In Washington, D.C., Rep. James
R. Langevin (RI) introduced H.R.
4390 to increase to three times
from once the number of times
federal agents may be allowed to
make compliance inspections of all
federally licensed firearms dealers.
Referred to the House Judiciary
Committee, cosponsors include
Reps. Corrine Brown (FL), Ed Case
(HI), Rosa DeLauro (CT), Patrick
J. Kennedy (RI), John Lewis (GA),
Carolyn McCarthy (NY), James P.
Moran (VA), Janice D. Schakowsky
(IL), Christopher Shays (CT), Chris
Van Hollen (MD), Robert I. Wexler
(FL), and Lynn Woolsey (CA) and
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC).
They call the proposal the Crackdown
on Deadbeat Dealers Act of
2005.
In Bellevue, Washington, CCRKBA
Executive Director Joe Waldron
praised the Wisconsin State
Senate and Assembly for passing
concealed carry legislation. The
Assembly modified the bill passed
by the Senate and sent it back to the
Senate for further action, expected
this month. “Wisconsin residents
have just as much right to defend
themselves as do the citizens in 46
other states,†Waldron stated. “Yet
anti-gun Gov. Jim Doyle, who once
again promises to veto this modest
legislation, is treating them like
second class citizens who cannot
be trusted with their own safety. It
makes me wonder why he expects
Wisconsin citizens to trust him in
the governor’s office. Wisconsin
gun owners and other supporters
of self-defense rights need to make
their feelings known.â€
From Florida, Frank Barbera
of Spring Hill writes that a new law
passed last year re self-defense with
lethal force “does apply to incidents
outside the home. It applies to any
place you have a right to be, be it a
shopping center parking lot, a nurse
leaving her shift at a hospital at 2 AM,
preventing an attempt to highjack
your automobile, or even to prevent
physical harm from happening to
another person, even a stranger,
etc. The only difference in the law is
a victim no longer must back away
to escape. If your life is in danger,
you are allowed to use deadly force
to prevent it from happening.â€
In New York City, anti-gun U.S.
Sen. Charles Schumer calls for an
“improved†gun database. He says
he wants all states to be required to
report stolen guns and guns involved
in crimes to a nationwide database.
Right now, about 25 states voluntarily
report such firearms. Speaking
last month at a press conference,
Schumer said that, of the illegal guns
recovered in New York City between
1988 and 2003, 92 percent were from
out of state. Patrick Lynch, President
of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association,
appeared at the conference
with Schumer and called the
proposed change “mandatory.â€
“This past summer, members of
a Manhattan law firm went on a field
trip to Danbury, Connecticut, where
they spent an entire day at the range
without swinging bats or golf clubs,â€
reports The New York Times. “The
members of Kobre & Kim LLP were
there not to hit and hack, but to lock
and load, and to experience the
thrill of firing pistols, rifles and even
submachine guns…In the last few
years, a growing number of professionals…
are abandoning traditional
company outings like softball, golf or
fishing, choosing instead to escape
the pressures of their busy workdays
by blowing off steam – and rounds
of ammunition – at shooting ranges
that give corporate retreats some of
the atmosphere of military attacks.â€
Noting that “half of U.S. hunters
have annual household incomes
of $75,000 or more,†USA Today
reports that “hunting, fishing and
the shooting sports are storming
the mass market and luring upscale
consumers at a healthy clip. More
hunting and fishing lodges are vying
for corporate and family dollars. Millions
of anglers, hunters and target
shooters are shelling out billions of
dollars on gear, from $300 fly-fishing
rods to $10,000 shotguns…Many of
the enthusiasts are baby boomers in
their peak earning years, and their
kids are joining them, according
to industry groups and marketing
reports.â€
