THEY ARE CONFISCATING GUNS TOWN BY TOWN!! WAKE UP!! Part 2

[Mrs. Sharon B. Hodge]

THEY ARE CONFISCATING GUNS TOWN BY TOWN!! WAKE UP!! PART 2

Brent Willard reaches for a hand gun while helping a customer at the hand gun counter at the Bulls Eye Pistol Range and gun shop in Wichita, Kansas USA, on Sunday

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Gun Sales Thriving In Uncertain Times
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Economic woes, fears that Dems will enact new controls drive increase

Washington Post
Oct 26, 2008

http://www. msnbc. msn. com/id/27393833/

Americans have cut back on buying cars, furniture and clothes in a tough economy, but there's one consumer item that's still enjoying healthy sales: guns.
Purchases of firearms and ammunition have risen 8 to 10 percent this year, according to state and federal data

Several variables drive sales, but many dealers, buyers and experts attribute the increase in part to concerns about the economy and fears that if Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois wins the presidency, he will join with fellow Democrats in Congress to enact new gun controls.
Obama has said that he believes in an individual right to bear arms but that he also supports "common-sense safety measures"

"Even though [Obama] has a lot going for him, he's not very pro-gun," said Paul Pluff, a spokesman for Massachusetts-based Smith & Wesson, which has reported higher sales.
Gun enthusiasts are "going to go out and get [firearms] while they still can"

Gun purchases have also been climbing because of the worsening economy, which fuels fears of crime and civil disorder, industry sources and specialists said

"Generally, we know that hard economic times always result in firearm sales," said James M.
Purtilo of Silver Spring, who publishes the Tripwire Newsletter

Gary Kleck, a researcher at Florida State University's College of Criminology and Criminal Justice whose work was cited in the District's recent Supreme Court gun-control case, said that although there are no scientific studies linking gun sales and economic conditions, people often buy firearms during periods of uncertainty.
People often buy weapons because of concerns about personal safety or government actions to limit access to firearms, causing spikes in sales, Kleck said

Industry experts and law enforcement officials point to several examples over the years. In 1994, there was a rush to buy guns when President Bill Clinton pushed for a ban on military-style semiautomatic rifles. Handgun sales jumped last year after the massacre at Virginia Tech as some worried about personal protection and others feared sweeping restrictions on handguns, pushing applications for concealed gun permits in Virginia alone up 60 percent.
People also rushed to buy guns after the 1992 riots in Los Angeles and the breakdown of order in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina

Bob Leyshion, who visited a gun shop in Manassas recently, said the economic crisis and Obama's lead in the polls were on his mind

"People are preparing for catastrophe right now," said Leyshion, 55, of Nokesville. "It's insurance.
With the stock market crash and people out of work, and the illegal aliens in this area, the probability of civil disorder is very high"

Gun owners haven't been especially thrilled about the prospect of Sen. John McCain in the White House.
They see the Arizona Republican as less of a threat than Obama, but they are still angry over McCain's support for certain gun-control measures in the past, such as requiring purchasers at gun shows to undergo background checks

Gun owners said McCain's moose-hunting running mate, Alaska Gov.
Sarah Palin, is far more likely to champion Second Amendment rights

"The industry and sportsmen have not been in love with McCain, but the selection of Palin wiped that all away," said Anthony Aeschliman, a spokesman for the National Shooting Sports Foundation

More than three dozen interviews with gun dealers and buyers in Virginia and Maryland and with experts nationwide indicated that the increase in gun sales appears to be driven predominantly by concerns about the presidential election and the economy

Gun buyers were more likely to say they were responding to the political situation than to the economy, and all but three people said they feared that Obama would restrict gun rights.
Two who indicated that they would support Obama anyway said their concerns about the economy and health care outweighed those about gun rights

Most buyers who emphasized the economy said they thought the worsening situation could lead to an increase in crime and jeopardize their safety.
A few said they were buying guns as an investment

"Look at the political situation and the financial situation," said Fred Russell, owner of Russell's Gun Emporium in Hagerstown, Md. "It's common sense.
People are scared"

Brad, 42, and Margaret Marcus, 47, who were at a Fairfax County shooting range recently with their two children for weekly target practice, said they sped up the purchase of two semiautomatic rifles that had been banned during the Clinton administration because they feared they could become illegal again if Obama wins.
The couple, who run an online retailing business from their Ashburn home, said they viewed Obama's remarks about protecting the Second Amendment as campaign trail "pandering"

"I think right now people are scared Obama is going to take their rights away," said Margaret Marcus, who was carrying a Glock 19 9mm semiautomatic pistol under a blue jean jacket embroidered with "Winnie the Pooh" characters.
"He's definitely anti-gun, despite what you see in the mainstream media"

Law enforcement and industry data and anecdotal reports show that guns are selling well this year. In 2008, there were 8.4 million background checks from Jan. 1 to Sept. 28, compared with 7.
7 million in the same period last year, a 9 percent increase, according to the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System

The increase is also notable because it follows a heavy year for gun purchases, which industry officials and experts link to the Virginia Tech shootings in April 2007 and a burgeoning housing market crisis.
NICS checks show a 20 percent increase in April 2007, compared with the previous year

This year's jump is a continuation of a trend that began in 2006, or about the time the housing bubble popped in parts of the nation, and remained steady last year as the political season began to take shape and the housing crisis grew.
It is also a bigger jump than the average annual increases of about 5 percent or less typical since instant background checks began in 1998

Federal tax data also show that quarterly excise taxes collected on sales of firearms and ammunition have increased about 10 percent this year, compared with last year, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation

Gunmakers see the same trend. "We're ahead of last year," said Pluff, of Smith & Wesson.
"There's a few things that drive the market, and one of them is political elections"

On a recent weekend this month, a crowd of lookers and buyers milled around in the Virginia Arms Co. in Manassas. Some were shopping for large-capacity magazines, or clips, that attach to firearms and hold additional rounds of ammo.
Those were banned during the Clinton administration and became legal again when the ban expired

"I'm looking for gun clips because I got the funny feeling that prices are going to rise, or they're going to be banned," said Wayne Heglar, 48, who lives in Aldie and builds custom motorcycles.
Heglar said he also planned to stock up on ammo

"When the Democrats are in office, it seems like anti-gunners come out of the woodwork," Heglar said. He said expected Obama to use tax law to restrict gun ownership.
"A bullet will be a luxury," he said

At Clark Brothers Gun Shop in Warrenton, a sign over the door says: "Experts Agree . . . Gun Control Works!" Underneath are photos of Hitler, Stalin, Fidel Castro and Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi.
There are also posters that criticize Obama's record on guns

Steve Clark, the shop's owner, said customers have been buying weapons they fear would be restricted and that have been before, such as Colt AR-15s, semiautomatic rifles that go for $1,100

"What I hear a lot is fear that Barack will win the election and tax everything to the point that you can't afford anything," said salesman Eugene Proko, 51


Mayor Michael R Bloomberg attending a meeting of the coalition Mayors Against Illegal Guns in Washington on Monday April 14, 2008


Walmart - Not really supporting your Martial Law self-defense needs


This is what's going to happen to you and your family in a very near future - Bush's new Martial Law plan will take away all your LEGALLY owned arms by FORCE in the hands of NWO UN MJTF FINCEN BLACKWATER PRIVATE FOREIGN MERCENARIES upon a 'catastrophic event' taking place on US soil

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Firearms Industry Responds to Mayoral Gun Summit
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Business Wire
April 14, 2008

http://www. businesswire. com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_vi...

NEWTOWN, Conn.
--(BUSINESS WIRE)--New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, at a meeting of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition he founded, announced today the Responsible Firearms Retail Partnership program with Wal-Mart The retailer has agreed to retain records of purchasers of firearms that are later traced by law enforcement for reasons never disclosed to Wal-Mart The retailer also agreed to run background checks on its employees handling firearms

Commenting on today’s announcement the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) – the firearms industry’s trade association – said the partnership’s name gives the false impression that federally licensed firearms dealers are somehow irresponsible.
“Today’s announcement reflects Mayor Bloomberg’s troubling ignorance and misunderstanding of what can – and cannot – be gleaned from data of guns recovered by law enforcement and traced from the manufacturer to the first retailer purchaser,” said NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G Keane The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) maintain this trace data

ATF has said repeatedly, “The appearance of [a licensed dealer] or a first unlicensed purchaser of record in association with a crime gun or in association with multiple crime guns in no way suggests that either the federal firearms licensed dealer (FFL) or the first purchaser has committed criminal acts Rather, such information may provide a starting point for further and more detailed investigation” (Crime Gun Trace Analysis Reports, ATF, 1998)

NSSF has never opposed background checks on firearm retailer employees “We have had a program to assist our members in running background checks on their prospective employees at a discounted rate,” said Keane “NSSF would consider supporting legislation to allow gun dealers to conduct background checks on prospective employees through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), which is currently prohibited by law”

“It is stunning that a mayor who claims to be interested in combating the criminal acquisition and misuse of firearms would continue to insult ATF and federal firearms licensees,” continued Keane He was alluding to Mayor Bloomberg’s March 10, 2008, deposition (part 1 of deposition, part 2 of deposition) – part of a lawsuit filed by the City of New York against several out-of-state firearms dealers During the deposition Bloomberg testified he stood by his earlier statements that ATF is “asleep at the switch,” and added that the agency is “not doing their job” (page 52)

Perhaps the mayor’s insults stems from his self-professed ignorance of our nation’s firearms laws and regulations, business practices of firearms retailers and the duties of the ATF “I don’t know what the law is and what procedures are,” responded the mayor to a deposition question on illegally purchased firearms (page 35) “I have no knowledge of what appropriate safeguards are for a dealer to comply with the law or what standard practices are in the arms business” (page 74)

In the same deposition Mr. Bloomberg admitted he did not know that ATF conducted inspections of firearms retailers. “I didn’t even know they had inspections,” the bewildered mayor offered (page 58). Mr. Bloomberg also noted that he did not know what a Federal Firearms Transaction Record commonly known as a Form 4473 was (page 75) or a NICS background check (page 79).
Of course, before a licensed firearms dealer can sell a firearm the law requires the purchaser to complete, under penalty of perjury, a Form 4473 The form asks detailed questions about the purchaser including any past crimes committed and whether they are the actual buyer of the gun Once the form is completed, and before the licensed dealer can transfer the firearm, the purchaser must pass a mandatory background check through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System or NICS, which is run by the FBI

Mr. Bloomberg has rebuffed past firearms industry requests to educate him about industry’s cooperative relations with law enforcement in assisting them in their efforts to reduce criminal access to firearms. For example, the partnership program between NSSF and ATF called Don’t Lie for the Other Guy.
In this program NSSF helps ATF to better educate America’s firearms retailers on how to detect would-be straw purchasers and to raise public awareness that it is a serious crime to buy a firearm for a prohibited person At his deposition, the mayor testified the program was “totally foreign” to him Ironically, however, at his May 2006 press conference announcing his lawsuit against out-of-state firearms retailers, the ATF-Industry "Don’t Lie" program was featured in a video clip where a firearms retailer “does the right thing” and refuses to sell a firearm to a perceived straw purchaser

“The mayor’s deposition and past statements make it clear that today’s announcement was nothing but a publicity stunt,” concluded Keane


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Wal-Mart Sells Out Sportsmen to Gain Foot Hold in New York
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Reuters
April 15, 2008

http://www. reuters. com/article/blogBurst/domestic?type=domesticNe...

FROM BLOG: American Patriot Journal - Opinions and satire about current events, politics, government, immigration, and the war on terror from a moderate conservative

The following blog post is from an independent writer and is not connected with Reuters News
The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by Reuters. com

Wal-Mart, the one time leader in discount outdoor sports equipment, signed on to New York City Mayor Bloomberg’s war against the 2nd Ammendment and what the mayor refers to as “illegal guns” just to gain favor in it’s agenda to open stores in the five boroughs

The irony is that most Wal-Mart stores in major cities no longer sell firearms and Bloomberg’s demand for stringent checks of IDs in a city that has a “sanctuary” policy for illegal aliens

WASHINGTON (NY Sun) — Mayor Bloomberg, having had little success drawing federal lawmakers to his fight against illegal guns, is turning his attention to the nation’s largest firearms seller

The mayor yesterday announced what he characterized as a groundbreaking partnership with Wal-Mart to beef up its standards for gun sales at 1,100 locations nationwide The 10-point voluntary agreement is aimed at enhancing the chain’s ability to keep guns away from criminals and the mentally disabled

“Wal-Mart clearly shares our goals, and their commitment to public safety really is commendable,” Mr Bloomberg said at the outset of the third annual summit of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition he formed in 2006 The mayor said he hoped the agreement would establish a “Wal-Mart standard” of best practices for gun dealers across the country

The partnership gives Mr Bloomberg a key private sector ally in his campaign against illegal firearm sales, which has drawn the fury of gun rights groups and manufacturers The mayor has struggled to get Congress to sign on to his agenda, and he was stymied last year in an aggressive push to repeal a law that restricts the use of gun tracing data by law enforcement

Under the pact, Wal-Mart will videotape all gun purchases at its stores and keep the tapes for six months, and it will conduct criminal background checks on all employees selling or handling firearms. The chain will also implement a computerized alert system to flag customers with suspicious purchasing histories. Other aspects of the agreement include enhanced inventory checks and security measures to prevent lost and stolen guns, along with more stringent checks of customer IDs. “This code is an avenue for Wal-Mart to strengthen our standards, and we hope other retailers will follow suit,” a senior vice president of Wal-Mart and its chief compliance officer, J.
P Suarez, said The company, he said, shares “the goal of making sure that guns don’t reach the wrong hands”

Wal-Mart has tried without success to open its first store in the five boroughs, but Mr. Suarez told The New York Sun that the partnership with Mr.
Bloomberg and his coalition would have no impact on those efforts “We’re doing it because we believe it’s the right thing,” he said As for a potential Wal-Mart in New York City, he said: “We continue to evaluate sites”

Ms Bloomberg suggested Wal-Mart was more than welcome “Companies that understand that they have an obligation to the people that they sell to and the communities that they exist in are the kind of companies that we want in New York City,” he said, “and I think every city should want”



Ken Merkel, of Kempton, keeps a Glock 27 handgun on his belt as gun- rights advocates gather for dinner at Charlie Brown’s in Dickson City before attending a Dickson City Borough Council meeting Tuesday night




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Gun Owners Protest Police Action

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Times Tribune
BY CHARLES SCHILLINGER
STAFF WRITER
05/14/2008

http://www. thetimes-tribune. com/site/news. cfm?newsid=19687220&am...

DICKSON CITY — A Friday evening police incident spilled over into a Borough Council meeting Tuesday, with gun-rights advocates alleging harassment by two police officers

The regular monthly meeting erupted into a full-blown debate on the Second Amendment, with more than 20 Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association members — many of whom were openly armed — arguing their right to carry a weapon in public

Police have yet to release a report of the incident in which a group of customers at Old Country Buffet were questioned about openly carrying handguns in public. At least one of those customers, Rich Banks, of Luzerne County, was detained for refusing to cooperate with police in regard to his concealed .38-caliber handgun, Police Chief William Stadnitski said. Mr.
Banks’ weapon remains confiscated, but the chief said he can pick it up at any time

Pennsylvanians are required to carry a permit for a concealed weapon; however, there are exemptions, such as in the case of Mr.
Banks, who Dickson City police later found out had a federal gun-dealer license

“We don’t feel there was any misconduct. We did what we had to for the safety of the customers,” Chief Stadnitski said of his part-time officers, Karen Gallagher and Anthony Mariano, who responded to the restaurant after 911 received complaints.
The chief said no charges will be filed

But some, like Andrew Koch, disagreed. Mr. Koch drove more than five hours from Pittsburgh to speak out for Mr.
Banks and the other gun owners who were “embarrassed, oppressed, harassed and violated” by the police

“These officers need to be disciplined, and criminal charges need to be brought against them,” Mr.
Koch said

Firearm association members turned out from all over the state at Tuesday’s meeting after postings on Internet sites, such as www. opencarry. org.

The co-founder of that site, Lancaster resident Mike Stollenwerk, drove from Washington, D.C.
, to protest the police conduct

“Normally when hiccups like this happen, they don’t go as far as gun seizure. ... Usually it gets cleared up much quicker,” he said

Bill Grumbine, of Kutztown, carrying a Springfield XD-45 handgun, said he brought his 15-year-old daughter, Emily, for a “real-life civics lesson”

“The last thing we want to do is use our guns, just like the last thing you want to do is use the air bag in your car,” he said.
“But we believe in being prepared, and we believe in exercising our rights”

Several council members and Mayor Anthony Zaleski defended the police officers

“Our officers did not know what to expect.
They could be walking into situations similar to shootings at school campuses and other public events,” said council President Barbara Mecca

Contacted by The Times-Tribune, Lackawanna County District Attorney Andy Jarbola declined to comment on this specific case, but said people have a right to openly carry a weapon without having to show identification or a permit

“Police can ask, but if they don’t want to give it, they don’t have to,” he said.
“It’s going to be surprising to the public, but that’s the current state of law”

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