Gun Guys

Chicago’s ABC Channel 7 reported on April 6th:

Chicago’s ABC Channel 7 also reported:

According to the Associated Press on April 6th:

SEATTLE — A Washington state man has been charged with threatening to kill Democratic Sen. Patty Murray over her support for health care reform, leaving voicemail messages at her office saying she had a target on her back and “it only takes one piece of lead.”

Federal agents arrested Charles Alan Wilson without incident in Yakima, Wash., on Tuesday.

Murray’s office in Seattle reported the threats amid a rash of ugliness aimed at lawmakers who supported the sweeping federal health care legislation. Some lawmakers have been spit on and several have reported receiving threatening calls.

FBI spokesman Bill Carter said Wilson is believed to be the first person in the country arrested for such threats.

The messages to Murray were left on voicemail from a blocked telephone number, FBI Special Agent Carolyn W. Woodbury wrote in a probable cause statement. Agents said they traced the calls to Wilson’s home in Selah, near Yakima.

Wilson has a .38-caliber revolver registered to him and has a concealed carry permit for it, Woodbury wrote.

To confirm Wilson was the caller, one agent telephoned him and posed as a member of a group working to repeal the health care legislation, the statement said.

According to a excerpt of the conversation, Wilson confirmed he repeatedly called Murray as well as Washington’s other Democratic senator, Maria Cantwell.

He then stated: “I do pack, and I will not blink when I’m confronted. … It’s not a threat, it’s a guarantee.”

Murray’s office told the FBI it had been receiving harassing messages from the caller for months, but they became more threatening as Congress was voting on the health care legislation.

“There’s a target on your back now,” said one message on March 22. “It only takes one piece of lead. Kill the (expletive) senator! … Now that you’ve passed your health-care bill, let the violence begin.”

In other messages over the next several days, the caller said, “I hope somebody puts a (expletive) bullet between your (expletive) eyes,” and “I do believe that every one of you (expletive) socialist democratic progressive (expletives) need to be taken out.”

And, he said, “I want to (expletive) kill you.”

Wilson was scheduled to make an initial appearance at federal court in Yakima on Tuesday on one count of threatening a federal official. It was not immediately clear if he had obtained a lawyer. A phone call to his home went unanswered.

Murray’s office declined to comment on the arrest.

—

AP writer Devlin Barrett contributed from Washington, D.C. Shannon Dininny contributed from Yakima.

(We are pleased to post the following alert form CeaseFirePA).

Gun Violence Task Force is Working–but Needs Statewide Support

Because CeaseFirePA believes not only in reasonable reforms of our handgun laws, but also in enforcing those gun laws already on the books, our organization has begun a new courtroom monitoring project in collaboration with the Philadelphia Gun Violence Task Force to make sure illegal gun traffickers get sentences commensurate with the real harm they inflict on the city.

Thursday’s Philadelphia Inquirer featured a CeaseFirePA op-ed by board president Phil Goldsmith and executive director Joe Grace discussing the partnership and the new initiative.  In some of the cases we have already monitored, illegally transferred handguns were later used in homicides, while many others are as yet unaccounted for.

In one case monitored by CeaseFirePA, Judge Ellen Ceisler said: “Twelve hundred gun deaths a year in Pennsylvania, the vast majority of those deaths committed with illegally obtained handguns. We have to send a message. There’s a war zone in our city. This must stop.” The straw purchaser in that case was sentenced to jail.

The Task Force has made a substantial dent in illegal gun trafficking in Philadelphia. Despite this success, its work is now threatened by state budget cuts–the budget approved by the state House last week would cut its funding by $2 million. That’s a 40 percent hit to a program that’s actually doing something about gun crime.

Not only should the General Assembly and Gov. Rendell restore the task force’s full funding, but CeaseFirePA has also asked every candidate for governor in this year’s election to support full funding of the task force and an expansion of the program to other communities across the state.

Read the full Philadelphia Inquirer Op-Ed

Pittsburgh Investigates Florida Loophole

Concern for the Florida concealed carry loophole has reached the western part of the state. In February, the Philadelphia Daily News reported that individuals who had their concealed carry permits denied or revoked in Pennsylvania could apply via mail for a permit through the Florida Department of Agriculture.  This is because of a reciprocity agreement between the two states entered into by state Attorney General Tom Corbett.

Persons in Philadelphia and across Pennsylvania denied a permit to carry a concealed weapon are obtaining those permits by mail from Florida-and increasingly are being stopped by police in Pa. while carrying these Florida permits. Some of these individuals were in the course of committing other crimes when stopped, but gun charges can’t be brought because they possess a Florida permit.

This week, Pittsburgh Channel 4 (ABC Affiliate) reported that in western Pennsylvania, the number of Florida permits issued to Pa. residents now totals more than 400. Statewide, the number has grown by 500 in the past two months to more than 3,000.  This bad reciprocity agreement stands the law on its head.

Attorney General Corbett should more strictly interpret this agreement between Pa. and Fla. to eliminate the “Florida loophole,” or revise the agreement to eliminate this threat to public safety.

Read the full news article on Pittsburgh Channel 4.

CeaseFirePA Welcomes Three New Board Members

A legal advocate, a doctor, and a marketing expert have all joined CeaseFirePA’s board of directors to aid our growing statewide effort to reduce access to illegal guns.Nancy Gordon, who has managed numerous local campaign and advocacy efforts; Keith Leaphart, D.O./MBA, president of Replica Creative: Design + Print; and Ed Tettemer, a renowned independent advertising and communications consultant, were recently elected directors of the organization.

Phil Goldsmith, CeaseFirePA board president, said: “Our organization is active now in 32 cities and towns across the state, and more municipalities and citizens join our coalition every day. Our board growth mirrors our important work statewide. The addition of Nancy Gordon, Keith Leaphart and Ed Tettemer to our board will enable us to continue strengthening CeaseFirePA and enhance our capacity to reach more Pennsylvanians with our commonsense message to reduce and prevent gun violence.”

Read the Philadelphia Inquirer board announcement.

Join us at Legs Against Arms on April 11

Come visit CeaseFirePA at the Legs Against Arms race on April 11 at St. Joe’s University-a walk/run to raise awareness for gun violence and illegal handguns.  We will have an exhibitor table and hope you will come join the festivities following the race, which is hosted by Physicians for Social Responsibility and Magee Rehabilitation Hospital.  If you are a runner or walker, you can register until April 7.  The race starts at 8:30 a.m. and the festivities start at 10 a.m.-you don’t have to be a runner/walker to join in!

Sign up today for Legs Against Arms.

Every day, we are finding new ways to target illegal handguns and help keep them off the streets and out of communities across Pennsylvania. Now is the time to support our work with a donation as we continue our movement across Pennsylvania.  We also encourage you to join us on Facebook–and encourage your friends, family and colleagues to as well–to add your thoughts to the discussion that is heating up.  We remain focused every day on reducing and preventing gun violence in Pennsylvania, and we value your support.

Sincerely,

Joe Grace
Executive Director
CeaseFirePA

GunGuys was forwarded an excellent diary entry from one of our readers.  The piece was written by Brainwrap, from the Daily Kos on April 2nd about the on-going threats of violence to elected officials.

Brainwrap succinctly connects the dots better than any major media outlet.

We’re posting the diary entry in full and give a tip of the hat to the Daily Kos community for addressing the fact that a resurgent right-wing movement is trying to erode our system of law and order and replace it with a code of violence — hence the NRA’s ideology.

Progressives simply must stand up and speak out about this extremist movement taking hold in our country.

Brainwrap writes:

Nope, this isn’t connected with other threats of violence in any way. Not at all (Detroit News):

Washington — The FBI is telling police across the country that an anti-government group’s call to remove governors from office — including Jennifer Granholm — could provoke violence by others.

A group that calls itself the Guardians of the free Republics wants to “restore America” by peacefully dismantling parts of the government, according to its Web site.

As of Wednesday, more than 30 governors had received letters saying if they don’t leave office within three days they will be removed, according to an internal intelligence note by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. The note was obtained by the Associated Press.

Investigators do not see threats of violence in the group’s message, but fear the broad call for removing top state officials could lead others to act out violently.

Really, you think???

No connection to Sean Hannity’s “Tim McVeigh wannabe” comment yesterday.

No connection to the rocks and bricks thrown through windows.

No connection to U.S. congressmen being spit upon and having racial & ethnic epithets screamed at them.

No connection to relatives of congressmen having their gas lines being severed.

No connection to people having their cars deliberately rear-ended, repeatedly, when they and their young children are in it, because they have an Obama bumper sticker on it.

No connection to “a thousand little Wacos” being threatened against the Speaker of the House.

No connection to people calling themselves “proud right-wing terrorists”.

No connection to Sarah Palin telling people to “reload” while displaying a map of rifle crosshairs centered over Democratic congressional districts.

No connection to “We came unarmed…this time” or “We’ll use the bullet box if we fail at the ballot box” signs.

No connection to pictures of Barack Obama depicted as Adolph Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin or The Joker.

No connection to Joseph Stack, who deliberately flew his plane into an IRS building and murdered an innocent man.

No connection to the Hutaree terrorist group who was arrested last week for planning to murder dozens of police officers.

None whatsoever, I’m sure.

Update: For those who are still debating whether Sean Hannity was attempting to be sarcastic or not: Perhaps he was, and just botched it badly (I didn’t hear any ironic voice inflection, but that’s just me).

HOWEVER, I’m sure that it’s just a coincidence that the Tea Party’s huge, overhyped “Freedom Rally” just happens to be scheduled for April 19.

Let’s see, what else happened on April 19?

No connection whatsoever…none at all…

(We are pleased to post the following commentary from Josh Horwitz, Executive Director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. Mr. Horwitz’s piece was first published on the Huffington Post on March 31st).

During the past two weeks, at least ten House Democrats who voted for health care reform legislation have received death threats or been targets of vandalism at their district offices. Several have moved their families out of their home districts to Washington. Both the U.S. Capitol Police and the FBI are taking the situation very seriously and have offered increased security protection to these Members.

There has been a lot speculation as to how we’ve reached the point where violence is now being promoted as an acceptable response to democratically-enacted legislation. The truth is that political developments over the past three decades have made such violence tragically inevitable.

The idea that individual Americans have a right to use violence when confronted with oppressive or overbearing government dates back to the Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775. There is no doubt that our War of Independence was violent and that firearms were part of the necessary tools of victory.

Our Founders, however, never intended revolution to be either perpetual or an individual exercise. They made that perfectly clear in 1787 with the drafting of the Constitution.

The Founders came to Philadelphia to begin work on a new governing document because of the fear of disunion and mobocracy that had gripped our young nation (Shay’s Rebellion being just one example). The Federalists who drafted the Constitution and the Bill of Rights had no intention of creating an individual right to insurrection divorced from any organized authority. The Constitution itself stated that one of the primary purposes of the [State] Militia was to “suppress insurrections”–not foment them–and defined treason against the federal government as a crime punishable by death.

The insurrectionist idea was discredited again during the Civil War, when President Lincoln affirmed that our Constitution is not a suicide pact and can never countenance violence against the state. Nearly a century later, Republican President Dwight Eisenhower embraced Lincoln’s view when he used the National Guard to prevent unruly mobs from obstructing the desegregation of Little Rock High School in Arkansas.

Of course, there have always been a small minority of Americans–even at the time of our nation’s founding–who feared the consolidation of power in the government and believed the use of force was a legitimate response to federal encroachments. When the National Rifle Association (NRA) took a hard turn to the right after the 1977 “Cincinnati Revolution,” the organization’s leadership targeted this constituency by injecting the insurrectionist idea into our national political conscience.

From the 1980s on, the NRA has expended significant resources promoting the idea in academic and political circles that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to keep and bear arms for the express purpose of “preventing government tyranny.”

Perhaps this viewpoint is best epitomized by NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre’s assertion that “the guys with the guns make the rules” in our democracy.

This was a wonderful recruiting and fundraising strategy for the NRA–attracting Libertarians, gun rights extremists, and others with a deep distrust of government. But the gun lobby wasn’t the only entity seeking to appeal to the Limited Government constituency, and beginning with Reagan, the Republican Party increasingly began to portray government as a hostile, alien entity that serves only to restrict and deny the individual freedoms of Americans.

Simultaneously, the GOP actively began to court gun rights activists that embrace the NRA’s insurrectionist precept. When Timothy McVeigh blew up the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City in 1995, this political marriage lost some of its appeal, but only temporarily.

Following the election of a progressive, intellectual, African-American, Democratic president in 2008, the GOP saw an opportunity to expand its beleaguered base by reaching deeper into the insurrectionist community. In an act of political expediency aimed at defeating the Democrats’ push for health care reform, the GOP forged an alliance with the Tea Party Movement.

It also redoubled its efforts to satisfy the NRA and other gun rights groups–even drafting and promoting legislation to exempt the States from all federal firearms regulation.

This new alliance was emboldened by the Supreme Court’s decision in the landmark Second Amendment case District of Columbia v. Heller. While most people know Heller as the case that struck down D.C.’s handgun ban, language in the 5-4 decision seemed to embrace the NRA’s insurrectionist idea and give license to individuals to take up arms against our government.

“In the majority opinion, Justice Scalia wrote, If…the Second Amendment right is no more than the right to keep and use weapons as a member of an organized militia…if, that is, the organized militia is the sole institutional beneficiary of the Second Amendment’s guarantee -it does not assure the existence of a ‘citizens’ militia’ as a safeguard against tyranny.”

Unfortunately, thousands (if not millions) of Americans in the Republican base believe the current administration is “tyrannical,” and the GOP quickly lost control of the monster it helped to create. Armed protesters began to show up at health care town hall meetings and presidential speeches with loaded handguns and assault rifles. Calls for Nullification and Secession were heard from Red State politicians. And anti-government zealots began to attack government offices, culminating in the recent spate of political violence following the House’s approval of health care legislation.

These are dangerous times for our nation. House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn, who recently received a fax with a drawing of a noose, saw the pattern and noted, “If we fail to learn the lessons of our history, we are bound to repeat them.” Referring to the former Alabama militia leader who took credit for this month’s vandalism of Democratic offices, Heidi Beirich of the Southern Poverty Law Center said, “The ideas that [Mike] Vanderboegh’s militia groups were pushing were the same extreme anti-government ideas that inspired McVeigh in the Oklahoma City bombing.”

Ultimately, whether it’s by brick or gun or bomb doesn’t matter. The most important idea in American political philosophy is that of equality; that one citizen’s vote is as important as the next. When violence is used to undermine that principle, it corrodes our basic democratic institutions, including the rule of law.

Republicans and their allies–including the NRA–should be unequivocal in denouncing political violence. They should make it clear that not only is such violence criminal, but also anathema to the system of constitutional government created by our Founders. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) deserves credit for telling his base that “violence and threats are unacceptable” and “not the American way.” But it’s unlikely to help if he continues to describe the Democratic agenda as “Armageddon.”

The same goes for Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele who–after threats were reported– described the signing of health care legislation as “the end of representative government” and said of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: “This woman has been derelict in her leadership duty to the country by not listening, by taking…the country down a bad road. And this November, they’re going to pay. So let’s start getting Nancy ready for the firing line this November.” And then there was Sarah Palin’s admonition to her followers: “Don’t Retreat, Instead – RELOAD!”

At some point, Republicans need to accept that Barack Obama won the presidency not through a “coup,” but through good old-fashioned hard work and the appeal of his platform. You can’t overturn the results of our democratic process with violence when you are not satisfied with those results. Republicans should reject over-the-top rhetoric and stick with what really works–organizing, campaigning, and most of all, good governance. That, after all, is the American Way.

Via the Huffington Post on March 30th:

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg — who at one point was considered an Independent ally of the White House but has proven to be a somewhat reliable critic — is going hard after the president, accusing Obama of dragging his feet on gun control.

In a letter sent earlier this month from his coalition — Mayors Against Illegal Guns — Bloomberg comes intriguingly close to assigning blame for ongoing gun violence to the Obama administration. The mayor and his co-signer, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, point to a separate report they sent the administration in early August 2009, which laid out 40 recommendations to “improve enforcement of existing gun laws” that simply required enforcing existing statutes.

That report was apparently given only a perfunctory response from the Department of Justice and little tangible political action — prompting a harsh follow-up letter from Bloomberg and Menino.

“We appreciate the Department’s consideration of the report, but this is an urgent matter: further delay will almost certainly result in the needless loss of innocent lives, including many children. Mr. President, the time has come for action,” the mayors write. “Over the past six months, approximately 6,000 Americans have been gunned down in intentional acts of violence. The 40 recommendations in our Blueprint, many of which could be enacted immediately, offer the best hope we have for making our country safer over the next six months – and the years ahead.”

The authors go on to point to specific recommendations that they argue could have proven invaluable in preventing or stemming some of the recent cases of gun-related violence — such as the shooting of two Pentagon police officers earlier this month. Specifically, they cite the need for better information-sharing methods for law enforcement units and “proactive enforcement and undercover operations” by the ATF.

“Had [these recommendations] been implemented,” Bloomberg and Menino write. “ATF would have undertaken proactive enforcement and undercover operations to identify problematic gun shows and the sellers who break the law at those shows.”

The White House did not immediately return a request for comment.

In all, the letter is telling as much for what it says about the president’s somewhat frayed relationship with Bloomberg (who was sought out for advice on both health care reform and civilian trials for 9/11 terrorists — both of which he ended up opposing), as for what it says about the White House’s approach to the gun control debate.

The president and his team have made what appears to be a tacit decision to keep their distance from Second amendment issues — undoubtedly wary of how politically divisive it can be.

And while the strategy has helped dispel the always-erroneous notion that Obama was hell-bent on taking away people’s guns, it’s also earned the administration a host of critiques from editorial boards to gun-control advocates — who argue that the political will is there for basic but important reforms.

“In your recent State of the Union Address, you reminded Congress, rightly, that the American people sent you to Washington to take on the tough issues – to worry about the next generation, not the next election,” writes Bloomberg and Menino. “But not all issues that are controversial in Washington are controversial in the rest of the country.”

“We respectfully request a meeting with you and the Attorney General to discuss how these reforms can be implemented over the next several months.”

Here is the full letter:

BloombergObama –

Watch this vid-cast from FactCheck.org on President Obama’s record on gun control.

Clearly the NRA has no interest in telling the truth and is more comfortable saying anything it wants regardless whether there is any shred of truth. The gun lobby has proved that it pays to be shameless by manipulating the public and its members by straight out lying.

We might disagree on the issues, even gun control. But GunGuys doesn’t like being lied to — so matter who does it.

It’s astonishing that so many members of Congress actually take the NRA and gun lobby seriously, much less the media.

Watch Video

(We are pleased to post the following press release from the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence).

For Immediate Release

Contact: Thom Mannard (312) 341-0939, tmannard@ichv.org

(March 29, 2010, Chicago) – An FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force arrested seven men and one woman — another suspect is still being sought — in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana as “part of an investigation into an Adrian-based unit of the Hutaree, a group that professes it is training in modern armed combat techniques for a prophesized coming battle with the Antichrist,” according to the Associated Press.

The federal court indictment states, “The HUTAREE’s enemies include state and local law enforcement, which are deemed ‘foot soldiers’ of the Federal government, Federal law enforcement agencies and employees, participants in the ‘New World Order,’ and anyone who does not share in the HUTAREE’s beliefs. Since at least 2008, the HUTAREE has been meeting regularly to conduct military-style training in Lenawee County….The purpose of this training has been to plan and prepare for the impending war with the HUTAREE’s enemies.”

The militia’s grisly plans are noted on page 4 of the federal court indictment: “The general concept of operations provided that the HUTAREE would commit some violent act to draw the attention of law enforcement or government officials and which would prompt a response by law enforcement. Possible such acts which were discussed including killing a member of law enforcement after a traffic stop, killing a member of law enforcement and his or her family at home, ambushing a member of law enforcement in rural communities, luring a member of law enforcement with a false 911 emergency call and then killing him or her, and killing a member of law enforcement and then attacking the funeral procession motorcade with weapons of mass destruction. These acts would intimidate and demoralize law enforcement diminishing their ranks and rendering them ineffective.”

In response, Thom Mannard, Executive Director of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence (ICHV), issued the following statement:

“It is disturbing to read today that a Christian cult and militia sought to arm themselves with deadly weapons and to train its members to kill other people, including law enforcement officials, based on a sick and twisted interpretation of the Christian faith. This FBI raid is yet more proof that hate groups, cults and militias in our nation can easily arm themselves with some of the most deadly weapons available, such as military-style assault weapons, powerful handguns and other dangerous weapons of mass destruction.

“Congress and the Obama administration must act to address the terrorism threat enabled by America’s weak gun laws. America’s safety and security continues to be at grave risk until we ban the sale of all military-style assault weapons, such as AK-47s and .50 caliber sniper rifles, and require criminal background checks on every firearm sold. Ultimately, comprehensive federal legislation must be enacted to address this danger and improve homeland security.

“Illinois state lawmakers do not have to wait for Congress to act to limit the access and threat of deadly assault weapons. Pending legislation SB 3036 sponsored by Senator Antonio Munoz, and HB 5751 sponsored by Representative Edward Acevedo should be acted on immediately.

“ICHV believes it is imperative to protect our communities from the proliferation of these deadly weapons into our communities. The easy access to military-style assault weapons undermines our public safety and our personal security. This FBI raid against a well-armed militia should act as a wake-up to lawmakers to take action to prevent a potential domestic terrorist attack.

“Finally, we urge all members of the faith community to speak out more fervently against any group that uses religion to justify acts of violence.”

The Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence (www.ichv.org) is a statewide organization working to reduce gun violence through education, advocacy and public awareness.

– END –

In Politico’s “The Arena” on March 26th, the site asked: “Do Democrats have legitimate gripes about GOP rhetoric they claim is ‘fanning the flames’ of anger?”

Politico’s question was unfortunately couched in a “how will this play politically” frame.  Instead, the website should give much more weight to how such inflammatory rhetoric can lead to violence.   What’s troubling is the inability of most pundits to take seriously the violent statements from right-wing organizations, hate radio, and sadly, the leadership of the Republican Party in response to the health care reform bill.

These coded and direct threats are a direct assault on the very definition of the rule of law.  The message being sent is that violence is the corrective action versus using a democratic and political process.

Luckily, thoughtful commentators such as Sherrilyn Ifill, a professor of law at the University of Maryland School of Law, and a civil rights lawyer, call it what it is:

Let’s dispense with the false Republican/Democrat symmetry that has become the only lens through which we view events in Washington.

There is no symmetry here.

The rhetoric of Republican leaders – replete with hunting metaphors, cross-hair icons, and other veiled references to violence – whether perpetrated by Sarah Palin, Michael Steele or Republicans in Congress – cannot be compared with Democratic leadership, even during the dark days of George W. Bush, when there was a real assault on the Constitution in the name of national security (as the Supreme Court later confirmed in several cases).

Code Pink and Cindy Sheehan did not walk around at rallies brandishing rifles, nor did anti-war and anti-Bush activists carry signs that suggested that a gun could solve the problems that politics cannot.

Nor did they wear T-shirts quoting the language used as a call to action by Timothy McVeigh and other violent groups. I know of no instance in which members of Congress who supported the Patriot Act were spat upon by leftist visitors to the Capitol.

The history of right-wing violence in this country over the last 50 years cannot be denied.

Yes, there’s been some violence on the left. But most Americans had never heard of the Weather Underground until the Bill Ayers flap during Obama’s campaign. But we all know the names James Earl Ray, Timothy McVeigh, Eric Rudolph. And we know many of the victims – from civil rights activists to doctors who provide abortions. There’s a reason for that — and it’s not because of liberal media bias.

There has been a long and disturbing history of right-wing violence in this country.

Both Republicans and Democrats know this history. Republicans and Democrats should stand together and denounce any explicit or implicit calls to violence. That some Republican leaders are irresponsibly ignoring this reality, and through their rhetoric fanning the flames of outrage among their most zealous and potentially dangerous supporters, is beyond shocking.

And when we decide that this is simply another matter in which we seek to balance the scales between Republicans and Democrats, we ignore the growing threat to the stability of our country and the safety of our leaders. On this we should be united.

Advocates Challenge Starbucks At Shareholders Meeting For Irresponsible Policy To Permit ‘Open-Carry’ Of Loaded Handguns At Stores

• Starbucks CEO in a Grande Gaffe: Tells Shareholders Incorrectly “It’s Unlawful for the Gun to Be Loaded” — Brady Campaign Press Release.
• Christian Science Monitor: ‘Open Carry’ Gun Laws Vex Starbucks, Again. Starbucks Shareholders On Wednesday Were the Target Of Activists Who Want the Coffee Chain To Ban Customers Who Display Firearms.

CCW Killers On-Line Tool From Violence Policy Center

• VPC Press Release: Concealed Handgun Permit Holders Have Killed at Least 151 Since May 2007, Including 9 Law Enforcement Officers—“Concealed Carry Killers” Web Site March Update.
• Visit the ‘CCW Killers’ On-Line Tool That Lists Killings By Category.
• MSNBC: Record Numbers Now Licensed To Carry Loaded and Deadly Handguns In Public.

Kristen Rand, legislative director for the Violence Policy Center, a gun-control group, said the movement “has to do with selling more guns.” While it was pushed by groups like the NRA, it also “dovetailed with the gun industry’s desperate need to find a new market.”

“Their efforts at reaching out to minorities and women have failed,” said Rand, whose group advocates banning all handguns and some rifles but believes sporting rifles and shotguns should remain legal. “The industry constantly has to look for a way to make a guy who already owns 15 guns buy a new one.”

• Arizona Poised To Become 3rd State To Allow People To Carry Concealed Weapons Without a Permit — State Senate To Vote, then Send to House For Approval.

States United Featured Campaign: “Meet Wayne!” By Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort, Advocating For Criminal Background Checks On All Gun Sales

Watch WAVE’s new video!

News

• Iowa Gov. Chet Culver Signs Major Domestic Violence Prevention Bill — Abusers Now Prohibited From Possessing Guns.
• Watch Video: MSNBCs’ Rachel Maddow On the Right Wing’s Inflammatory Rhetoric After Health Care Vote: “With Leadership Comes Responsibility.”
• Sarah Palin Uses Crosshairs To Identify Dems Who Voted For Health Care Reform.
• Huffington Post: Washington Wizards NBA Star Gilbert Arenas’ Guns: Gold, Shiny, and Unusual.
• NH Gun Dealer Sold Firearm Used In Alabama University Shooting.

Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus

Chicago Tribune: Northern Illinois University Released Report and Profile On Rampage Shooter, Steven Kazmierczak — See the Full Report Here.

On her MSNBC show on March 24th, Rachel Maddow took on the hateful, violent and threatening rhetoric of the right wing — sadly enabled by the Republican party — after the landmark health care reform vote in Congress this week.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

A disturbing video was posted by Mark Berman at Opposing Views:

A prank at a wedding in Russia went horribly wrong, when a man playing Russian Roulette with a gun shot himself in the head. The tragedy was captured on videotape, which is now burning up the Internet.

According to a report in London’s Daily Mail, a man was making a toast, when he pulled out a gun, and asked for volunteers to play Russian Roulette.

As seen on the video, the man handed a gun to another man, who put it to his own head and pulled the trigger. He went down instantly.

It turned out to be a rubber bullet in the chamber. But shot at such close range, it proved to be just as harmful as a regular bullet. Russian media accounts say the man suffered brain damage and paralysis, describing his condition as “very poor.”

The toast-maker, identified by London’s Telegraph as a 33-year-old Chechian man, was arrested despite his claims that it was a prank gone wrong. He says he thought he had emptied the gun of bullets.

WARNING: The following video is graphic:

According to a press release from Iowa Gov. Chet Culver on March 23rd:

DES MOINES – Governor Chet Culver today signed legislation that will help protect Iowa families by taking guns out of the hands of abusers. Senate File 2357 prohibits a person who has been convicted of a domestic abuse crime, or is subject to a permanent civil protective order, from possessing firearms or other offensive weapons.

“As Governor, I stand with victim advocates and the Legislature in believing that doing nothing to prevent domestic violence is simply not an option,” Governor Culver. “It is our duty to do whatever we can to keep Iowa families safe, and this common-sense legislation provides an important tool to do so. I am proud to sign this bill in the name of all who have suffered at the hands of domestic abusers, and in the memory of all who have sadly lost their lives.”

According to the Associated Press on March 23:

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Court of Appeals will hear arguments in a lawsuit by a gun rights organization challenging the University of Colorado’s ban on guns on campus.

The Students for Concealed Carry on Campus will appear Tuesday to argue that a 1994 CU policy banning concealed weapons from its campus violates state gun laws.

El Paso County District Judge G. David Miller threw the case out of court in May 2009. A decision from the Court of Appeals is expected within six weeks.

Miller said in his ruling he found nothing in the state constitution that would prohibit a campus gun ban. Many college campuses nationwide ban concealed weapons, but gun-rights advocates say gun-free campuses make students vulnerable to attack.

According to TPMMuckraker on March 23rd:

According to the Chicago Sun-Times Media Wire on March 19th:

Fifteen people were shot — including one man who died — all over the city Thursday night in just under six hours.

At 5:30 p.m. a 16-year-old boy was shot in the arm on the North Side in the 5000 block of North Kenmore Avenue, according to police News Affairs Officer Veejay Zala.

The boy did not suffer life threatening injuries and was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Zala said.

At 6:37 p.m. a 19-year-old man playing basketball in Cole Park, 8500 S. King Dr., was shot after trying to break up a fight. He was taken to Jackson Park Hospital in good condition, police said.

A 21-year-old man was shot in the mid-section at 6:48 p.m. in the 4500 block of West Altgeld Street, according to Zala.

At 7:15 p.m. four men were shot in the 7700 block of South Loomis Boulevard, according to Zala.

Fire Media Affairs Director Larry Langford said one 31-year-old man was taken in critical condition to John H. Stroger Hospital of Cook County, one 19-year-old was taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood in an unidentified condition and a 24-year-old suffered a graze wound and was taken to Stroger.

A fourth man was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn with a gunshot wound to the leg, Langford said.

At 7:20 p.m. two men were wounded in the 3200 block of West Crystal Street during a shooting, according to police. One suffered a gunshot wound to the head and the other suffered a gunshot wound to the knee and both were taken to Stroger, police said.

In the West Side’s Austin neighborhood at 8:40 p.m., a man in his 20s was shot and killed in the 5300 block of West Chicago Avenue, according to police News Affairs Officer Hector Alfaro.

A spokesman for the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said the unidentified man who was shot at 5355 W. Chicago Ave. was pronounced dead at 9:20 p.m. at Mount Sinai Hospital.

At 9:45 p.m. a 23-year-old man was shot at 5945 S. Rockwell Ave., police said. He was taken to Holy Cross Hospital in good condition, police said.

At 10:50 p.m. — only about a half of a mile from where the Chicago Avenue murder occurred — two men, a boy and a female were wounded in another shooting.

Alfaro said police responded to the shooting in the 5400 block of West Iowa Street and found three males and a female wounded.

Langford said a 14-year-old and a 18-year-old — both males — who were both shot were taken in critical condition to Mount Sinai Hospital.

A 21-year-old man was also taken in critical condition to Loretto Hospital from the shooting while a fourth person was taken in good to fair condition to West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, Langford said.
Belmont, Grand Central, Calumet and Wentworth Area detectives are investigating all shootings.