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Citizens Band Together, And Get Governor to Overturn illegal ‘Gun Free Zone’

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A story featured at the Alabama news outlet Yellowhammer exemplifies the American ideal that government is truly of the people, by the people, and for the people, as Abraham Lincoln so famously said during his Gettysburg Address. And for the citizens of Alabama, they have reason to celebrate that foundational American truth — though slipping quickly away — for this brief moment in time.

Writer Cliff Sims penned the article “Indisputable proof Alabamians have the power to demand the government they deserve” after witnessing a relatively unknown law that made public rest areas “gun free zones” become abolished in less than a week.

In great detail, Sims gives a play-by-play of what exactly went down — and it all started with one person’s e-mail. (Redacted version below)

On Sunday, July 19, an Alabamian named Jayson wrote to Sims asking him to investigate the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) overstepping its authority in turning the state’s rest areas into “gun free zones.” By Monday, Sims’s editor and a fellow journalist began the investigation and found that signs declaring “no weapons beyond this point” were indeed present at the rest stops. Yellowhammer began reporting on the story during the week asking about the legality of the ban. ALDOT didn’t initially responded to comment requests.

On Sims’s radio program Tuesday, he urged listeners to “politely” call ALDOT and express their complaints with the department’s decision. Though ALDOT fielded many complaints, they deferred to the state attorney general’s office without much other response.

An ALDOT spokesperson finally told Sims on Wednesday that the attorney general was “reviewing the matter” and said:

“We don’t want this to be a distraction for us. You can probably imagine we have a lot of issues we deal with day in and day out.”

Thursday, Sims rallied his radio listeners to contact the attorney general’s office, again “politely,” and relay their concerns there. And this is where it gets good!

By Friday — less than a week since one person stood up against the government —  Sims received an e-mail from Republican Alabama Governor Robert Bentley’s administration saying that the governor himself reviewed the rule and took action. Governor Bentley later tweeted, “I have ordered the Alabama Department of Transportation to remove signs banning weapons at all Alabama rest stops to comply with state law.”

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Federal court says state can enforce ‘docs vs. Glocks’ law

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Florida can start enforcing a contentious law that restricts what doctors can say to patients about guns.

The measure was first adopted by the Florida Legislature four years ago, but had been caught in a lengthy court battle in which a federal judge in Miami had blocked the law from taking effect.

But the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta on Tuesday issued a new ruling that lifts the injunction that had blocked enforcement of the law.

The measure, signed into law in 2011 by Gov. Rick Scott, prohibited doctors from asking patients about their gun ownership or recording that information in medical records unless it was medically necessary.

A panel split 2-1 over the law with the majority of judges finding that the law is constitutional and doesn’t violate First Amendment speech rights of doctors. It is the second time the appeals court has ruled on the measure and the decision is likely to be appealed.

“The act codifies the commonsense conclusion that good medical care does not require inquiry or record-keeping regarding firearms when unnecessary to a patient’s care—especially not when that inquiry or record-keeping constitutes such a substantial intrusion upon patient privacy,” said the opinion written by U.S. Circuit Judge Gerald Tjoflat.

Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature adopted the Firearm Owners’ Privacy Act after an Ocala couple complained that a doctor had asked them about guns. The two say they refused to answer and the physician refused to see them again.

The 2011 law, which had become popularly known as “Docs vs. Glocks,” was challenged by organizations representing 11,000 state health providers, including the Florida chapters of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Doctors who break the law could potentially be fined and lose their licenses.

 

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Pro-Second Amendment Pastor Shoots Church Intruder

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According to ABC 13 Eyewitness News in Houston. a pastor shot and injured an intruder at the Church of New Beginnings in Baytown, Texas sometime after 6 a.m. Tuesday, police say.

Pastor Benny Holmes was sleeping in his office when he woke up to the sound of someone attempting to break into the church. Holmes then armed himself and shot the burglary suspect in the right shoulder.

The alleged intruder, identified as Lee Marvin Blue, was immediately taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital and is now in stable condition. Police described Blue as having an extensive criminal history.

Last year, Pastor Holmes made national news for taking down a suspected package thief in his front yard. Holmes gave a sermon after the incident, telling his congregation why he believes that God approves of the Second Amendment.

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Officials in Florida Vow to Expedite Concealed Carry Permits for Active Duty Military Personnel and Veterans

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Amid reports of armed citizens standing guard at military recruiting stations and recommendations on how best to protect military personnel, Florida officials announced today that they will expedite concealed weapons permits for active duty military and veterans.

The move comes on the heels of the murder of five military members in Chattanooga, Tennessee earlier this month.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs said its goal is to issue licenses to qualified active military and veterans within 30 days, a third of the time allotted by law.

“The men and women who serve and have served our country deserve all of the support we can provide,” Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam said. “We are pleased to expedite active military members and veterans’ applications for a concealed weapon license, and our partnership with tax collectors throughout the state will make this process even more convenient.”

Military and veterans must submit official military identification with their applications or a copy of service members’ current orders as proof of active duty status. Honorably discharged veterans should submit a copy of their DD 214 long form.

A concealed weapons permit would allow a military member or veteran to carry such weapons outside of military installations in the state. The military has strict rules about who can carry weapons on bases and installations. Generally, only those with duties related to law enforcement, security and of guarding classified information or equipment are allowed to carry weapons.

The Florida move to expedite the process for military and veterans comes amid debates about how best to protect recruiting stations, many of them in shopping center storefronts, and reports of armed citizens showing up at recruiting stations.

Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said that secretary of Defense Ash Carter was reviewing safety recommendations.

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L.A. City Council bans possession of large-capacity ammunition magazines

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Defying sharp warnings from gun rights groups, Los Angeles thrust itself into the national debate over  controlling the peasants and denying them their God given right to self-defense Tuesday, as city lawmakers voted unanimously to ban the possession of firearm magazines that hold more than 10 rounds violating the Second Amendment and Article I, Section 9, Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution “No…ex post facto Law shall be passed ”

The L.A. Times reported that: Such magazines have been “the common thread” in almost all the mass shootings…” but no surprise failed to mention the same magazines have saved far more lives when used in self-defense.

The NRA, Freedom Fighters Foundation, and other gun rights groups have threatened to sue over Los Angeles’ new rules, arguing that they violate the 2nd Amendment and are preempted by existing state law.

In reaction, Councilman Paul Krekorian declared before a cheering crowd outside City Hall, “If the NRA wants to sue us over this, bring it on.”

Mayor Eric Garcetti said he was eager to sign the L.A. measure, which passed 12-0 with three council members absent. Even as city officials celebrated the newly passed restrictions, some hard core leftist gun grabbers were dismayed to hear about a proposal to exempt retired police officers from the rules — an 11th-hour change sought by the union that represents Los Angeles police.

“People who want to defend their families don’t need a 100-round drum magazine and an automatic weapon to do it,” said Krekorian, but intentionally ignoring the original intent of the Founding Fathers who knew that arms are the final check on oppressive government.

Gun rights groups argued the law violates the rights of citizens to protect themselves. Ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds “are in common use for self-defense and they are overwhelmingly chosen for that purpose,” said Anna M. Barvir, an attorney with Michel & Associates, which represents the NRA and the California Rifle & Pistol Assn.

“Indeed, millions are in the hands of good American citizens. As such, they are fully protected by the Constitution,” Barvir said in a statement.

At the Tuesday hearing, the CalGuns Shooting Sports Assn. also raised concerns. “I don’t think it’s going to have any effect on gun violence,” said the association’s director, Chad Cheung, pointing out that people in neighboring cities such as Burbank or Glendale could still possess the magazines.

“Bad people are going to do bad things, and they’ll do it regardless of whatever laws are in place,” Cheung said.

The Los Angeles ordinance is modeled on rules adopted in San Francisco and Sunnyvale that have so far survived legal challenges. Leftwich, from the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, assured the council it was on “firm legal ground.” But Barvir, whose firm represents gun rights groups, said the legal battles are not over and clients are considering litigation over the L.A. rules.

The new ordinance demands Angelenos must surrender or remove all standard capacity magazines within 60 days. Violations will be a misdemeanor but a criminalization of a God given right. Garcetti has 10 days to sign the measure, which would take effect a little more than a month later.

The Los Angeles rules exempt some special classes of people, such as, police and military gun owners, licensed firearm dealers, and people who obtained guns before January 1, 2000, that can only be used with such magazines. At the Tuesday meeting, Councilman Mitch Englander also proposed an exemption for any retired police officer who holds a valid, current permit to carry a concealed weapon.

Leftist extremist Margot Bennett from women against gun violence stated “If the City Council allows this exemption, none of us are going to be happy,”

Exempting retired officers from the rules tugs the extreme left-leaning council between gun grabbing groups staunchly opposed to excluding more Angelenos and the police union bosses who made only $34,000 in campaign contributions to city candidates and elected officials since 2010.

The police union has also pushed for retired officers who they believe is part of the special class of citizens to be exempt from another proposed ordinance that would require Angelenos to lock up handguns or disable them with trigger locks when they are not being used at home.

Krekorian and several other lawmakers have balked at the idea of excluding retired officers from those storage rules, which are expected to come back before lawmakers for a vote next week. However, Krekorian said he supported exempting retired officers from the large-capacity magazine ban because it wouldn’t pose a similar risk to the public, but what we suspect he really wanted to say is it does not pose a risk to the politicians and their power who don’t want the peasants to be armed.

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Harvard Law Professor: “If I could write the Bill of Rights over again, I would skip the Second Amendment”.

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During a recent appearance on Newsmax TV, Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz said the Second Amendment is an “absurd thing” in our constitution and that our legal framework needs to be adjusted “to create a presumption against gun ownership instead of a presumption in favor of gun ownership.”

Professor Dershowitz said:

“We have tried an experiment for the last 250 years and it’s failed miserably and we have to start a new approach. The new approach has to be guns should not be available to people generally, except if they have a significant need.

If I could write the Bill of Rights over again, I would skip amendment number two. We’re the only country in the world that puts in our Constitution the right to bear arms. It’s an absurd thing to be in our Constitution, but it’s in our Constitution. We have to live with it”.

Referring to the attack that killed two people in the Grand Theatre in Lafayette, Louisiana, uttering, “Guns have to be well regulated and they are not well regulated in this country. We’re going to have these kinds of massacres over and over and over again until we change the gun culture and the National Rifle Association is part of the problem, not part of the solution.”

Professoro Dershowitz continued:

“What is needed is some very tough legislation both on the federal and state level to make it much, much harder to get guns and to create a presumption against gun ownership instead of a presumption in favor of gun ownership, consistent with the well-regulated militia language of the Second Amendment”.

Many fellow Jews slaughtered by the NAZI’s probably feel differently. “Never Again”

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Pentagon asks armed ‘citizen guards’ to stand down

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The Pentagon said in a statement Friday that it doesn’t want armed civilians standing guard outside of military recruiting centers anymore.

The patrols popped up after Mohammod Abdulazeez shot up a strip-mall military recruitment office along with a Navy Reserves station in Chattanooga.

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said he asked service leaders a week ago to review weapons policy in the wake of the Chattanooga attacks, but some in Congress said he needs to act faster to ensure men and women in uniform can protect themselves.

“We take the safety of our service members, our DoD civilians, and the families who support them very seriously, and Secretary of Defense Ash Carter is currently reviewing recommendations from the services for making our installations and facilities safer – including our recruiting stations,” Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement Friday.

“While we greatly appreciate the outpouring of support for our recruiters from the American public, we ask that individuals not stand guard at recruiting offices as it could adversely impact our mission, and potentially create unintended security risks,” Cook said. “We continue to partner with and rely on first responders for the safety of the communities where our service members live and work.”

Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) introduced the Safeguarding Service Members’ Second Amendment Rights Act this week to repeal bans on military personnel carrying firearms on military installations and Department of Defense sites. It would also block the president or secretary of Defense from prohibiting firearms down the road.

“The Second Amendment guarantees the ‘right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed,’ yet our men and women in uniform are banned from exercising this constitutional right when fulfilling their duties on American soil,” Moran said.

“This infringement on the constitutional rights of our service members has caused American military installations and DoD sites to become increasingly vulnerable to those who wish to do harm,” he stressed. “My legislation would repeal the laws, directives and regulations disarming military personnel, and empower our brave service men and women to defend themselves and others from violent attacks and acts of domestic terrorism.”

Carter said early this week that he “asked our services to look at further steps that they might advise be taken, and to get back to me in the next few days with their recommendations.” “Obviously force protection everywhere around the world, abroad and now at home, is a big priority for us at the department, and will continue to be.”

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Cincinnati Man With Concealed Carry Permit Stops Gunman From Shooting at 1-Year-Old Child

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A 62-year-old man with a gun in each hand fired at four people – including a 1-year-old boy – before a civilian with a concealed carry permit returned fire and wounded the shooter, cops told FOX19.

Thomas McCary is being held without bond on four counts of felonious assault.

McCary was arguing with a woman around 8 p.m. Sunday night and, when the woman’s brother, Patrick Ewing, approached, McCary pulled out a .38-caliber handgun and fired three shots at him, Cincinnati police said.

Ewing didn’t get hit, but he did get his own gun and returned fire, wounding McCary in the leg. Ewing had a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

Injured, McCary went into his house to get a second gun and, holding a weapon in each hand, he fired three shots in the direction of the woman, Jeaneta Walker, her 1-year-old son and a third man.

Ewing fired at McCary again to try to distract him as the victims fled indoors. McCary squeezed off a few more rounds, hitting no one, before withdrawing into his apartment, Cincinnati.com reported.

 McCary was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he was arrested at 2:30 a.m. He was treated, released and booked into the Hamilton County Jail by 3:42 a.m. McCary is scheduled to face a judge Monday morning.
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Tennessee Joins Lawsuit Against EPA

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Last Thursday, responding to calls from sixty-three Tennessee lawmakers, the Tennessee Farm Bureau, and many other agriculture and small business organizations, Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery joined the State of Tennessee to a lawsuit against the EPA challenging the highly controversial Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule.

The effort was led by Tennessee State Representative Sheila Butt (R-Columbia). “Slatery showed true leadership by joining Ohio’s litigation against the EPA’s vastly overreaching WOTUS rule,” said Butt. “I want to thank the sixty-three legislators signing my letter requesting that Tennessee join the 30 other states that realize the massive negative impact that the rule would have on their states’ economies and sovereignty.”

Butt’s letter was signed by State Representative Bryan Terry (R-Murfreesboro) and State Representative Andy Holt (R-Dresden).

Holt, Vice Chairman of Tennessee’s House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, says the EPA has a history of thumbing its nose at the Tenth Amendment.

“Earlier in the month, the Supreme Court reprimanded the EPA for overstepping their authority in an unprecedented manner,” cited Holt. “I want to thank Slatery and the agriculture community for joining the efforts of the legislature to hold the EPA accountable. Trampling on the Tenth Amendment every day, this unconstitutional federal agency is out of control, and it is time to put a stop to it.”

Terry says the EPA’s WOTUS rule has negative implications for personal liberty and property rights.

“I would like to commend Slatery for taking action. Our farmers and families need to know that our officials will take a stand for their liberties and property rights,” said Terry. “By taking a stand against the EPA, we are doing just that.”