Gun-rights advocates fired the first volley Thursday in a legislative effort to amend the state’s constitution to guarantee an individual’s right to possess and bear arms in Iowa. House Joint Resolution 2005 would add language to the Iowa Constitution establishing a fundamental right to “acquire, keep, possess, transport, carry, transfer and use arms to defend life and liberty and for all other legitimate purposes” that cannot be infringed upon or denied. The resolution also provides that mandatory licensing, registration or special taxation as a condition of the exercise of that right would be prohibited and any other restriction would be “subject to strict scrutiny.”
Virginia expected to lift gun limit
Virginia is poised to lift a 19-year-old limit on handgun purchases, with the Republican-controlled state Senate expected to do away with the one-gun-per-month cap in a final vote Friday. With the purchase limit likely headed for extinction, Richmond appears to have grown friendlier to gun rights since Republicans took control of the evenly divided Senate last month, pro-gun and gun-control activists agree.
Colorado: Workplace self-defense law advances
Colorado takes pride in its Western entrepreneurial spirit — and that extends to the belief of some lawmakers that business owners should be able to use deadly force against anyone who tries to take what’s theirs.
Lawmakers investigating gun scheme may cite Holder for contempt
House Republicans threatened Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. with a criminal contempt of Congress citation Thursday, alleging the Justice Department has refused for a year to turn over key documents in lawmakers’ investigation of the failed Fast and Furious gun-tracking operation.
Burke of Fast and Furious had anti-gun history
The career path of former U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke can be charted through an ascending string of jobs from Arizona’s Supreme Court to the U.S. Senate, White House, Department of Homeland Security and Justice Department. It is a resume that spans more than two decades in three branches of government. Then, suddenly, it nose-dives on Aug. 30, 2011, when Burke resigned as U.S. attorney amid a scandal over a gun-smuggling case known as Operation Fast and Furious.
Firearms Law Seminar
The 15th Annual Firearms Law Seminar will be held on Friday, April 13, 2012, as part of the NRA Annual Meeting. The gold standard in firearms CLE classes, this day-long seminar provides legal instruction for practicing attorneys who represent firearms owners, licensed dealers and gunsmiths, attorneys wishing to expand their practice to such clients, and others having an interest in Second Amendment law.
Holder Testifies on “Fast and Furious”
On Thursday, February 2, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder testified before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee regarding his role in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ gun running operation known as “Fast and Furious.”
Criminal Behavior by Members of “Mayors Against Illegal Guns”
A compilation of the news reports about the criminal acts committed by members of “Mayors Against Illegal Guns.”
MAIG Super Bowl Super Stunt
Vitriolic anti-gun mayor Michael Bloomberg (I-NYC) and his gun control group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG), are paying for their 30 seconds of fame. According to a New York Times piece, Bloomberg will join his gun-grabbing cohort, Mayor Tom Menino of Boston (D), in a Super Bowl-themed ad calling for more gun control laws.
Help Defeat Gun Registration Scheme
“Fast and Furious” was also used as justification to force what amounts to a gun registration scheme. Devised by Holder and the Obama administration, t`he scheme requires federally licensed firearms retailers in states bordering Mexico to report all sales of two or more semiautomatic rifles within five consecutive business days, if the rifles are larger than .22 caliber and use detachable magazines. Yet, under existing law, the bureau has full access to every record of every firearm transaction by every licensed dealer, whether during a bona fide criminal investigation or simply to enforce compliance with record keeping requirements. This reporting scheme would create a registry of owners of many of today’s most popular rifles–firearms owned by millions of Americans for self-defense, hunting and other lawful purposes. Emerging evidence has made it clear that “Fast and Furious” was used as justification to force the multiple sales reporting requirement.