Since 06-13-07
Fax to my U.S. Senator on her
Anti-Gun Stand
Since 06-13-07
FAX to:
(202) 228-3954
To: Diane Feinstein
From: Your Web-Master
Date: June 13, 2007
Subject: Your Anti-Gun stand
Pages: 12
Dearest Senator Feinstein:
Since you support banning guns for law abiding Americans for Americans to feel safer, here is more evidence to the contrary:
Have you read about
what happened in Australia? A few years back, the government sponsored a
program to pay everyone who turned in their guns, and made it a mandatory
turn-in. Everyone turned them in at a cost to the government of millions of
dollars, except one group -- the criminals.
This past year, the homicides were up 400% becasue no one has a gun to protect
themselves, and the criminals are using them on everybody. They are robbing and
killing seniors, especially, since they cannot fight back or defend themselves.
The government cannot understand why the homicide rate has climbed so
dramatically (Duh!)
25 years murder-free in 'Gun Town USA' - Crime rate plummeted after law required firearms for residents
VIRGINIA TECH MASSACRE
April 19, 2007
http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55288
Kennesaw, Ga., City Hall
As the nation debates whether more guns or fewer can prevent tragedies like the
Virginia Tech Massacre, a notable anniversary passed last month in a Georgia
town that witnessed a dramatic plunge in crime and violence after mandating
residents to own firearms.
In March 1982, 25 years ago, the small town of Kennesaw – responding to a
handgun ban in Morton Grove, Ill. – unanimously passed an ordinance requiring
each head of household to own and maintain a gun. Since then, despite dire
predictions of "Wild West" showdowns and increased violence and accidents, not a
single resident has been involved in a fatal shooting – as a victim, attacker or
defender.
The crime rate initially plummeted for several years after the passage of the
ordinance, with the 2005 per capita crime rate actually significantly lower than
it was in 1981, the year before passage of the law.
Prior to enactment of the law, Kennesaw had a population of just 5,242 but a
crime rate significantly higher (4,332 per 100,000) than the national average
(3,899 per 100,000). The latest statistics available – for the year 2005 – show
the rate at 2,027 per 100,000. Meanwhile, the population has skyrocketed to
28,189.
By comparison, the population of Morton Grove, the first city in Illinois to
adopt a gun ban for anyone other than police officers, has actually dropped
slightly and stands at 22,202, according to 2005 statistics. More significantly,
perhaps, the city's crime rate increased by 15.7 percent immediately after the
gun ban, even though the overall crime rate in Cook County rose only 3 percent.
Today, by comparison, the township's crime rate stands at 2,268 per 100,000.
This was not what some predicted.
In a column titled "Gun Town USA," Art Buchwald suggested Kennesaw would soon
become a place where routine disagreements between neighbors would be settled in
shootouts. The Washington Post mocked Kennesaw as "the brave little city … soon
to be pistol-packing capital of the world." Phil Donahue invited the mayor on
his show.
Reuters, the European news service, today revisited the Kennesaw controversy
following the Virginia Tech Massacre.
Police Lt. Craig Graydon said: "When the Kennesaw law was passed in 1982 there
was a substantial drop in crime … and we have maintained a really low crime rate
since then. We are sure it is one of the lowest (crime) towns in the metro
area." Kennesaw is just north of Atlanta.
The Reuters story went on to report: "Since the Virginia Tech shootings, some
conservative U.S. talk show hosts have rejected attempts to link the massacre to
the availability of guns, arguing that had students been allowed to carry
weapons on campus someone might have been able to shoot the killer."
Virginia Tech, like many of the nation's schools and college campuses, is a
so-called "gun-free zone," which Second Amendment supporters say invites gun
violence – especially from disturbed individuals seeking to kill as many victims
as possible.
Cho Seung-Hui murdered 32 and wounded another 15 before turning his gun on
himself.
Chicago Mayor 'Delusional' for Seeking Gun Ban, Group Says
By Randy Hall
CNSNews.com Staff Writer/Editor
March 14, 2006
(CNSNews.com) - An Illinois gun rights group Tuesday called Chicago Democratic
Mayor Richard Daley "delusional" for demanding that all 1.5 million firearm
owners in the state appear before him and explain why their weapons should not
be banned or confiscated.
While acknowledging that Daley's statement comes in the wake of a pair of
shootings in the city that left two young girls dead, Richard Pearson, executive
director of the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA), nevertheless said that
the mayor's outburst "suggests strongly that it's time to pad the walls" of his
office with rubber.
"I have a message for you, Mr. Mayor," Pearson added. "The Revolutionary War was
not fought so that we could unseat King George and install King Richard. The
Bill of Rights is not a stick of salami that you can slice and dice at your
whim.
"You may have succeeded in suspending the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 9th
amendments" to the U.S. Constitution "in Chicago, but the people of Illinois are
not going to let you extend your tyranny beyond the city limits," he stated.
"And no, we have no obligation to come to Chicago, kneel before your throne and
beg to freely exercise the rights that so many before us have died for," Pearson
said. "To be honest, Mr. Mayor, I think Chicago would be a much better place if
you spent less time in front of the cameras and more time behind your desk."
Daley's unusual demand follows a series of events that began on Friday, March 3,
when 14-year-old Starkesia Reed was killed when a stray bullet came through the
window of her family's house in the city's Englewood community.
Twenty-four-year-old Carail Weeks was charged the following week with
first-degree murder in the case.
Then on Saturday, March 11, Siretha White was felled by a bullet from a drive-by
shooting as she celebrated her 10th birthday in another Englewood neighborhood.
Authorities later arrested Moses Phillips, 19, and Paree Jones, 25, and charged
each with three counts of attempted murder for a gang-related shooting that
happened earlier in the day. While the suspects are not charged with Siretha
White's murder, police officials believe they are linked to the incident.
As a result of the slayings, Daley renewed his ongoing plea for tighter gun
control laws in the state.
"It could happen to any child that's going to school now," Daley said Monday.
The tragedies show "a total disregard of human life, and it's as simple as
that."
"Why does an adult decide to fire a weapon at a bunch of children at a party?"
the mayor asked. "Think of that one, or just drive down the street and start
firing a weapon at someone's home."
Daley also demanded that the state's 1.5 million law-abiding firearm owners
travel to Chicago to appear before him and explain why their firearms should not
be banned and confiscated.
Pearson stated that ISRA members grieved over the Englewood families' losses.
"Like all people of good conscience, the state's hunters and sportsmen are
sickened by the murders of innocent children," Pearson said. "It's disturbing to
think that there are people out there who will pepper a home full of children
with bullets for the sake of securing a corner drug outlet. But those people are
out there."
While the mayor "spent the weekend swilling green beer and bagels, a Baghdad
mentality settled over Englewood," Pearson added. "Daley is losing control of
his city, and all he can do is lay down a smokescreen of blame against the
state's law-abiding firearm owners."
As Cybercast News Service previously reported, efforts by Daley and Illinois
Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich in February to institute an assault-weapons ban
have been criticized by gun makers as potentially damaging to the state's
economy.
Gun rights advocates have also labeled as a "boondoggle" a bill proposed by the
governor in his State of the State address to outlaw assault weapons in
Illinois.
Gun Control Linked to Milwaukee Crime Spike, Group Says
By Nathan Burchfiel
CNSNews.com Staff Writer\
December 06, 2006
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200612/NAT20061206b.html
(CNSNews.com) - A recent crime spike in the city of Milwaukee is an example of
how gun-control laws can lead to more crime, according to a group that advocates
for gun ownership.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, a member of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's
Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition, and Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle - both
Democrats - have opposed legislation that would allow Wisconsinites to carry
concealed firearms.
Joe Waldron, executive director of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep
and Bear Arms, said Tuesday that "instead of supporting legislation that would
have allowed law-abiding citizens to fight crime by fighting back," Barrett was
"rubbing elbows with New York's Michael Bloomberg, who won't be happy until he
has disarmed every average citizen in the country."
Waldron said the anti-gun measures were disarming "the wrong people."
"Instead of enabling citizens to defend themselves, he [Doyle] has perpetuated a
low-risk working environment for predatory violent criminals and the Milwaukee
murder rate proves it."
Waldron was responding to a recent newsmagazine report showing that Milwaukee
saw the largest jump in homicides from 2004 to 2005. The city reported 121
murders in 2005, up from 88 in 2004.
According to police statistics, as of Nov. 28 the city had seen 94 murders in
2006.
Waldron called it "ironic" that "anti-gun rights elitists beat the drums of
hysteria about how there would be an increase in violence if law-abiding
citizens were allowed to carry concealed handguns ... and yet violent crime is
rising."
Eileen Force, a spokeswoman for Barrett, scoffed at the assertion that gun
control laws keep guns in the hands of criminals and out of the hands of
law-abiding citizens, calling Waldron's group "kooky."
"It's Mayor Barrett's position that we don't need more guns on the streets," she
said. "We need less."
Force told Cybercast News Service that Milwaukee's increased crime in recent
years "can be attributed to a lot of factors: unemployment, teen pregnancy,
weakened families. Those are the issues that Mayor Barrett seeks to address, not
putting more guns on the streets."
Waldron said it was "difficult to measure" how much of an impact concealed carry
laws would have in Wisconsin, but called the idea that fewer guns lead to fewer
crimes "ludicrous."
"Historically we can show that ... where gun ownership is higher, crime is
lower, and that's true across the board everywhere in this country," Waldron
told Cybercast News Service.
"I'm sure that there are a number of factors that play [into Milwaukee crime
statistics]," Waldron said. "The point ... is that one method that we know works
to reduce violent crime - adoption of a concealed carry law - in fact has been
vetoed twice by Gov. Doyle."
Waldron pointed to economist John Lott's book "More Guns, Less Crime," in which
the author argues that cities adopting concealed carry rights see a reduction in
violent crime within two years.
Other analysts, including the National Research Council, have questioned Lott's
findings. In its 2004 book "Firearms and Violence," the NRC found "no credible
evidence that the passage of right-to-carry laws decreases or increases violent
crime."
With guns and generators, a few homeowners stand guard over neighbourhoods
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1477768/posts
Canadian Press ^ | September 05, 2005 | Robert Tanner
Posted on 09/05/2005 8:24:15 AM PDT by Mr. Mojo
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - When night falls, Charlie Hackett climbs the steps to his boarded-up window, takes down the plywood, grabs his 12-gauge shotgun and waits.
He is waiting for looters and troublemakers, for anyone thinking his neighbourhood has been abandoned like so many others across the city. Two doors down, John Carolan is doing the same on his screened-in porch, pistol by his side.
They are not about to give up their homes to the lawlessness that has engulfed New Orleans in the wake of hurricane Katrina.
"We kind of together decided we would defend what we have here and we would stay up and defend the neighbourhood," says Hackett, a U.S. Army veteran with a snow-white beard and a business installing custom kitchens.
"I don't want to kill anybody," he says, "but I'd sure like to scare 'em."
With generators giving them power, food to last for weeks and several guns each for protection, the men are two of a scattered community holed up across the residential streets of the city's Garden District, a lush neighbourhood with many antebellum mansions.
The streets, where towering live oaks once offered cool shade, are now often impassable because of huge fallen branches and downed power lines. Lovely porches framed in wrought iron lay smashed. Many of the homes appear only slightly damaged, or even untouched.
But the neighbourhoods are stunningly empty, and so quiet that they sound like a forest.
It is a short drive but a world away from the city's downtown, where tens of thousands of hungry, thirsty and increasingly angry people waited in misery at the Superdome and the New Orleans Convention Center before evacuations finally began.
Here, Carolan starts his nightly watch by lighting a big fire in his barbecue pit. Hackett turns his lights on and jams a 4.5-metre wooden brace against the front door so no one can break through.
The night is "black, black, black," Hackett says. "It reminds me of when I was in Vietnam, it reminds me of Dac To."
They have not had a problem staying awake. Each night there are gunshots in the distance, sometimes people walking through, an occasional car driving by.
"Last night I had to draw down on some people," Carolan says. A car with what sounded like a crowd of drunken, partying kids came through and stopped.
"I had to come out with a flashlight in one hand, pistol in the other," he says, crossing his arms like an X. "I said: 'Who are you? Do you live here? What are you doing here?' They said, 'We're leaving."'
Hackett, who in his 50s, lives alone, with his two cats and a bunch of neighbour's pets that he is caring for. Carolan, 46, is keeping watch with his brother, wife, son, and three-year-old granddaughter.
In the first few days, they were especially fearful. Looters smashed windows and ransacked a discount store and a drugstore a few streets over. Three men came to Carolan's house asking about his generator and brandished a machete. He showed them his gun and they left.
"It was pandemonium for a couple of nights. We just felt that when they got done with the stores, they'd come to the homes," Hackett says. "When it's not easy pickings, they'll go somewhere else."
Things have gotten quieter, the men say, but not quiet.
"What do you say, I'm a survivor," John Carolan says with a laugh, thinking of the reality TV show. "Hey, give me the million bucks now."
How long can Carolan and the others hold out?
Hackett has enough gas and food for a month. Carolan says they have weeks' worth of food and bug repellent, and he will siphon gas from left-behind cars to keep his electricity going.
"Everything we have is in our homes. With the lawlessness in this town, are you going to walk away from everything you built?" Carolan says. "A lot of people think we're stupid. They say, 'Why did you stay?' I say, 'Why didn't you stay?"'
Homeland Security
by Jeff Quinn
http://www.gunblast.com/Homeland_Security.htm
March 26th, 2003
Much has been said in recent months regarding Homeland Security. We now have an official Department of Homeland Security as a part of the United States government. There is nothing wrong with this, and it is probably years overdue. Besides the task of guarding our borders and coordinating the various law enforcement branches of the government, the Department of Homeland Security advises the citizenry to basically be careful. As far as guarding our borders, they don’t. People cross our borders illegally, everyday, by the hundreds. As far as coordinating our law enforcement agencies; I don’t know, but it doesn’t look like it is happening yet.
Now, when it comes to advising the citizens of the United States on how best to protect themselves against terrorist threat; the DHS fails miserably. We are advised to buy plastic and duct tape to seal our windows and doors, stock a little food and water, and report any suspicious activity. They make no mention at all about how to best protect ourselves and our families against an actual terrorist. They advise us on how to protect against airborne chemicals and food shortages, but nothing is mentioned about protection from the cause of the problem. If we suspect a terrorist, we are to make a report to the proper authorities, and eventually they might investigate. That has proven to not be good enough. As individuals, the police cannot protect us. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the police have no responsibility to protect an individual citizen.
For a good example of law enforcement’s collective inability to protect the citizenry, we need look no further than last year’s attacks upon the people of the Washington, D.C. area. With a coalition of thousands of federal, state, and local police trying desperately to catch a shooter, fourteen people were shot by two thugs in a beat up Chevy, over a period of several days. After each shooting, the police swarmed the area instantly, interviewed witnesses, filled out reports, and did all that they could to find the killer, but were unable to arrive on the scene fast enough to save a life.
This is not a condemnation of the police. It is a simple fact that we each cannot have our very own twenty-four-hour-a-day policeman. Even if we could, we are just paying him to do a job that we should do ourselves. Every day, in many parts of the world, people kill each other. Not all of these killers would be labeled as a terrorist, per se, by law enforcement. However, if four punks are bursting through your back door in the middle of the night, armed and intent upon the death of you and your family, to you they are, by definition, terrorists. In many parts of the country, the police are at least several minutes away. Whether this is due to their workload or geography, a lot can happen in ten minutes. Try this simple exercise: Pick up your telephone, pretend to dial 911, and then just sit and watch the clock for ten minutes. After about thirty seconds, you will start to realize that ten minutes can be an eternity. Also bear in mind that ten minutes is a pretty good response time. It could take much longer, even if you live in a major city. Everyday, there are armed robberies, carjackings, rapes, murders, and other violent crimes perpetrated by ruthless thugs who couldn’t care less about you or your family. They are bent upon their own selfish wants without regard for you at all. If they are successful, a cop will be there eventually to write a report, but it is up to you to deal with the situation now. These situations occur everyday in this country, and are more common than our elected officials would have us to believe.
Now let us consider the real, genuine, hardcore terrorist; the kind that are organized and determined to take out as many American lives as possible. If you are sitting in an office building and some fanatic flies a high-jacked airplane into the building, there is nothing that you can do to prevent it. This scenario is, however, a very rare occurrence. Most often, terrorists take hostages and kill them one at a time. In a situation like this, your best bet is to be armed, and armed well. Each person must decide for himself what to do in a hostage situation, but dying with your hands tied behind your back because you gave up ain’t the best solution. If you are in a public building, the best .45 auto available in the glove box of your car is of no use to you. You must be armed.
Another, and more likely, scenario that the Department of Homeland Security fails to mention, is the situation in which by chance terrorists do succeed in their endeavor to create mayhem and civil unrest in the United States. There are billions of people in this world, of which a small percentage are Americans. Of the remaining population, some like Americans, some tolerate Americans, and some hate Americans with an unhealthy vengeance. With many legal and illegal immigrants flowing across our borders each day, a major terrorist event is not only possible, but likely. If someone tells you how and when this will occur, they are lying. No one predicted the events of September 11, 2001. It was a total surprise. There are many vulnerable facilities in this country which, if attacked, could cause a major catastrophe and disruption of civil services. In desperate times, people who are normally civil can become a crazy mob. In such an event, in the face of rioting and looting, the police will be of little help. Take the example of the Los Angeles riots of a few years ago, for example. The police deserted and left the store owners in the district to fend for themselves. Those who were armed did quite well. Those who were not armed, wished that they were.
I get questions daily from Gunblast readers who want to protect themselves, and want advice on a good concealment handgun to acquire. There are many great choices for a personal defense handgun, and everyone should own one. For more serious situations, however, such as defending the homestead or getting your butt out of a riot situation, a pocket pistol is not the ideal choice.
First of all, if you are heading into a bad situation, the best advice is to avoid it altogether. However, if the fight comes to you, you better have a good rifle. As I write this piece, the U.S. and its true allies have been involved in a war for five days in Iraq. If you are involved in a fight with a determined mob, of any religion or nationality, you are in a small war. You need to be armed as such.
When I am asked my opinion for the best rifle for which to defend against a formidable force, I usually suggest an AR-15. While I realize that there are many good weapons available; from your old 30-30 Winchester to an M1 Garand, the AR-15 is the state of the art rifle with which to defend you and your family against a determined group of thugs, if you live in the free world. For someone in another part of the world, I might suggest an AK-47 or AKM, but for a U.S. citizen, I recommend an AR-15, and for good reason.
The AR system is easy to use, battle proven, and readily available. Good high-capacity magazines and spare parts are available in quantity at fair prices. A good AR-15 is as reliable as any firearm can be. If needed, parts and ammo are as close as the nearest armory. The gun is relatively light, and can be extremely accurate. My Bushmaster Varminter is the most accurate center fire rifle that I own. The AR-15 is commercially available with barrels of sixteen, twenty, and twenty-four inch lengths, along with just about any custom length that is legal. The weak point in the AR system is the lightweight magazines. They are easily damaged, but spares are cheap and plentiful. Buy several. For sighting equipment, the sky is the limit. For long range work, I like a good scope sight, but for up close social work, the standard AR-15 A2 style sights are hard to beat. On a flattop AR, back-up iron sights or a back-up scope should be a part of the system.
Ammunition for an AR-15 is relatively cheap and available in quantity. Military surplus ammo can be found for less than 14 cents per round. I really like the Israeli stuff. It is reliable and loaded to NATO specifications. Stockpile plenty of ammunition. I know shooters who have a good AR-15 and several magazines, but almost no ammunition. This is stupid. If you ever need your AR in a fight, the local Wal-Mart is not going to be able to supply your needs. Buy your ammunition in quantity, and practice often, rotating your ammo supply to keep it fresh. In good GI ammo cans, the stuff will last a long time, but practice is fun and the ammo is cheap.
I like to keep an AR that is always loaded and ready to go, along with extra loaded magazines, ammo, and other accessories nearby, in the event that I must grab it and go in a moment’s notice. I call it my "Woods Rig". It is always ready. If you must abandon your home, you most likely won’t have time to gather your weapon, magazines, and ammo. Having these things ready ahead of time and within easy reach can make the difference when the decision is made to move out. Asking a panicked wife to help you find your extra magazines while your front wall is collapsing is not conducive to a harmonious outcome. She should be busy grabbing her own rifle and supplies.
Every scenario mentioned in this article is distasteful to a moral, decent citizen. On Gunblast.com, we normally discuss sporting and recreational firearms. We like shooting for the pleasure of the sport, but personal defense is a necessary topic to review from time to time, and is a reflection upon the times in which we live. Homeland Security is a responsibility of every citizen, not just those civil servants whom we pay to protect us. The fact is, there are people in this world who would do harm to you and me just because we are Americans. There are people who would do you harm because you are white, black, brown, rich, or poor. There are others who would kill you in your sleep for enough money to buy another hit of crack. Most good people don’t want to face the fact that there is evil in this world, but evil does exist, and sometimes it comes to visit. It is our duty and our survival to be prepared. Much like having fire insurance on our homes, we hope to never need it.
The United States Department of Homeland Security will never openly advise this, but every citizen should acquire the means to protect themselves, their family, and their country against those who would do us harm, and pray that we never need it.
Jeff Quinn