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Dave Kopel's Second Amendment NewsletterFebruary 2, 2007 The Independence Institute publishes several newsletters on other topics, plus a weekly newsletter containing our most recent op-eds and news of our activities. E-mail subscription to any of these newsletters is free. Delivery of this newsletter comes courtesy of the Second Amendment
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Table of Contents
I. New by KopelArticlesIs the Best Defense a Good Book?America's 1st Freedom Refutes the claim of pacifist-aggressives that the New Testament mandates pacifism. Cutting Through the Fog. The role that Firearms, Malaria, AIDS, and Kleptocracy Play in Development Failure.America's 1st Freedom "In order to justify arms confiscation, the U.N. and its allies have taken up yet another misguided battle cry -- the claim that firearms in civilian hands impede economic development." The Other War in EthiopiaWith Paul Gallant & Joanne D. Eisen The authors describe the ongoing destruction of the disarmed Anuak people of southwestern Ethiopia. BloggingWeapons of Jesus and the DisciplesThe Volokh Conspiracy Dave responds to and enlarges upon reader comments concerning his views on the the possession and use of weapons by the Apostles. Presidential Candidates on the Second AmendmentThe Volokh Conspiracy "...here's a preliminary assessment of some of the people who have been listed as likely or definite candidates." Knife RightsThe Volokh Conspiracy "That's the name of America's new citizen organization dedicated to protecting the responsible ownership of knives and edged tools. For their web page look here: http://www.kniferights.org/ Interesting Machiavelli QuoteThe Volokh Conspiracy From a chapter entitled, '"It is not well to Threaten without Having the Power to Act.' Kopel in Other LanguagesDave's New Website in ChineseThis Taiwanese site features eleven articles in both Traditional and Simplified Characters, including Arms and the Greeks (what Aristotle and Plato thought about an armed populace), and A Moriori Lesson (how pacifism leads to destruction). Intervista a David B. KopelTiziano Buzzacchera Here is the result of Dave's interview by the Italian magazine élites. Az ENSZ bűntárs volt az izraeli katonák elrablásábanDave Kopel: Magyar Hungarian translation of Dave's article about how the United Nations is an accomplice in the terrorist kidnapping of Israeli soldiers. InternationalAustraliaLegislation aims to toughen Tas Gun LawsAustralian Broadcasting Corporation "Tasmania's Police Minister has released draft legislation to amend the 1996 Firearms Act." Anti-gun Lobby Concerned Laws will be Watered DownAustralian Broadcasting Corporation "The Coalition for Gun Control's Roland Browne says he is concerned about the changes." CanadaTory Pledge to Kill Gun Registry Still Hanging Fire after YearJim Brown "A year after the federal Conservatives won power promising to abolish the gun registry, the program is still running - and any hope of killing it before the next election appears to be fading." East TimorTimor Gun Buy-back Could WorkAustralian Associated Press "A gun buy-back scheme in East Timor could work to reduce the amount of violence in the troubled nation, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty says." IndiaHyd police to train Gun-OwnersPrachi Jatania "Hyderbad police has decided to put a check on the people holding a gun license and those using it." Punjab's Licensed Firearm Holders Asked to Deposit WeaponsRavinder Singh Robin "To ensure free and fair Assembly elections in the state, the authorities in Punjab have directed all private licensed fire arms owners to deposit them to their respective arms dealer or to their area's police station." IrelandHomeowners 'have right to meet burglars with force'Vivion Kilfeather and Paul Kelly "Householders can attack a burglar without fear of the law unless they act maliciously or with excessive force, the Criminal Court of Appeal said in a fresh ruling on the rights of victims yesterday." IsraelKnesset C'tee Paves Way For Vote on Self-Defense BillArutz Sheva (Israel) "The law would establish that someone who shoots a thief or intruder in self-defense cannot be charged with murder." KyrgyzstanWild-west Approach to Personal Security Gains Adherents in KyrgyzstanDaniel Sershen "Experts say a surge in gun-related crime and a loosening of firearm regulations is promoting a Wild-West approach to security." The 'experts' in question are the authors of a 2004 report by the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey, who had used Kyrgyzstan as an example of a country with low firearms ownership and crime. Arming ParliamentNews Briefing Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan) "NBCentralAsia commentators have criticised a decision to allow members of parliament to carry weapons, saying it will do nothing to resolve security problems facing Kyrgyzstan, and is unfair since other citizens are not allowed to bear arms." MexicoGun-toting Priest Sings for Social CausesAlfredo Corchado "I've never used my gun, and I never plan to, but confronted with a bad situation, we have the right to defend ourselves," he said. "These are very dangerous villages." South AfricaSouth Africans Long for Justice as Crime RagesMichael Georgy "'People have a right to defend themselves but we don't want people to act like vigilantes and just shoot criminals,' said Gauteng police director Govindsamy Mariemuthoo." SomaliaSomalis Stick to Their GunsEdmund Sanders "The government's disarmament plan is not the first time authorities have attempted to sweep weapons from the streets of Mogadishu." SwitzerlandArmy weapons "kill 300 people a year"Swiss Info This figure comes from Swiss criminologist Martin Killias. Martin Killias's reliability is not entirely beyond informed suspicion. United KingdomPrince William Goes Huntin', Shootin' and Textin'This is London (UK) "He had a cap on his head, a gun under his arm and faithful dog at his side, but the only thing holding his attention was his mobile phone." Is the Hunting Act working, or should it be repealed?Guy Adams "The League Against Cruel Sports admit that the Hunting Act is being widely flouted, but describe this as a temporary state of affairs." Criminals Make 'Deactivated' Guns Lethal in Four MinutesTom Harper "Gun crime victims have criticised the Government for failing to close a loophole that allows criminals to legally buy 'deactivated' firearms that can be turned back into lethal weapons within minutes." Airguns Survey Reveals 80 per cent Support for Introducing BanIan Swanson "More than three quarters of Scots would support a ban on airguns, according to a new poll." Campaigners Welcome City 's Bid for First UK Ban on AirgunsAlison Chiesa A number of publicized shootings of toddlers (one in Turkey) with airguns has prompted a Labour Councilman to call for Glasgow to ban all air weapons in civillian hands. The British government is doubtful that an individual city has the right to enact such a ban. The article ends with a link to a British NGO actively advocationg the ban, this one: http://www.umut.org.tr/eng/ Gunpoint Robberies SoarThe Guardian "The number of robberies involving firearms jumped 10% last year,including a 9% rise in street robberies at gunpoint..." The article cites as excuse the 'porous borders' of the United Kingdom. CultureA Rifle in Every PotGlenn Reynolds Reynolds reacts to the town of Greenleaf, Idaho, requiring firearms ownership for the defense of homes. He cites Dave's 2001 article in the Arizona Law Review, here: http://www.davekopel.com/2A/LawRev/LawyersGunsBurglars.htm. Free Summer Program for High School Sophomores and JuniorsReno Gazette-Journal (NV) "The National Rifle Association's Youth Education Summit (YES) program is gearing up to host another active week for students who want to learn about the U. S. government." Kids & Clays foundationWeb Page "The Kids & Clays Foundation is committed to improving the lives of children and their families by partnering with shooting sports enthusiasts to develop programs that generate funds to support the operating needs of the Ronald McDonald Houses, Ronald McDonald House Family Rooms and Mobile Medical Units." USA Shooting Announces Formation of USA Shooting Safety CoalitionPress Release "'This program will create a 'best practices' message that all trainers can utilize.'" USA Shooting prepares U.S. Olympic marksmen to compete. Other groups joining the initiative include the NSSF, IHEA, and the National 4H. Illinois State Rifle Association Launches Firearm Training InitiativePress Release "The ISRA is pleased to announce the launch of an exciting new firearm training initiative designed to heighten safety awareness, and build shooting skills. The program keys on women who are interested in learning to handle handguns safely as well as improving their accuracy under combat conditions." Kentucky Moves to Allow Children to Hunt for FreeRoger Alford "The Kentucky Wildlife Commission has taken steps to make it easier for children to hunt, even removing the requirement for the state's youngest hunters to purchase licenses." Over 60 and licensed to carry: Seniors more likely to have permits for concealed gunsMelanie Markley "Elderly and middle-aged residents are more likely to get concealed handgun permits than people in their 20s, 30s and early 40s, according to Texas Department of Public Safety figures released last week." Alicia Keys Wants To Purchase GunMaira Oliveira "The singer-and-actress had to learn to shoot in her new movie 'Smokin' Aces' and now she is confident handling a firearm she is seriously contemplating buying one for her own safety." Snoop Dogg Calls for a World Gun AmnestyLondonNet "The rapper - who was arrested in October for possession of drugs and a firearm - wishes the planet could be free of guns so no more lives could be unnecessarily cut short." Film Documents Woman's Tragedy, Efforts to Change Gun LawClarke Canfield A new film sympathetically portrays a woman trying to force passage of a ten-day waiting period for firearms purchases in Maine after her son killed himself with a recently-purchased shotgun. TerrorismIn the Fight Against Terrorism, Some Rights Must Be RepealedJunaid Afeef "The idea of public gun ownership simply does not make sense anymore. The right to bear arms, as enumerated in the Second Amendment, was meant for the maintenance of a 'well-regulated militia.'" New Demands for Armed Pilots: Some Say the Mandatory Refresher Course Is Too CostlyDel Quentin Wilber Armed airline pilots now outnumber Federal Air Marshals, but the difficulties in acquiring certification and a new retraining program may be reducing the number of pilots able to defend their cockpits. TSA Delays Real-World Testing of Body ScannerThe Washington Post "A test of an X-ray security scanner that can see through clothing, taking clear pictures of the human body along with concealed weapons, has been delayed until early next year at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport." PoliticsMitt versus Mitt on Guns (and Everything Else)George Conway Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney has proclaimed support for the 2nd Amendment that his actions as governor of Massachusetts would seem to contradict strongly. Fargo Mayor, NRA at Odds about Past MembershipAssociated Press Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker says that he dropped his NRA membership over the group's support of 'automatic weapons.' The NRA can find no record of Walaker ever having been a member. For the group's pronouncement, see here: http://www.nraila.org/currentlegislation/actionalerts/read.aspx?id=376 Does the National Rifle Association Influence Federal Elections?Christopher B. Kenny, Michael McBurnett & David J. Bordua The first empirical study to conclusively demonstrate and quantify interest-group influence on Congressional elections. StatesArizonaLaw would make Minutemen guilty of 'domestic terrorism'Jay Baggett "An Arizona lawmaker has introduced a bill to revise the state's statutes on organized crime and fraud by defining 'domestic terrorism' in such a way that members of the Minuteman Project or other border-patrol groups could be prosecuted and forced to serve a minimum six-month jail term." ColoradoLegislators consider changes to concealed weapons permit lawsRebecca Boyle Colorado state lawmakers have four different bills pending about the continuation or elimination of a statewide database of concealed carry permit holders. IllinoisDaley hopes Gun Limits Finally Pass LegislatureFran Spielman "Emboldened by Democratic gains in the Illinois Senate, Mayor Daley unveiled his annual package of gun-control legislation Wednesday -- this time, to reverse an uptick in Chicago homicides." KansasManhattan Officials Restrict Concealed CarryJenny Yank "State law prohibits concealed weapons in some areas including state buildings, but Manhattan City Commissioners are taking those restrictions further." MassachusettsGun Rights Battle Looms: Gun Range License DebateMilton J. Valencia "City officials could face a debate over gun rights after the police chief suspended the licenses of a shooting range at which a woman killed herself in October." Mayor Eyes New Curb on Gun-Law Violators: Would Suspend Driving RightsDonovan Slack "Mayor Thomas M. Menino wants the state to suspend driver's licenses and revoke the vehicle registrations of individuals convicted of firearms violations in Massachusetts and to list the charges on driving records available to police during traffic stops." VirginiaMeasure to Close 'Gun Show Loophole' Fails for Fifth timeLarry O'Dell "A Senate committee yesterday killed legislation to require private sellers at gun shows to obtain a criminal background check on buyers." West VirginiaBill Calls for Gun Education in W.Va. Public SchoolsNicky Walters "The bill calls for public schools to offer a two-week orientation program about gun safety to students in grades seven through nine." LawFeds Win on Appeal in Lawsuit over Gun CrackdownPaul Egan "An appeals court today overturned the decision of a Detroit federal judge to drop a gun charge against a man who alleged he was selectively prosecuted because he was black." The alleged selective prosecution was part of the Federal Project Safe Neighborhoods enforcement of federal firearms legislation. SAF files motion to hold Magin, Riley in contemptPress Release "Frustrated by repeated failures to meet court-appointed deadlines, and a pattern of disregard by the City of New Orleans, the Second Amendment Foundation has filed a motion to hold Mayor Ray Nagin and Police Superintendent Warren Riley in contempt of federal court." "Quiet Enjoyment"Eugene Volokh "Eckenrode argues that there was no direct evidence that any weapons were, in fact, there to protect any illicit business, as opposed to merely expressions of Eckenrode's quiet enjoyment of his article I, section 24 right to bear arms." State v. Eckenrode, 2007 WL 177917 para. 17 (Wash. Sup. Ct. Jan. 25). The Washington Supreme Court finds that the circumstantial evidence was enough to rebut the quiet enjoyment theory." ResearchProblems with the Latest Miller, Hemenway, Azrael Study on GunsJohn R. Lott "The bottom line is that their results comes from two factors: the exclusion of DC and the use of other crime rates to explain the murder rate. Changing these two factors causes their result to go from positive and significant to negative and significant." Children's Defense Fund Releases Annual Gun Violence ReportPress Release Throughout the text, the references are exclusively to children killed, 'by firearms.' There are comparisons to combat losses in Arghanistan and Iraq. Brady Center Report Reveals 'Shady Dealings' By Licensed Gun Dealers That Supply GunrunnersPress Release The Brady campaign has found more than two dozen cases of illegal gun trafficking from dealers across the country. New Hunting Wire Service Delivers Free Hunting News to SportsmenPress Release "...hunters and sportsmen can now receive free hunting news directly from equipment manufacturers, game ranches and hunting organizations with the all-new launch of TheHuntingWire.com, Hunting's Sure Shot for On-Line News." The Hunting Wire itself may be accessed here: http://www.thehuntingwire.com/ This newsletter is compiled with help from Dr. Rob S. Rice. For more on this exhausted, if well-motivated individual, see http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/rrice/rrice_hd.html. Dr. Rice has just been promoted by the Independence Institute to the position of 'Research Associate.' His previous title was 'Nâzgul.' Al Qaeda delenda est! |
