They don‟t mince words way up
north, says The Washington Times.
The newspaper reports that the message
on Alaska State Rep. Fred
Dyson‟s pick-up truck is: “Fight
crime, shoot back.â€
Dyson, who represents District 25
in Eagle River, points out that the
slogan assumes “someone is already
shooting at you and is thus
perfectly legal and correct.†Dyson
added a brief amendment, though.
“It should also say, „be accurate,‟ he
said.
For the benefit of Point Blank
readers, a “Fight crime, shoot backâ€
bumper strip is available from
CCRKBA National Headquarters.
Just phone 425-454-4911 for inquiries.
In Michigan, opponents of the
state‟s new ccw law said in late September
that they are dropping plans
for a statewide referendum to overturn
the law in next year‟s elections.
Representatives of the Detroit-based
People Who Care About Kids group
said they don‟t have the money to
run a campaign and without it are
afraid the ballot initiative would be
rejected. The Michigan Legislature
passed the ccw legislation last December
and Governor John Engler
signed it into law. It mandates ccw
licenses for adults who successfully
complete a gun safety course and
who do not have a criminal record or
a history of mental illness.
Following the September 11 lethal
extremist militant Islamic attacks on
the United States, sales of firearms
and ammunition began to soar, according
to various reports. At GAT
Guns Inc. & Indoor Range in East
Dundee, IL there was a run on
semiautomatic weapons, reported
the Chicago Tribune. In California,
there was a 42 percent increase in
gun sales in the two weeks after the
attacks, compared with the same
period last year. In those two
weeks, 18,500 people bought guns
in California, compared with 13,000
during the same period last year.
The FBI, which conducts criminal
background checks under the federal
Brady Law, reported a 15 percent
increase in such checks on
September 11, 12 and 13, compared
with the same days last year.
One fellow who apparently disapproves
of Americans‟ buying
guns in response to the September
11 terrorist attacks on the United
States is Michael Beard, president
of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.
“As law-abiding citizens arm
themselves,†says Beard, “criminals
and others with sinister motives are
able to do exactly the same because
of our nation‟s law gun
laws.†The Coalition, he continues,
“urges citizens to think twice before
bringing guns into their homes, and
urges Congress to again take up
legislation to prohibit the unregulated
sale of guns.â€
John R. Lott, Jr., author of More
Guns, Less Crime and a resident
scholar at the American Enterprise
Institute, writing in The Wall Street
Journal in reaction to the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks, stated that “there are
about 600,000 active duty and local
law enforcement officers in the United
States today. They are currently forbidden
from bringing their guns on
airplanes. That should change. They
should even be given discount fares if
they fly with their guns…
“The use of guns to stop terrorists
shouldn‟t be limited to airplanes. We
should encourage off-duty police, and
responsible citizens, to carry guns in
most public places. Cops can‟t be
everywhere.â€
Despite the reaction of some politicians
in Switzerland to a recent massacre
in the town of Zug, when a gunman
with a grudge killed 14 local politicians,
Swiss enthusiasm for firearm
ownership is not likely to dampen.
Experts estimate that Swiss households
are stocked with at least 12 million
guns in the tranquil Alpine nation
of 7.2 million where crime is rare,
compared to other countries. According
to the federal defense department,
some 320,000 automatic rifles are
tucked away in Swiss closets.
The Brady Campaign to Prevent
Gun Violence, known formerly as
Handgun Control, Inc., announced
recently that it had to lay off nearly 20
percent of its staff, apparently because
contributions are not what they
used to be. At the same time, reported
Roll Call, a weekly Capitol Hill newspaper,
“several lawmakers described
colleagues – including some advocates
of strict controls on handguns –
who are now seeking firearms training
in hopes of protecting themselves if
the need should arise.â€
