. Nearly half of those polled indicated they would like to see the state's laws surrounding gun sales toughened.

"It very clearly showed that Arizona voters really don't approve of what the Legislature has been doing," Saizow said.

Saizow blames the gun lobby, saying it has gone too far in Arizona. This session, she said, groups like hers finally began to push back - and won.

"We woke up the silent majority," she said, adding that the shooting near Tucson and the gun discussions that resulted have increased support for more restrictive gun laws. "For the first time, we got really organized."

In January, six people were killed and 13 wounded, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, during a shooting at a constituent event near Tucson.

Groups supporting gun restrictions held rallies at the universities, gathered for their own lobby day at the Legislature and called the governor asking her to veto the bills allowing guns on campus and in public buildings.

"It clearly made a difference," Saizow said.

She said her group's efforts to date have been defensive, trying to defeat measures proposed by the gun lobby. She hopes to soon go on the offensive.

"I think what you'll be seeing in the near future is an effort focusing on sensible gun laws," she said. "But what form that takes, I don't know at this point. Obviously, the Legislature is not interested in that sort of legislation."

And there will be more defensive work to do next year against an influential and well-funded gun lobby.

Heller said his group will be back next year with measures to put guns on campuses and public buildings. He said he believes part of the reason for the Legislature watering down the bills and the governor then vetoing them altogether was concern by Republicans about the political ramifications of signing such measures only months after the shooting near Tucson.

"After that terrible incident, they just couldn't provide themselves with any political cover to support what we were doing," he said. "But I really believe next year will be very different."
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/05/05/20110505arizona-gun-ranking-worst.html

Target of gun sting: ATF is ‘scaring people out of the shows’

By LEVI PULKKINEN, SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

Published 09:37 p.m., Tuesday, May 3, 2011

A day after news that a grand jury has indicted him and three others accused of illegal gun dealing, one man targeted claims the federal probe is a shot against Western Washington gun shows.

Belfair resident Mark Skiles was among the four men indicted late last week on charges of unlawful gun dealing. Two of the men were also accused of other more serious gun crimes.

Federal prosecutors contend Skiles, 46, and the others were essentially professional gun dealers who sold hundreds of firearms without obtaining a Federal Firearms License. Such licenses are issued to those who buy guns in order to resell them, rather than collect them.

Speaking Tuesday, Skiles described himself as a hobbyist and disputed claims made by prosecutors that he sold guns to undercover Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents.

“I did it as a hobby,” Skiles said. “I never did it as a business.”

“There’s no law or regulation telling me how many guns I can buy, how many guns I can sell or where and when I can sell them,” he continued. “This is their way of scaring people out of the shows.”

Federal prosecutors contend Skiles and the other men were observed by undercover ATF agents at several gun shows selling large numbers of guns.

According to court documents filed in the case, the men were selling the guns under a provision in federal gun law allowing “private sellers” to sell their guns without submitting sales paperwork to the ATF. Anyone “engaging in the business” of firearms sales is required to obtain a Federal Firearms License.

“It became obvious that many of these private sellers were in the business of selling firearms and not simply selling guns from their private collection,” an ATF special agent told the court.

In court documents, the ATF agent contended Skiles told an undercover agent at a May 2010 gun show in Puyallup that he buys used guns from a licensed dealer and resells them at gun shows.

Undercover agents contacted Skiles at several shows, dealing guns alongside his “an apparent business associate,” Kenneth Gussoni. Gussoni, 55, has been indicted on possession of an illegal silencer and a firearm with an obliterated serial number, as well as unlawful gun dealing.

During an Aug. 7 gun show, an undercover agent stood by as the Skiles took a call on his cell phone, the ATF agent told the court. According to the search warrant affidavit, Skiles hung up and said he'd just received a call from the Lakewood police saying they'd recovered a gun he'd sold.

An ATF agent later confirmed that the gun's owner was a convicted felon and domestic violence assault suspect. Investigators also believe the Bremerton man sold a gun to a man who was shot by police while armed in January.

Speaking by phone, Skiles said he bought guns in need of repair that he then resold at gun shows. He said he sells at shows where the sponsoring club performs the same background checks required of Federal Firearms License holders.

Contradicting the ATF agent’s claim that he sold a gun to a convicted felon, Skiles asserted he never sold a gun to anyone who could not legally own one.

“I can guarantee with 99 percent certainty that I never sold a gun to an agent or anyone who was not capable of possessing a firearm,” Skiles said.

Skiles also faulted federal prosecutors for claiming they’d seized two .30 caliber machine guns in a search of his former home. The guns, he said, were actually guns parts, were not operable and are allowed by law.

In a press statement issued Monday, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Seattle described the sales conducted by Skiles and the other men as going beyond the activities allowed under law.

“In the instances described in the indictment and other court documents, the guns were held by the seller for a very brief period of time – days or weeks – and then were sold at gun shows,” the spokeswoman said. “The guns never became part of any ‘collection.’

“By claiming they were only participating in ‘private party’ sales, these sellers avoided filing paperwork related to the gun sales.”

Click the following link for Monday’s report on the ATF action against the gun-show sellers.

The defendants are expected to appear on May 9 for arraignment in U.S. District Court at Tacoma. None are currently jailed.
Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Target-of-gun-sting-ATF-is-scaring-people-of-1364167.php

Guns:  New Toys for the Rich and Mightly

 

By Vikram Sharma & Srinath Vudali  03 May 2011 12:47:00 AM IST

HYDERABAD: Call it a status symbol or fear of being attacked by opponents, possession of guns is quite rampant in the twin cities, particularly in settling land deals. Chandrayangutta, the place where MIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi was shot at and stabbed on the morning of April 30, alone has a mind-boggling 250 gun licence holders out of 600 weapon licences in the South Zone (Old City). The figure, sources say has gone up sharply in recent years.

"Fights over land deals or simply as a status symbol, there are 250 gun licence holders in Chandrayangutta. Most of them move around with the weapon tucked in their trousers,'' police sources told City Express.

Some of them even own not one but two firearms. What is more surprising is that most licence holders purchase the .32 Smith and Wesson which costs between Rs 2.75 to Rs 3 lakh.

"Many residents of Chandrayangutta have made huge money in property deals. They do not mind spending their wealth on guns saying it is for their own safety. But with these guns around, you never know what might happen next," sources said.

The maximum number of gun licence, however, are in the West Zone, in areas like Jubilee Hills, Banjara Hills, Punjagutta and Sanjeevareddy Nagar, where politicians, industrialists and film stars reside. "In these area, it is mostly a status symbol. During checks, we found many of them carrying them in their cars,'' sources said.

"There are nearly approximately 2,500 gun licence holders with about 6,000 guns in use (some even own three)," West Zone deputy commissioner of police, Stephen Ravindra said.

As per the rules, each gun licence holder can have a maximum of three guns. In West Zone, officials said each gun licence holder maintains a minimum of two guns. In Central Zone areas like Saifabad, Nampally, Abids, Begum Bazar, Narayanguda, there are 770 gun licence holders having 1,025 weapons, which implies each owner has more than one weapon.

Officials said there are 250 revolvers, 300 rifles and 130 pistols owned by individuals in the Central Zone. Similarly, in the North zone areas like Secunderabad, Begumpet, Bowenpally and Marredpally, there are about 700 licence holders. In Hyderabad police commissionarate, there are more than 5,170 gun licence holders, possessing nearly 10,000 weapons, sources said.

However, 10,000 weapons used in the twin cities is besides several thousands guns permitted by the Cyberabad police commissionarate.

It is learnt that illegal weapons, mostly country-made pistols are at least three times the official number of guns used. "The thriving gun culture speaks volumes about the threat it poses to many in Hyderabad," a senior police official said.

Ted Nugent tells NRA crowd to turn up "the heat" on guns

Daniel Lovering
Reuters
4:53 PM EDT, May 1, 2011

PITTSBURGH (Reuters) - The National Rifle Association wrapped up its annual meeting on Sunday with an appearance by rocker Ted Nugent, who urged the pro-gun rights crowd to "talk about guns all the time."

The guitarist and pro-gun activist won a standing ovation from the crowd of some 2,000 who listened to him describe the fight against gun control as a public relations battle.

"You need to fix everybody in your lives to be absolutely pro-gun," Nugent said. "You need to talk guns all the time. You need to talk hunting all the time.

"The gun community should be all about public relations," he said. "We haven't turned up the heat enough yet."

Some 70,000 people -- men, women, families with children -- attended the powerful gun lobby's three-day event in Pittsburgh, said NRA spokeswoman Rachel Parsons.

The group claims roughly 4 million members.

The meeting featured speeches, workshops and more than 400 exhibitors including top gun makers Winchester, Browning and Remington.

Nugent took aim at politicians who he said are most vocal about seeking tighter gun controls -- President Barack Obama, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York's U.S. Senator Charles Schumer.

The Obama administration has proposed that gun dealers in four states on the U.S.-Mexico border be required to report the sale of multiple rifles -- a bid to curb the flow of guns into Mexico where drug cartels wage deadly wars.

The proposal has drawn intense criticism from the NRA, which has accused the administration of using the violence in Mexico as a pretext to try to clamp down on gun sales.

"If it was up to me, if you uttered the word 'gun control,' we'd put you in jail," Nugent said. "Does anybody not know that the most dangerous place in the world is a gun-free zone?"

Nugent treated the crowd to a version of "The Star Spangled Banner" on his electric guitar.

The stage was decorated with assault rifles leaning against the amplifiers, a hunting bow, skulls, antlers and arrows.

He found a warm reception in crowd members such as Hunter Ruby, 24, of New Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, who said he came to the annual meeting to see the musician.

"I agree with a lot of what he says and I hope he fires everybody else up as he does me," he said.

Another attendee, Lynda Messerschmidt, 54 of Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, said she agreed with Nugent's message as well.

"He's got the people excited, and he's spreading the word," she said. "We've got to get the word out like he said."

The issue of gun control is likely to be a theme during the 2012 presidential campaign. Obama recently sought to bring together differing sides to discuss ways to make gun laws more effective, a call the NRA has rejected.

(Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst)

http://fox43.com/news/nationworld/sns-rt-usreport-us-nra-contre7402sl-20110501,0,2070617.story

Copyright © 2011, Reuters

Huckabee criticizes Obama at NRA keynote address

(AP) – 12 hours ago

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee called himself a "gun-clinger and a God-clinger" but didn't come close to saying whether he'll be a Republican presidential candidate next year when he delivered the keynote address Saturday at the annual National Rifle Association convention.

Huckabee was referring to a remark President Barack Obama once made about conservatives clinging to their guns and religion.

Huckabee also said Obama didn't receive an "F" rating from the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence because the president has helped gun owners — though gun owners have been allowed to pack weapons on Amtrak trains and carry them in federal parks since President Obama took office.

Rather, Huckabee said President Obama is simply not attacking gun owners' rights as quickly and effectively as anti-gun and gun control groups would like.

The White House has refused to comment on attacks by various Republicans who spoke at the convention earlier this week, instead referring reporters to an editorial the president wrote last month in an Arizona newspaper confirming that he considers the Second Amendment as a guarantee to an individual's right to own guns.

Huckabee, considered a possible GOP presidential hopeful, kept his criticism of Obama relatively light at the meeting in Pittsburgh — ridiculing him for encouraging people to buy hybrid cars in an economy. Huckabee said he recently saw a woman put just $5 worth of gas in her car because that's all she could afford.

He spoke mostly about how he had come to Pittsburgh to "celebrate America and celebrate its values" — including God, family, and a Second Amendment meant to safeguard freedom, not just hunting and target-shooting.

But he suggested that the next election would determine the future of the country, by telling a story about a comment his daughter wrote in a guest book after his family visited a Holocaust memorial in Israel years ago.

"Why didn't somebody do something?" Huckabee said she wrote.

"Today, you will not find a spunkier activist than my daughter, and I don't worry about her but I sometimes worry about us," Huckabee said, referring to conservatives who don't mobilize fully in national elections and for other political causes. "We cannot afford to be a generation that leaves our children with a huge debt and a very erosion of our values."

Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jLreBVvPuqMjQMPeEc-B2Wuw4XeA?docId=c83d7c051d914ac88c069ceecefb35f5