The content of this newsletter is produced by the Second Amendment Project at the Independence Institute, a think tank in Golden, Colorado. The newsletter is electronically distributed by the Second Amendment Foundation in Bellevue, Washington. Thus, the Second Amendment Foundation will be given your e-mail address.
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Dave Kopel's Second Amendment Project is based at the Independence Institute, a free-market think tank in Golden, Colorado. http://www.independenceinstitute.org
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Please visit Dave Kopel's website, containing articles on
the Second Amendment and other freedom topics.
Table of Contents for this issue
1. New by Kopel:
2. Multi-national
3. International
4. U.S. States
5. History
6. Culture
7. Law
8. Politics
9. Research
1. New by Kopel
Gray Gun Stories. The New York Times' dishonest and mean-spirited coverage of the gun issue.
CNN Saturday 9 EDT.
The UN Small Arms Conference, Johns Hopkins SAIS Review.
Global Deaths from Firearms: Searching for Plausible Estimates. With
Paul Gallant & Joanne D. Eisen. Firearms prohibition advocates claim
that firearms kill 500,000 around the world every year. This factoid is
clearly untrue, and the assumptions used to create the statistic mask
the significant dangers of firearms prohibition. (New version, updated
June 19.)
Fourth of July reprint:
http://www.davekopel.com/2A/Mags/ThomasJeffersonForever.htm
2. Multi-national
The Power To Destroy: Global tax on guns?
Brazil, France Propose International Levy
On Arms Sales To Eliminate World Hunger
(c) 2003 WorldNetDaily.com
The WorldnetDaily
June 3, 2003
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=32887
The world's first trans-national tax would target the private ownership
of firearmswith the excuse of utopian ends at an upcoming UN conference.
United Nations Biennial Meeting of States on Small Arms
and the Programme of Action 7-11 July 2003
The International Action Network on Small Arms
United Nations Web Page
7-11 July 2003 'Programme of Action'
http://www.iansa.org/un/bms.htm
This site is IANSA web page for the Conference itself. It is
interesting to note that IANSA has so many resources they are able to
have a New York coordinator, but a communications officer also!
First Biennial Meeting of State on the Implementation
Of the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons
New York, 7-11 July, 2003
The United Nations, The Conventional Arms Branch
United Nations Web Page
http://disarmament.un.org/cab/salw-2003.html
Another web page on the same conference, with some selected details
about the goals and plans of the upcoming meeting.
The New World Disorder:
U.N. to host global gun-control event
Conference backs measures to track, confiscate, destroy various weapons
By Jon Dougherty
The WorldNetDaily
June 8, 2003
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=32960
This article provides more depth on the conference described above.
Guns Keep Crime Rate Lower In U.S.
Letter to the Editor by Dale Heil
The York Daily Record
Monday, May 19, 2003
http://ydr.com/story/letters/9692/
The writer points out that the Dutch Ministry of Justice report of 2000
entitled ~Criminal victimization in 17 industrialized countries~ shows
12 of the 17 countries studied have higher per-capita violent crime
rates than the United States.
3. International: By Individual Countries
Australia:
Handgun Buyback Open To Club Shooters
Sean Parnell, State political correspondent
The Courier-Mail
20 June 2003
http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,6622886%255E3102,00.html
The Howard Government is set to help shooting club members quit the
sport by buying back their legal weapons under a significant expansion
of Australia's handgun buyback.
Introducing a Strange Doctor
Organization Press Release
Gun Control Australia
Thursday 30th January 2003
http://www.guncontrol.org.au/index.php?article=62
This firearms restriction organization mounts a shrill attack upon the
University of Adelaide for hiring a lecturer sympathetic to the idea of
the civilian possession of firearms.
Canada
http://www.guncontrol.org.au/index.php?article=62
The Gun Registry: What Do YOU Think?
Bill Casey
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
This member of Canada's Parliament for Nova Scotia has set up a Web
site for Canadians having problems with Canada's multi-billion dollar
registry of firearms owners.
Federal Gun Registry Doesn't Make Sense, But Ignoring It Does
Editorial
The Vancouver Sun
2003.06.07
http://www.garrybreitkreuz.com/publications/Article111.htm
Here is a web reprint of an editorial complaining of the complications,
failures, and waste of the Canadian Federal Gun Registry.
Bad Law Just Got Worse
Editorial
The Montreal Gazette:
2003.06.08
http://www.garrybreitkreuz.com/publications/Article110.htm
This web reprinted editorial bemoans the variations in law enforcement
standards resulting from Canada's provinces' differing methods of
enforcing punishments for violations of the Gun Registry's legislation.
Firearms Facts - Update
Liberals Unable To Defend Their Claims
About Police Use Of The Gun Registry System
By Garry Breitkreuz
June 9, 2003
http://www.garrybreitkreuz.com/publications/Article120.htm
Breitkreuz indicates that his colleagues in Canada's Parliament have
quoted enforcement statistics that could not be obtained from the
attributed sources.
China
U.S. Bans Imports From Huge Chinese Conglomerate
By Barbara Slavin
USA Today
Posted 5/22/2003 9:09 PM
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-05-22-norinco-usat_x.htm
The Bush administration has banned imports for two years from a major
Chinese industrial conglomerate for selling missile parts to Iran.
Norinco sells many civilian firearms in the U.S. market.
United Kingdom
Lessons for young guns come under fire
Jeremy Watson and Adam Morris
Scotland on Sunday
Sunday, June 8, 2003
The authors of the article predict that anti-firearms activists will
object to lessons in sport shotgun shooting being taught to Scottish
youth.
Britain's WWII secret army uncovered
By Nic Rigby
BBC News Online
Monday, 10 March, 2003, 15:50 GMT
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/england/2833133.stm
During World War II, Britain trained 'Auxilier Special Patrols' to
disrupt the efforts of invading Germans and potential British
collaborators with rifles equipped with optical sights.
Iraq
Nick Show His Moves While In Irak
Sam Kiley
'100 Days in Rwanda'
http://www.100daysinrwanda.net/BritishNINJA.htm
A British film maker describes how middle-class Iraqis rushed to buy
firearms in the chaos directly following the collapse of Saddam
Hussein's regime.
New Zealand
Latte Set Making The Firearms Rules In Secret
Scoop Media
June 23, 2003 ()
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0306/S00398.htm
New Zealand's urban politicos are planning to force Australian-style
firearms-restrictions upon the rural population.
Philippines
New Gun Possession Curbs Proposed
By Sammy Martin, Correspondent
The Sunday Times (Manila)
Sunday, May 25, 2003
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2003/may/25/metro/20030525met1.html
In the hope of curbing the rising incidence of crime in the Philippines
involving firearms, Senate President Franklin Drilon has filed a bill
limiting the right to carry such weapons to members of the military,
police, security services and other law enforcers
Thailand
Firearms Bill Needs More Teeth
Commentary by Kanjana Spindler
Bangkok Post
June 11, 2003
http://www.bangkokpost.com/110603_News/11Jun2003_news31.html
The author demands punishments for those taking advantage of a
government amnesty offered to those surrendering illegalized firearms,
in addition to complete confiscation of all civilian firearms.
Uganda
Government to Count Guns
Catherine Ntabadde
New Vision (Kampala)
June 5, 2003
http://allafrica.com/stories/200306050545.html
The Ugandan Government is to carry out a census of all legal guns to
stop the proliferation and misuse of small arms in the country. "Guns
are causing havoc all over the world especially the illegal ones," said
Focal Point Member Francis Wanyina.
Zimbabwe
Zim war vets arm ahead of street protests
By Basildon Peta
The Mercury, online edition
May 29, 2003,
http://www.themercury.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=159971
Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe is covertly issuing military firearms
to his supporters in preparation for attacks upon pro-democracy street
protestors.
4. U.S. States
Homicide Rate Up Again
By Matthew Cella
The Washington Times
June 17, 2003
http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20030616-093406-7084r.htm
The District of Columbia reclaimed its traditional status as murder
capital of the United States last year, according to FBI statistics
released yesterday.
Illinois gun crimes law is struck down
By Kevin Mcdermott
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch
06/19/2003 10:31 PM http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/News/70A9A0C
3104E1C7786256D4B0014AA22OpenDocument&
Headline=Illinois+gun+crimes+law+is+struck+down
Illinois cannot tack on 15 or 20 years of prison time for certain
crimes just because a gun was used, the Illinois Supreme Court has
ruled.
5. History
Clayton Cramer
Clayton Cramer's Web Page
http://www.claytoncramer.com/primary/militia/GA1784MilitiaLaw.pdf http://www.claytoncramer.com/primary/militia/GA1778MilitiaLaw.pdf
A celebrated debunker of Michael Bellesisles's denial of Colonial
firearms ownership has posted the text of Georgia Militia laws that
shed light on the conceptions of the 'militia' at the time of the 2nd
Amendment's composition. Free citizens of Georgia were required to
posses the means to perform service in the Milita.
6. Culture
The Perils of Michael Moore
Political Criticism in an Age of Entertainment
By Kevin Mattson
Dissent Magazine
Spring 2003
http://www.dissentmagazine.org/menutest/articles/sp03/mattson.htm
Mattson critically analyzes Moore's techniques of creating propaganda
and cites his defects as examples of the weakness of the modern
Left-Wing intelligentsia, among whom he counts himself.
The Anti-Gun Male
Julia Gorin
Jewish World Review
March 8, 2002
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/julia/gorin030802.asp
This columnist delivers a scathing analysis of the mentality of a
putative male supporter of firearms confiscation.
7. Law
First Amendment Victory In Suit Against School Board
Organizational Press Release
The Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs
May 20, 2003
http://www.anjrpc.org/DefendingYourRights/MontclairPressRelease.htm
The Montclair, N.J. Board of Education (School Board) acknowledged that
it violated its own policies by distributing a flyer supporting
anti-Second Amendment legislation, while refusing to distribute a flyer
opposing the legislation.
Reckless Lawsuits And The Media
Jim Matthews
The Outdoor News Service
21 May 03
http://www.jesseshuntingpage.com/jimmatthews-1-03-6-03.html
(Search for 'lawsuit' to go directly to the article)
The noted outdoors columnist writes scathingly about the flat-out lies
told in newspapers about efforts to protect innocent people and
companies in the firearm trade from unjust lawsuits.
Guns and Violence: The English Experience. By Joyce Lee Malcolm
The Harvard University Press
Catalog Description Page
http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/MALGUN.html
In her potentially controversial new study, Joyce Lee Malcolm turns
this conventional wisdom on its head, synthesizing a wealth of
statistics and historical data to show that rates of violent crime in
England have actually grown in the wake of increasingly draconian
firearms regulations.
Shooting Down the "More Guns, Less Crime" Hypothesis
Ian Ayres & John J. Donohue III
The Stanford Law Review
Vol. 55, Issue 4
http://lawreview.stanford.edu/content/vol55/4/Ayres_Donohue_article.pdf
This PDF file (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) contains the
Ayres-Donahue attack on John Lott's More Guns, Less Crime.
Confirming "More Guns, Less Crime"
Florenz Plassmann & John Whitley
The Stanford Law Review
Vol. 55, Issue 4
http://lawreview.stanford.edu/content/vol55/4/Plassmann_Whitley.pdf
These two economists rebut Ayres & Donahue, arguing that they have
misinterpreted their own results which, properly interpreted, strongly
support Lott's views. The economists also cite other papers by
economists who questioned Lott's results and ended up supporting Lott's
conclusions. There is a counter-rebuttal by Ayres and Donahue in the
same issue.
8. Politics
Baucus Wants To Eliminate Tax On Small Firearms Producers
By Ted Monoson
Montana Forum.com
Wednesday, May 14, 2003
http://www.montanaforum.com/rednews/2003/05/14/build/taxes/firearm-tax.php?nnn=6
Montana Democratic Sen. Max Baucus is seeking to exempt small,
specialized firearms manufacturers from an 11% Federal excise tax on
the manufacturers of firearms.
By J.R. Labbe
Gun Issue Mostly Smoke
The Wichita Eagle
Fri, May. 30, 2003
http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/editorial/5971222.htm
J.R. Labbe writes in a syndicated column about the real reasons for
selected politicians' vocal support of the Clinton-era "assault weapon
ban."
Anti-Gun Hysteria Greets New Laws
by Ari Armstrong
The Colorado Freedom Report
May 29, 2003
http://www.co-freedom.com/2003/05/gunlaws.html
Colorado anti-firearms activists reacted with shrill predictions of
disaster to laws pre-empting local firearms restrictions and
establishing a uniform standard for concealed carry permits.
Annapolis Council Plan Gets Serious On Toy Guns
By A Sun Staff Writer
Sunspot.net
An Annapolis alderwoman has introduced legislation to ban all toy guns
in the city after an 11 year old attempted unsuccessfully to rob a
convenience store with a gold-colored plastic toy pistol.
9. Research
Domestic Disputes
Bad social science and bad legal policy.
By Eugene Volokh
National Review Online
June 17, 2003, 9:30 a.m.
http://nationalreview.com/comment/comment-volokh061703.asp
The noted legal scholar dissects a University of Pennsylvania study
showing a correlation between the presence of a gun in a given home and
the likelihood of crime in the vicinity.
Buying A Handgun For Someone Else: Firearm Dealer Willingness To Sell
S B Sorenson and K A Vittes
Injury Prevention Online
Issue 9
http://ip.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/9/2/147
This article is a web reprint of a recent study on the willingness of
firearms dealers to sell a firearm to a buyer claiming to need the
weapon for someone else's use.
Glenn Reynolds
"Another Bogus Gun Study"
InstaPundit.com
June 18, 2003 03:38 PM
http://www.instapundit.com/archives/010141.php#010141
Reynolds introduces a discussion critical of the study listed above,
pointing out that the buyer, not the original seller, of a firearm is
responsible for a further transfer of the weapon.
Deanna L. Wilkinson. (2003). Guns, Violence, and Identity
among African American and Latino Youth.
Edited by Marilyn McShane and Frank P. Williams III
LFB Scholarly Publishing, LLC. Catalog Page
http://www.lfbscholarly.com/criminal_justice/wilkinson_320094.htm
Wilkinson studies the role of violence and guns in the 'construction'
of the social identity of minority youth, citing firearms as means of
'empowering' violent ghetto youth in their quest for status.
1994-2001 Weapon Injury Data
The Weapon Related Injury Surveillance System
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
January 2003
http://www.state.ma.us/dph/bhsre/isp/wrisp/pubs/windata/03wpinjdata.pdf
Data on the injuries by categories of weapons to Massachusetts
residents from 1994 to 2001 is available on-line as a document in Adobe
Acrobat format.
Preliminary Uniform Crime Report, 2002
The Federal Bureau of Investigation
June 16, 2003
http://www.fbi.gov/pressrel/pressrel03/12month2002.htm
A 12 month survey of crime in the United States.
FBI Uniform Crime Report For 2002 By City
The Federal Bureau of Investigation
June 16, 2003
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius_02/02prelimannual.pdf
The above, as an Acrobat document, on a city-by-city basis.
Gun Facts - Current Version
By Guy Smith
Smith offers a free 70+ page e-book that offers material to combat the
most common gun control myths.
The Small Arms Firearms Education and Research Network
Canadian Centre for Foreign Policy
http://www.research.ryerson.ca/SAFER-Net/Text.html
This is a source for research and activism by anti-firearms activists
attempting to abrogate firearms ownership on a global scale by
supporting UN efforts to equate firearms with disease pathogens, etc.
This newsletter is compiled with help from Dr. Rob S. Rice. Dr.
Rice, no relation to writer Ann, is a historian, writer and factotum
of matters electronic to Dave Kopel.
Al Qaeda delenda est!
