Tuesday, September 07, 2004
A call to arms--help insure the sun sets on the AWB
This is it! The final week of the ill-conceived "assault weapons" ban. Get on the phone today (Tuesday) and make your view on this issue known. It's late in the fourth quarter, and we're ahead by 28. But as any New Orleans Saints fan knows, this is no guarantee of victory. We cannot let up right now, especially considering the all-out assault that the anti-gun lobby will unleash this week.
To help ensure a steady flow throughout the day, I suggest that we stagger our calls.
If your last name begins with:
A - F: call between 9:30am - 11:00am eastern time.
G - L: call between 11:00am - 12:30pm eastern time.
M - S: call between 12:30pm - 2:00pm eastern time.
T - Z: call between 2:00pm - 3:30 eastern time.
Of course, this is merely a suggestion... don't fret if you can't call at your "designated" time. Just call at whatever time you can! Make these phone calls Tuesday, and Wednesday too if you can.
You can easily obtain your elected officials' contact info here:
http://www.capwiz.com/nra/dbq/officials/
In addition, call the White House and state your opposition to renewing the ban. 202-456-1111. Though President Bush has expressed support for the ban in the past, he has not pushed Congress to pass a renewal, largely due to US. Take this opportunity to politely remind him of how important this issue is to us.
Forward this to everyone you know, and let us leave no doubt in the minds of our elected officials as to just how unpopular this gun ban is!
http://www.awbansunset.com
http://www.awbansunset.com/forums ¶ 3:01 PM 4 comments
To help ensure a steady flow throughout the day, I suggest that we stagger our calls.
If your last name begins with:
A - F: call between 9:30am - 11:00am eastern time.
G - L: call between 11:00am - 12:30pm eastern time.
M - S: call between 12:30pm - 2:00pm eastern time.
T - Z: call between 2:00pm - 3:30 eastern time.
Of course, this is merely a suggestion... don't fret if you can't call at your "designated" time. Just call at whatever time you can! Make these phone calls Tuesday, and Wednesday too if you can.
You can easily obtain your elected officials' contact info here:
http://www.capwiz.com/nra/dbq/officials/
In addition, call the White House and state your opposition to renewing the ban. 202-456-1111. Though President Bush has expressed support for the ban in the past, he has not pushed Congress to pass a renewal, largely due to US. Take this opportunity to politely remind him of how important this issue is to us.
Forward this to everyone you know, and let us leave no doubt in the minds of our elected officials as to just how unpopular this gun ban is!
http://www.awbansunset.com
http://www.awbansunset.com/forums ¶ 3:01 PM 4 comments
Cromwell PD switching to G-22s
CROMWELL, CT. -- Police are requesting new service weapons, after a series of mechanical malfunctions that have raised concerns about officers? safety -- and the safety of the public.
The department currently uses Smith & Wesson 9 mm handguns. But Police Chief Anthony J. Salvatore said those weapons are now nearly 17 years old. "You?ve got to understand that we fire hundreds of rounds every year. And over 17 years that adds up to thousands of rounds."
In recent test firings and qualification shootings, Salvatore said, police have been experiencing some mechanical malfunctions -- including one weapon that failed to fire.
"If, God forbid, one of our officers was called upon to utilize his or her weapon in a real-life situation, we don?t want to have that weapon malfunction," the chief said.
In light of those malfunctions, "our firearms instructors made a request that we need to start looking at new weapons." Last year, Salvatore said, "I gave them the responsibility to look into the situation, and they did an outstanding job."
Not only did they prepare a 21-page report for the chief, they also compiled a nearly two-inch thick compilation of background information.
He identified the officers as Sgt. Roy Nelson, then-detective and now Sgt. Louis Tobias, and Officer Jonathan Mantel, who also serves as the department?s armourer.
As a result of an intensive review of the matter, the department proposes spending $31,549 to purchase Glock Model 22 .40-caliber pistols.
The purchase price for the guns, which use a 15-round magazine, also includes holsters, pouches for extra magazines, ammunition, and training in the use and handling of the new guns.
The department has presented its proposal to the Capital Expenditures Committee, and is awaiting additional review from the Board of Finance.
Nelson said the officers were driven to act after seven of the department?s weapons experienced malfunctions on the range, including one "that failed to fire on the first shot." Other weapons failed to extract, or eject, or to feed a new round.
Those malfunctions could be overcome by drills that could teach the officers how to handle a similar malfunction. But with a weapon that fails to fire, Nelson said, "This type of malfunction, occurring on the street, could potentially cause an officer to be severely injure or killed."
The types and number of malfunctions "are unacceptable for a front-line handgun," Nelson added.
Mantel said there is another, more basic problem: Smith & Wesson no longer manufacturers the department?s current service weapon. Consequently, it has become harder to find replacement parts.
But beyond that, the science and technology of gun-making has changed dramatically in the nearly two decades since the department first ordered the current guns, Mantel suggested.
"We are not just looking at replacing a weapon," Mantel said, explaining, "There is new technol-ogy out there, and the way they are manufactured is much more advanced. There are less parts and easier maintenance, which saves time."
Mantel said the Glock has "50 percent" fewer working parts than the current S&W weapons.
Salvatore said the three officers "identified 13 weapons, including everything from 9 millimeters to .45 caliber automatics." The officers "test-fired all the weapons, and then turned around and evaluated all of them" in seven categories, including comfort/feel, sights, trigger pull, recoil, and weight.
Nelson said all the weapons were manufactured by three makers: Glock, Sigarms, and Smith & Wesson. The guns were rated a scale of 1-5, with one the lowest and five the highest. Glocks took the first three places.
The Glock is of Austrian design and manufacture. In a testament to the thoroughness of the re-port presented by the three officers, Nelson even included a brief history of the company, which was founded the Gaston Glock in 1963. In the early 1980s, the company moved into gun manufac-turing at the behest of the Austrian government. Shortly afterwards, Glocks were offered for sale to American police departments.
Nelson said a number of area departments have acquired the Glock, including West Hartford, Rocky Hill, and Glastonbury.
In his report, Nelson spoke to a number of firearms instructors, including James Noonan, a master firearms instructor who is a full-time instructor for the state police. He called the Glock "the most reliable" of all the firearms that have come through the Municipal Police Academy.
Underscoring the seriousness of the issue, Mantel said, "If an officer goes to his firearm, it?s because it is needed." ¶ 2:29 PM 0 comments
Middletown Press (Aug 29)
CROMWELL, CT. -- Police are requesting new service weapons, after a series of mechanical malfunctions that have raised concerns about officers? safety -- and the safety of the public.
The department currently uses Smith & Wesson 9 mm handguns. But Police Chief Anthony J. Salvatore said those weapons are now nearly 17 years old. "You?ve got to understand that we fire hundreds of rounds every year. And over 17 years that adds up to thousands of rounds."
In recent test firings and qualification shootings, Salvatore said, police have been experiencing some mechanical malfunctions -- including one weapon that failed to fire.
"If, God forbid, one of our officers was called upon to utilize his or her weapon in a real-life situation, we don?t want to have that weapon malfunction," the chief said.
In light of those malfunctions, "our firearms instructors made a request that we need to start looking at new weapons." Last year, Salvatore said, "I gave them the responsibility to look into the situation, and they did an outstanding job."
Not only did they prepare a 21-page report for the chief, they also compiled a nearly two-inch thick compilation of background information.
He identified the officers as Sgt. Roy Nelson, then-detective and now Sgt. Louis Tobias, and Officer Jonathan Mantel, who also serves as the department?s armourer.
As a result of an intensive review of the matter, the department proposes spending $31,549 to purchase Glock Model 22 .40-caliber pistols.
The purchase price for the guns, which use a 15-round magazine, also includes holsters, pouches for extra magazines, ammunition, and training in the use and handling of the new guns.
The department has presented its proposal to the Capital Expenditures Committee, and is awaiting additional review from the Board of Finance.
Nelson said the officers were driven to act after seven of the department?s weapons experienced malfunctions on the range, including one "that failed to fire on the first shot." Other weapons failed to extract, or eject, or to feed a new round.
Those malfunctions could be overcome by drills that could teach the officers how to handle a similar malfunction. But with a weapon that fails to fire, Nelson said, "This type of malfunction, occurring on the street, could potentially cause an officer to be severely injure or killed."
The types and number of malfunctions "are unacceptable for a front-line handgun," Nelson added.
Mantel said there is another, more basic problem: Smith & Wesson no longer manufacturers the department?s current service weapon. Consequently, it has become harder to find replacement parts.
But beyond that, the science and technology of gun-making has changed dramatically in the nearly two decades since the department first ordered the current guns, Mantel suggested.
"We are not just looking at replacing a weapon," Mantel said, explaining, "There is new technol-ogy out there, and the way they are manufactured is much more advanced. There are less parts and easier maintenance, which saves time."
Mantel said the Glock has "50 percent" fewer working parts than the current S&W weapons.
Salvatore said the three officers "identified 13 weapons, including everything from 9 millimeters to .45 caliber automatics." The officers "test-fired all the weapons, and then turned around and evaluated all of them" in seven categories, including comfort/feel, sights, trigger pull, recoil, and weight.
Nelson said all the weapons were manufactured by three makers: Glock, Sigarms, and Smith & Wesson. The guns were rated a scale of 1-5, with one the lowest and five the highest. Glocks took the first three places.
The Glock is of Austrian design and manufacture. In a testament to the thoroughness of the re-port presented by the three officers, Nelson even included a brief history of the company, which was founded the Gaston Glock in 1963. In the early 1980s, the company moved into gun manufac-turing at the behest of the Austrian government. Shortly afterwards, Glocks were offered for sale to American police departments.
Nelson said a number of area departments have acquired the Glock, including West Hartford, Rocky Hill, and Glastonbury.
In his report, Nelson spoke to a number of firearms instructors, including James Noonan, a master firearms instructor who is a full-time instructor for the state police. He called the Glock "the most reliable" of all the firearms that have come through the Municipal Police Academy.
Underscoring the seriousness of the issue, Mantel said, "If an officer goes to his firearm, it?s because it is needed." ¶ 2:29 PM 0 comments
Yuma County using super FATS firearms simulator
Yuma County Probation Officer Anita Salisbury shot an enraged armed man who was threatening to kill his former manager.
With her partner Martin Mendez providing cover, Salisbury had ordered the man several times to drop the handgun but he wouldn't, so she fired her 9 mm sidearm through the glass office window. The man fell to the floor as the glass shattered and the terrified manager ran to safety.
Salisbury and Mendez did everything correctly ? by the book, so to speak ? and the good news is no one actually got hurt.
The heart-pounding, adrenaline-charged deadly confrontation was a computer-driven video projection that took place recently in a training room at the Yuma County Juvenile Court Detention facility. The 9 mm pistols she and Mendez used were real Glock semi-automatics specially rigged to a compressed air tank and a computer, simulating the recoil and snap back of the slide each time they squeezed the trigger.
"I'd rather make my mistakes here than out on the streets," Salisbury said.
In less than 15 minutes, Salisbury and Mendez were facing down a suicidal fat man with a handgun who was sitting on the loading dock of a shipping company. The distraught man put the pistol to his right temple and appeared as though he were going to kill himself, but Salisbury talked him into putting the handgun down and peacefully surrendering.
"Your heart's pumping and you've got the stress level up there. It just doesn't get any more realistic than this," said Mendez, an adult probation supervisor.
Starting this month, 17 juvenile probation officers will go through the same training using the Firearm Training System, a high-tech $60,000 unit, said George Owens, Yuma County Juvenile Court training instructor.
Purchased in July, the system known as FATS, which utilizes digital video discs, teaches more than marksmanship ? it teaches officers to be observant and how to use good judgment, and it enables them to experience the physical stress one's body feels during high-risk situations.
"When you're talking about situations, you don't know what's going to happen. You have to react," Owens said.
The scenarios vary and the instructor is able to change the outcome of each based on the officer's reactions, Owens said.
The officers are not limited to the simulated sidearms. The training system also allows them to use a can of pepper spray or a flashlight, both of which are outfitted with laser-emitters.
Use of the simulator also saves money and time when it comes to teaching marksmanship, Owens said. Instead of coordinating additional time at an outdoor shooting range and expending live ammunition, officers can polish their marksmanship skills on the virtual shooting lanes and targets on the simulator, Owens said.
The company that makes the simulators, Firearms Training Systems Inc., is based in Georgia and reported $71.9 million in sales this year, according to Hoover's Online, a business research Web site.
The company also makes simulators for military training and counts among its clients the armies of Australia, Singapore, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Marine Corps and law enforcement agencies throughout the nation and the world, according to Hoover's.
¶ 2:26 PM 0 comments
Yuma Sun, (Sept. 5)
Yuma County Probation Officer Anita Salisbury shot an enraged armed man who was threatening to kill his former manager.
With her partner Martin Mendez providing cover, Salisbury had ordered the man several times to drop the handgun but he wouldn't, so she fired her 9 mm sidearm through the glass office window. The man fell to the floor as the glass shattered and the terrified manager ran to safety.
Salisbury and Mendez did everything correctly ? by the book, so to speak ? and the good news is no one actually got hurt.
The heart-pounding, adrenaline-charged deadly confrontation was a computer-driven video projection that took place recently in a training room at the Yuma County Juvenile Court Detention facility. The 9 mm pistols she and Mendez used were real Glock semi-automatics specially rigged to a compressed air tank and a computer, simulating the recoil and snap back of the slide each time they squeezed the trigger.
"I'd rather make my mistakes here than out on the streets," Salisbury said.
In less than 15 minutes, Salisbury and Mendez were facing down a suicidal fat man with a handgun who was sitting on the loading dock of a shipping company. The distraught man put the pistol to his right temple and appeared as though he were going to kill himself, but Salisbury talked him into putting the handgun down and peacefully surrendering.
"Your heart's pumping and you've got the stress level up there. It just doesn't get any more realistic than this," said Mendez, an adult probation supervisor.
Starting this month, 17 juvenile probation officers will go through the same training using the Firearm Training System, a high-tech $60,000 unit, said George Owens, Yuma County Juvenile Court training instructor.
Purchased in July, the system known as FATS, which utilizes digital video discs, teaches more than marksmanship ? it teaches officers to be observant and how to use good judgment, and it enables them to experience the physical stress one's body feels during high-risk situations.
"When you're talking about situations, you don't know what's going to happen. You have to react," Owens said.
The scenarios vary and the instructor is able to change the outcome of each based on the officer's reactions, Owens said.
The officers are not limited to the simulated sidearms. The training system also allows them to use a can of pepper spray or a flashlight, both of which are outfitted with laser-emitters.
Use of the simulator also saves money and time when it comes to teaching marksmanship, Owens said. Instead of coordinating additional time at an outdoor shooting range and expending live ammunition, officers can polish their marksmanship skills on the virtual shooting lanes and targets on the simulator, Owens said.
The company that makes the simulators, Firearms Training Systems Inc., is based in Georgia and reported $71.9 million in sales this year, according to Hoover's Online, a business research Web site.
The company also makes simulators for military training and counts among its clients the armies of Australia, Singapore, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Marine Corps and law enforcement agencies throughout the nation and the world, according to Hoover's.
¶ 2:26 PM 0 comments
Monday, September 06, 2004
Missouri gun users go out of state for CHPs
When Jackson County refused to issue concealed-weapons permits this summer, Peter Blake-Ward saw an opportunity he couldn't pass up.
Since June, the Arizona gun instructor has come to Kansas City twice, teaching a $100 weekend course that can get all of his 50 students ? even those from Jackson County ? concealed-weapons permits.
The catch: The permits are from Utah.
For years, gun owners have gotten such out-of-state permits, which allow them to carry concealed weapons in other states while traveling or doing business.
But now, hundreds are using those permits to circumvent Missouri county sheriffs' offices that are not yet issuing their own. Because residents of one county cannot get licenses from another county, they get the next-best thing: a license from out of state, legally recognized in Missouri.
Linda Davis is one such Jackson County resident. Davis, who lives in the inner city but said she grew up around guns in the country, took Blake-Ward's class in late August.
Davis said that 10 years ago she didn't fear catching the bus to come home from work after dark. But lately, she said, ?these criminals have gotten a little bolder.?
?A woman out alone, she wants to be safe,? said Davis, who never thought she would own a gun, let alone have a concealed-weapons permit.
Now that she wants one, Davis said she hasn't appreciated the tack Jackson County has taken.
?I want to do it the right way,? she said. ?So why are you punishing me? Because I'm a chump who doesn't want to go to jail.?
Although the Missouri Supreme Court in February upheld the concealed-weapons law, it deemed the law created an unconstitutional ?unfunded mandate.?
When the state legislature recessed in May without fixing the problem, sheriffs were left to decide whether they wanted to wait or go ahead and process permits.
?It's a tough one because it's a Catch-22,? said Jim Vermeersch, executive director of the Missouri Sheriffs' Association. Facing potential lawsuits from both pro- and anti-gun groups, sheriffs didn't know what to do, he said.
But one by one, they started to issue permits, with Clay and Platte counties joining the majority in July. Now, only the city of St. Louis and four counties ? including Jackson ? still won't issue permits until the law is clarified.
In the meantime, hundreds of Jackson County gun owners have joined the nearly 1,300 Missourians with permits or pending applications in Florida and the 2,500 with Pennsylvania permits.
By comparison, 11,469 have applied for permits from Missouri.
As of early August, a little more than 300 Jackson County residents held Florida permits or had applications pending. The total was roughly 125 in Clay, Platte and Cass counties. Utah does not track permits issued to Missouri residents.
?We're not looking to subvert the Missouri statute,? Blake-Ward said. ?But the people in the counties where they are not issuing feel frustrated.?
People like Derek A. Ward, a Jackson County resident who is vice president of the Western Missouri Shooters Alliance.
Ward has been shooting since he was a Boy Scout and said he carries a gun for the same reason other people carry car insurance.
?Having it and not needing it is a lot better than needing it and not having it,? he said.
Ward has nonresident permits from Florida and Pennsylvania, which allow him to carry his Glock 27 with him everywhere in Missouri, even though he doesn't have a state license.
?Jackson County's failure to issue these permits will not stop a single person from getting a concealed weapon,? Ward said.
It hasn't stopped the dozens rushing to Sugar Creek authorities to have their fingerprints taken ? a requirement for Florida mail-in permits.
Sugar Creek Police Chief Herb Soule said that since March he has seen an average of half a dozen Jackson County gun owners a day come in to get their prints taken for the Florida permits.
Soule said he supports issuing permits, which would bring revenue to the county and some oversight for local departments.
But more than that, Soule said he believes Jackson County residents should have the same rights as other Missouri citizens and other Americans.
?Forty-seven states in this country have some form of concealed-carry, and the sky hasn't fallen? there, he said.
But Jackson County officials say the reason they are not issuing permits has to do with money, not morals.
?We have the will. We just don't have the way right now,? Jackson County Sheriff's Capt. Phil Moran said.
Moran said it would cost the county up to $150,000 to hire the employees needed to process the several thousand applications he is expecting. Under the law, departments are allowed to charge fees only for equipment and training, not for staff or processing.
But the burden on Moran's department may be diminishing by the day, Ward said.
?The longer it takes Jackson County to issue, the smaller those numbers (of applicants) are going to be,? he said.
Ward won't be one of them. Though he planned to get a Missouri permit as soon as he could, the delays have left a bad taste in his mouth. Ward said he doesn't see himself shelling out more money now that he has nearly $200 invested in his other permits.
Moran did not say how much Jackson County would charge for permits, though the law allows each county to charge up to $100.
Florida charges $117 and Pennsylvania charged only $20 before March, when it stopped issuing permits to Missouri residents without in-state permits.
It isn't just costs that vary from state to state, however. It is also training requirements.
While Missouri requires an eight-hour gun-safety course, people seeking Utah permits need only a three-hour class with no range time. Pennsylvania had no course requirements.
That inconsistency can translate into problems for law enforcement officials, Vermeersch said.
?Consistency is what you need. You need to have everybody marching to the same tune,? he said.
Blake-Ward agrees, but he said that most of his students have prior firearms instruction and only are taking his class for the license requirement.
Blake-Ward still sees a market in Missouri, and he will be back in October for another round of courses.
?I've gotten a very positive response,? he said. ?I'm very happy to do it.?
¶ 4:50 PM 0 comments
Kansas City Star (Sept. 6)
When Jackson County refused to issue concealed-weapons permits this summer, Peter Blake-Ward saw an opportunity he couldn't pass up.
Since June, the Arizona gun instructor has come to Kansas City twice, teaching a $100 weekend course that can get all of his 50 students ? even those from Jackson County ? concealed-weapons permits.
The catch: The permits are from Utah.
For years, gun owners have gotten such out-of-state permits, which allow them to carry concealed weapons in other states while traveling or doing business.
But now, hundreds are using those permits to circumvent Missouri county sheriffs' offices that are not yet issuing their own. Because residents of one county cannot get licenses from another county, they get the next-best thing: a license from out of state, legally recognized in Missouri.
Linda Davis is one such Jackson County resident. Davis, who lives in the inner city but said she grew up around guns in the country, took Blake-Ward's class in late August.
Davis said that 10 years ago she didn't fear catching the bus to come home from work after dark. But lately, she said, ?these criminals have gotten a little bolder.?
?A woman out alone, she wants to be safe,? said Davis, who never thought she would own a gun, let alone have a concealed-weapons permit.
Now that she wants one, Davis said she hasn't appreciated the tack Jackson County has taken.
?I want to do it the right way,? she said. ?So why are you punishing me? Because I'm a chump who doesn't want to go to jail.?
Although the Missouri Supreme Court in February upheld the concealed-weapons law, it deemed the law created an unconstitutional ?unfunded mandate.?
When the state legislature recessed in May without fixing the problem, sheriffs were left to decide whether they wanted to wait or go ahead and process permits.
?It's a tough one because it's a Catch-22,? said Jim Vermeersch, executive director of the Missouri Sheriffs' Association. Facing potential lawsuits from both pro- and anti-gun groups, sheriffs didn't know what to do, he said.
But one by one, they started to issue permits, with Clay and Platte counties joining the majority in July. Now, only the city of St. Louis and four counties ? including Jackson ? still won't issue permits until the law is clarified.
In the meantime, hundreds of Jackson County gun owners have joined the nearly 1,300 Missourians with permits or pending applications in Florida and the 2,500 with Pennsylvania permits.
By comparison, 11,469 have applied for permits from Missouri.
As of early August, a little more than 300 Jackson County residents held Florida permits or had applications pending. The total was roughly 125 in Clay, Platte and Cass counties. Utah does not track permits issued to Missouri residents.
?We're not looking to subvert the Missouri statute,? Blake-Ward said. ?But the people in the counties where they are not issuing feel frustrated.?
People like Derek A. Ward, a Jackson County resident who is vice president of the Western Missouri Shooters Alliance.
Ward has been shooting since he was a Boy Scout and said he carries a gun for the same reason other people carry car insurance.
?Having it and not needing it is a lot better than needing it and not having it,? he said.
Ward has nonresident permits from Florida and Pennsylvania, which allow him to carry his Glock 27 with him everywhere in Missouri, even though he doesn't have a state license.
?Jackson County's failure to issue these permits will not stop a single person from getting a concealed weapon,? Ward said.
It hasn't stopped the dozens rushing to Sugar Creek authorities to have their fingerprints taken ? a requirement for Florida mail-in permits.
Sugar Creek Police Chief Herb Soule said that since March he has seen an average of half a dozen Jackson County gun owners a day come in to get their prints taken for the Florida permits.
Soule said he supports issuing permits, which would bring revenue to the county and some oversight for local departments.
But more than that, Soule said he believes Jackson County residents should have the same rights as other Missouri citizens and other Americans.
?Forty-seven states in this country have some form of concealed-carry, and the sky hasn't fallen? there, he said.
But Jackson County officials say the reason they are not issuing permits has to do with money, not morals.
?We have the will. We just don't have the way right now,? Jackson County Sheriff's Capt. Phil Moran said.
Moran said it would cost the county up to $150,000 to hire the employees needed to process the several thousand applications he is expecting. Under the law, departments are allowed to charge fees only for equipment and training, not for staff or processing.
But the burden on Moran's department may be diminishing by the day, Ward said.
?The longer it takes Jackson County to issue, the smaller those numbers (of applicants) are going to be,? he said.
Ward won't be one of them. Though he planned to get a Missouri permit as soon as he could, the delays have left a bad taste in his mouth. Ward said he doesn't see himself shelling out more money now that he has nearly $200 invested in his other permits.
Moran did not say how much Jackson County would charge for permits, though the law allows each county to charge up to $100.
Florida charges $117 and Pennsylvania charged only $20 before March, when it stopped issuing permits to Missouri residents without in-state permits.
It isn't just costs that vary from state to state, however. It is also training requirements.
While Missouri requires an eight-hour gun-safety course, people seeking Utah permits need only a three-hour class with no range time. Pennsylvania had no course requirements.
That inconsistency can translate into problems for law enforcement officials, Vermeersch said.
?Consistency is what you need. You need to have everybody marching to the same tune,? he said.
Blake-Ward agrees, but he said that most of his students have prior firearms instruction and only are taking his class for the license requirement.
Blake-Ward still sees a market in Missouri, and he will be back in October for another round of courses.
?I've gotten a very positive response,? he said. ?I'm very happy to do it.?
¶ 4:50 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
Reynolds and Reynolds sells plant to gun supplier RSR
Reynolds and Reynolds Co. (NYSE: REY) has sold a 102,257-square-foot building with acreage at 1010 Avenue J East in Grand Prairie, to gun wholesaler RSR Group Inc., the companies said Monday.
Details of the sale were not released.
Dayton, Ohio-based Reynolds and Reynolds, which says it sold the site of its former automotive forms facility due to a consolidation earlier this year, was represented during sale negotiations by Chesterton Blumenauer Binswanger Real Estate Corp., a commercial real estate company with U.S. headquarters in Philadelphia and an office in Dallas.
RSR supplies firearms and firearm products made by Glock, Ruger and top other gunmakers to licensed retailers nationwide. It is a member of the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the Hunting and Shooting Sports Heritage Fund. RSR's local branch, which goes by the name, RSR Guns Dallas Inc., is located in Grand Prairie and the new site will be used for expansion, RSR said.
Web Sites: www. rsrgroup.com, www.cbbi.com
¶ 7:35 PM 0 comments
Dallas Business Journal (Aug. 31)
Reynolds and Reynolds Co. (NYSE: REY) has sold a 102,257-square-foot building with acreage at 1010 Avenue J East in Grand Prairie, to gun wholesaler RSR Group Inc., the companies said Monday.
Details of the sale were not released.
Dayton, Ohio-based Reynolds and Reynolds, which says it sold the site of its former automotive forms facility due to a consolidation earlier this year, was represented during sale negotiations by Chesterton Blumenauer Binswanger Real Estate Corp., a commercial real estate company with U.S. headquarters in Philadelphia and an office in Dallas.
RSR supplies firearms and firearm products made by Glock, Ruger and top other gunmakers to licensed retailers nationwide. It is a member of the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the Hunting and Shooting Sports Heritage Fund. RSR's local branch, which goes by the name, RSR Guns Dallas Inc., is located in Grand Prairie and the new site will be used for expansion, RSR said.
Web Sites: www. rsrgroup.com, www.cbbi.com
¶ 7:35 PM 0 comments
Cromwell PD hot for Glocks
CROMWELL -- Police are requesting new service weapons, after a series of mechanical malfunctions that have raised concerns about officers? safety -- and the safety of the public.
The department currently uses Smith & Wesson 9 mm handguns. But Police Chief Anthony J. Salvatore said those weapons are now nearly 17 years old. "You?ve got to understand that we fire hundreds of rounds every year. And over 17 years that adds up to thousands of rounds."
In recent test firings and qualification shootings, Salvatore said, police have been experiencing some mechanical malfunctions -- including one weapon that failed to fire.
"If, God forbid, one of our officers was called upon to utilize his or her weapon in a real-life situation, we don?t want to have that weapon malfunction," the chief said.
In light of those malfunctions, "our firearms instructors made a request that we need to start looking at new weapons." Last year, Salvatore said, "I gave them the responsibility to look into the situation, and they did an outstanding job."
Not only did they prepare a 21-page report for the chief, they also compiled a nearly two-inch thick compilation of background information.
He identified the officers as Sgt. Roy Nelson, then-detective and now Sgt. Louis Tobias, and Officer Jonathan Mantel, who also serves as the department?s armourer.
As a result of an intensive review of the matter, the department proposes spending $31,549 to purchase Glock Model 22 .40-caliber pistols.
The purchase price for the guns, which use a 15-round magazine, also includes holsters, pouches for extra magazines, ammunition, and training in the use and handling of the new guns.
The department has presented its proposal to the Capital Expenditures Committee, and is awaiting additional review from the Board of Finance.
Nelson said the officers were driven to act after seven of the department?s weapons experienced malfunctions on the range, including one "that failed to fire on the first shot." Other weapons failed to extract, or eject, or to feed a new round.
Those malfunctions could be overcome by drills that could teach the officers how to handle a similar malfunction. But with a weapon that fails to fire, Nelson said, "This type of malfunction, occurring on the street, could potentially cause an officer to be severely injure or killed."
The types and number of malfunctions "are unacceptable for a front-line handgun," Nelson added.
Mantel said there is another, more basic problem: Smith & Wesson no longer manufacturers the department?s current service weapon. Consequently, it has become harder to find replacement parts.
But beyond that, the science and technology of gun-making has changed dramatically in the nearly two decades since the department first ordered the current guns, Mantel suggested.
"We are not just looking at replacing a weapon," Mantel said, explaining, "There is new technol-ogy out there, and the way they are manufactured is much more advanced. There are less parts and easier maintenance, which saves time."
Mantel said the Glock has "50 percent" fewer working parts than the current S&W weapons.
Salvatore said the three officers "identified 13 weapons, including everything from 9 millimeters to .45 caliber automatics." The officers "test-fired all the weapons, and then turned around and evaluated all of them" in seven categories, including comfort/feel, sights, trigger pull, recoil, and weight.
Nelson said all the weapons were manufactured by three makers: Glock, Sigarms, and Smith & Wesson. The guns were rated a scale of 1-5, with one the lowest and five the highest. Glocks took the first three places.
The Glock is of Austrian design and manufacture. In a testament to the thoroughness of the re-port presented by the three officers, Nelson even included a brief history of the company, which was founded the Gaston Glock in 1963. In the early 1980s, the company moved into gun manufac-turing at the behest of the Austrian government. Shortly afterwards, Glocks were offered for sale to American police departments.
Nelson said a number of area departments have acquired the Glock, including West Hartford, Rocky Hill, and Glastonbury.
In his report, Nelson spoke to a number of firearms instructors, including James Noonan, a master firearms instructor who is a full-time instructor for the state police. He called the Glock "the most reliable" of all the firearms that have come through the Municipal Police Academy.
Underscoring the seriousness of the issue, Mantel said, "If an officer goes to his firearm, it?s because it is needed." ¶ 7:32 PM 0 comments
The Herald Press (Aug. 29)
CROMWELL -- Police are requesting new service weapons, after a series of mechanical malfunctions that have raised concerns about officers? safety -- and the safety of the public.
The department currently uses Smith & Wesson 9 mm handguns. But Police Chief Anthony J. Salvatore said those weapons are now nearly 17 years old. "You?ve got to understand that we fire hundreds of rounds every year. And over 17 years that adds up to thousands of rounds."
In recent test firings and qualification shootings, Salvatore said, police have been experiencing some mechanical malfunctions -- including one weapon that failed to fire.
"If, God forbid, one of our officers was called upon to utilize his or her weapon in a real-life situation, we don?t want to have that weapon malfunction," the chief said.
In light of those malfunctions, "our firearms instructors made a request that we need to start looking at new weapons." Last year, Salvatore said, "I gave them the responsibility to look into the situation, and they did an outstanding job."
Not only did they prepare a 21-page report for the chief, they also compiled a nearly two-inch thick compilation of background information.
He identified the officers as Sgt. Roy Nelson, then-detective and now Sgt. Louis Tobias, and Officer Jonathan Mantel, who also serves as the department?s armourer.
As a result of an intensive review of the matter, the department proposes spending $31,549 to purchase Glock Model 22 .40-caliber pistols.
The purchase price for the guns, which use a 15-round magazine, also includes holsters, pouches for extra magazines, ammunition, and training in the use and handling of the new guns.
The department has presented its proposal to the Capital Expenditures Committee, and is awaiting additional review from the Board of Finance.
Nelson said the officers were driven to act after seven of the department?s weapons experienced malfunctions on the range, including one "that failed to fire on the first shot." Other weapons failed to extract, or eject, or to feed a new round.
Those malfunctions could be overcome by drills that could teach the officers how to handle a similar malfunction. But with a weapon that fails to fire, Nelson said, "This type of malfunction, occurring on the street, could potentially cause an officer to be severely injure or killed."
The types and number of malfunctions "are unacceptable for a front-line handgun," Nelson added.
Mantel said there is another, more basic problem: Smith & Wesson no longer manufacturers the department?s current service weapon. Consequently, it has become harder to find replacement parts.
But beyond that, the science and technology of gun-making has changed dramatically in the nearly two decades since the department first ordered the current guns, Mantel suggested.
"We are not just looking at replacing a weapon," Mantel said, explaining, "There is new technol-ogy out there, and the way they are manufactured is much more advanced. There are less parts and easier maintenance, which saves time."
Mantel said the Glock has "50 percent" fewer working parts than the current S&W weapons.
Salvatore said the three officers "identified 13 weapons, including everything from 9 millimeters to .45 caliber automatics." The officers "test-fired all the weapons, and then turned around and evaluated all of them" in seven categories, including comfort/feel, sights, trigger pull, recoil, and weight.
Nelson said all the weapons were manufactured by three makers: Glock, Sigarms, and Smith & Wesson. The guns were rated a scale of 1-5, with one the lowest and five the highest. Glocks took the first three places.
The Glock is of Austrian design and manufacture. In a testament to the thoroughness of the re-port presented by the three officers, Nelson even included a brief history of the company, which was founded the Gaston Glock in 1963. In the early 1980s, the company moved into gun manufac-turing at the behest of the Austrian government. Shortly afterwards, Glocks were offered for sale to American police departments.
Nelson said a number of area departments have acquired the Glock, including West Hartford, Rocky Hill, and Glastonbury.
In his report, Nelson spoke to a number of firearms instructors, including James Noonan, a master firearms instructor who is a full-time instructor for the state police. He called the Glock "the most reliable" of all the firearms that have come through the Municipal Police Academy.
Underscoring the seriousness of the issue, Mantel said, "If an officer goes to his firearm, it?s because it is needed." ¶ 7:32 PM 0 comments
Newspaper: Aussie cops using .22 caliber Glock 40s???
This story isn't just "Down Under", it's ass backward
ORANGE Police had their weapons competency put to the test yesterday near Orange in a combined compulsory training session and coaching for firing under special conditions.
Canobolas Local Area weapons trainer Senior Constable Brenden Turner supervised the testing and training sessions which have to be attended annually by all serving officers.
Officers had to fire 88 rounds from their regulation issue Glock Model 40, 22 calibre pistols with 36 shots scored for a minimum accuracy requirement.
Snr Const Turner said officers were also taken through a number of scenarios during yesterday's session which included firing while moving towards a target, dropping to one knee and firing two rounds from a stationary position, and re-loading from a magazine on the belt.
Firing from the ground while taking cover was also included in the training , with participants required to fire from the right and left sides.
Snr Const Turner said officers were trained to fire to hit the largest mass area of targets at the range.
"People sometimes ask why we aren't trained to aim for the legs, but the reality is that in a stressful situation we train to aim for the largest area," he said.
General duties and highway patrol officers and detectives from junior to the most senior rank are tested on their competency to hold a weapon every 12 months.
Training sessions are held at the Orange Pistol Range in Stagecoach Road (formerly Fannings Lane) off Icely Road.
¶ 7:27 PM 0 comments
Central Western Daily (Aug. 25)
ORANGE Police had their weapons competency put to the test yesterday near Orange in a combined compulsory training session and coaching for firing under special conditions.
Canobolas Local Area weapons trainer Senior Constable Brenden Turner supervised the testing and training sessions which have to be attended annually by all serving officers.
Officers had to fire 88 rounds from their regulation issue Glock Model 40, 22 calibre pistols with 36 shots scored for a minimum accuracy requirement.
Snr Const Turner said officers were also taken through a number of scenarios during yesterday's session which included firing while moving towards a target, dropping to one knee and firing two rounds from a stationary position, and re-loading from a magazine on the belt.
Firing from the ground while taking cover was also included in the training , with participants required to fire from the right and left sides.
Snr Const Turner said officers were trained to fire to hit the largest mass area of targets at the range.
"People sometimes ask why we aren't trained to aim for the legs, but the reality is that in a stressful situation we train to aim for the largest area," he said.
General duties and highway patrol officers and detectives from junior to the most senior rank are tested on their competency to hold a weapon every 12 months.
Training sessions are held at the Orange Pistol Range in Stagecoach Road (formerly Fannings Lane) off Icely Road.
¶ 7:27 PM 0 comments
Saturday, August 28, 2004
Seattle sheriff wants sun to set on AWB
Dave Reichert, King County sheriff and Republican congressional candidate, recently told a group of Second Amendment advocates that he supports letting the federal ban on assault weapons expire.
His position shocked community activists with whom he had worked closely in the past to establish and promote gun-violence prevention programs. It is also at odds with a wide segment of law enforcement officials, including Seattle police Chief Gil Kerlikowske.
But Reichert said yesterday his statement should not come as a surprise to anyone.
"I've never changed my position," Reichert said. "My whole point has always been holding gun owners responsible and accountable and always focusing on those people who were committing crimes with guns. ... I've never felt that the banning of certain weapons has really done anything at all."
But that clear stance has not been so obvious to some who have, up to now, regarded Reichert as a steadfast ally.
"I'm stunned," said Pamela Eakes, founder of Mothers Against Violence in America. "He has been so firm on this issue."
Eakes said she was happy when Reichert told her he was going to run for Congress because she thought she could count on him to uphold the assault-weapons ban based on his past support of it.
"Dave has spoken in support of the assault-weapons ban," Eakes said. "He has been an advocate and a friend of those who care about saving lives and keeping children away from guns."
She said the only reservation she'd ever heard Reichert express about the law was that it was not strong enough.
In 1999, Reichert knocked heads with the King County Council because he wanted to destroy seized semiautomatic assault weapons, rifles and shotguns to prevent them from returning to the streets. The council said a state law prohibited them from amending a county law that required his department to sell or trade surplus and seized rifles and shotguns as well as "handguns of potential value" to licensed dealers.
Yesterday, Reichert said the legislation that bans sales of semiautomatic assault weapons was ineffective.
The federal assault-weapons law was passed in 1994 as part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act. It prohibits the manufacture, sale and importation of certain military-style, semiautomatic weapons and ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. The law will expire next month unless Congress and President Bush renew it.
The bedrock of Reichert's campaign has been the reputation he earned as the man who brought the Green River Killer to justice. His stance on specific issues, including the weapons ban, largely mirrored those of the Bush administration.
In the case of the assault-weapons ban, Bush has been accused of changing course.
In an Op-Ed article that ran this week in The Christian Science Monitor, Kerlikowske implored Bush to follow through on his 1999 campaign promise to support the reauthorization of the ban.
"The ban was passed for very practical reasons," Kerlikowske wrote. "Prior to 1994, criminals were armed with enough firepower to outgun the police, making them nearly impossible to subdue, and allowing them to wreak terrible havoc in public places. The ban kept military-style assault weapons out of the hands of criminals. Since the passage of the ban, federal crime statistics show a dramatic 66-percent drop in the incidence of assault weapons traced to crimes. Given that, I can't think of a rational reason not to renew this law."
Reichert said there are statistics that can be used to support both sides of the debate. And there's at least one other distinction between the two top cops that could have something to do with their differing points of view, Reichert said.
"He's an appointed chief, and I'm an elected sheriff," Reichert said.
He said the confusion is the result of his political opponents trying to "paint" him in a certain light. "This isn't the only issue that has been twisted."
But Reichert admits his support of allowing the weapons ban to sunset is based on only part of the legislation -- the part that bans particular semiautomatic weapons.
He said high-capacity magazines are the real problem for law enforcement. "I don't like the idea of someone having a magazine that can carry 40 rounds and point it at me, as a police officer."
Restricting the magazine capacity to 10 rounds of ammunition gives his men a fighting chance, he said.
"At least (a criminal) has got to reload somehow, which gives us some time. If you've got a guy there with a semiautomatic weapon and he's got a banana clip and he's got 80 rounds, he can shoot at us forever and keep us pinned down."
The assault-weapons ban outlaws such clips, but because the prohibition is linked to the ban to the firearms themselves, the whole bill should be abolished, Reichert said.
And once both parts of the bill are scrapped?
"I wouldn't propose another bill." Reichert said. "It's not my purpose to go back to Congress and introduce any other legislation that would limit gun ownership or limit magazine capacity. I'm going back to Congress because I want to focus on homeland security. I want to focus on jobs and the economy. I want to focus on health care and traffic."
Allan Gottlieb, founder of the Second Amendment foundation, said he appreciated the reassurances Reichert offered his and other gun rights groups in attendance at the fund-raiser at Wade's Gun Range in Bellevue on Aug. 20.
"He definitely has the right instincts," Gottlieb said of Reichert. "He hasn't done anything to lead me to believe we couldn't count on him." ¶ 4:11 PM 0 comments
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER (Aug. 27)
Dave Reichert, King County sheriff and Republican congressional candidate, recently told a group of Second Amendment advocates that he supports letting the federal ban on assault weapons expire.
His position shocked community activists with whom he had worked closely in the past to establish and promote gun-violence prevention programs. It is also at odds with a wide segment of law enforcement officials, including Seattle police Chief Gil Kerlikowske.
But Reichert said yesterday his statement should not come as a surprise to anyone.
"I've never changed my position," Reichert said. "My whole point has always been holding gun owners responsible and accountable and always focusing on those people who were committing crimes with guns. ... I've never felt that the banning of certain weapons has really done anything at all."
But that clear stance has not been so obvious to some who have, up to now, regarded Reichert as a steadfast ally.
"I'm stunned," said Pamela Eakes, founder of Mothers Against Violence in America. "He has been so firm on this issue."
Eakes said she was happy when Reichert told her he was going to run for Congress because she thought she could count on him to uphold the assault-weapons ban based on his past support of it.
"Dave has spoken in support of the assault-weapons ban," Eakes said. "He has been an advocate and a friend of those who care about saving lives and keeping children away from guns."
She said the only reservation she'd ever heard Reichert express about the law was that it was not strong enough.
In 1999, Reichert knocked heads with the King County Council because he wanted to destroy seized semiautomatic assault weapons, rifles and shotguns to prevent them from returning to the streets. The council said a state law prohibited them from amending a county law that required his department to sell or trade surplus and seized rifles and shotguns as well as "handguns of potential value" to licensed dealers.
Yesterday, Reichert said the legislation that bans sales of semiautomatic assault weapons was ineffective.
The federal assault-weapons law was passed in 1994 as part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act. It prohibits the manufacture, sale and importation of certain military-style, semiautomatic weapons and ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. The law will expire next month unless Congress and President Bush renew it.
The bedrock of Reichert's campaign has been the reputation he earned as the man who brought the Green River Killer to justice. His stance on specific issues, including the weapons ban, largely mirrored those of the Bush administration.
In the case of the assault-weapons ban, Bush has been accused of changing course.
In an Op-Ed article that ran this week in The Christian Science Monitor, Kerlikowske implored Bush to follow through on his 1999 campaign promise to support the reauthorization of the ban.
"The ban was passed for very practical reasons," Kerlikowske wrote. "Prior to 1994, criminals were armed with enough firepower to outgun the police, making them nearly impossible to subdue, and allowing them to wreak terrible havoc in public places. The ban kept military-style assault weapons out of the hands of criminals. Since the passage of the ban, federal crime statistics show a dramatic 66-percent drop in the incidence of assault weapons traced to crimes. Given that, I can't think of a rational reason not to renew this law."
Reichert said there are statistics that can be used to support both sides of the debate. And there's at least one other distinction between the two top cops that could have something to do with their differing points of view, Reichert said.
"He's an appointed chief, and I'm an elected sheriff," Reichert said.
He said the confusion is the result of his political opponents trying to "paint" him in a certain light. "This isn't the only issue that has been twisted."
But Reichert admits his support of allowing the weapons ban to sunset is based on only part of the legislation -- the part that bans particular semiautomatic weapons.
He said high-capacity magazines are the real problem for law enforcement. "I don't like the idea of someone having a magazine that can carry 40 rounds and point it at me, as a police officer."
Restricting the magazine capacity to 10 rounds of ammunition gives his men a fighting chance, he said.
"At least (a criminal) has got to reload somehow, which gives us some time. If you've got a guy there with a semiautomatic weapon and he's got a banana clip and he's got 80 rounds, he can shoot at us forever and keep us pinned down."
The assault-weapons ban outlaws such clips, but because the prohibition is linked to the ban to the firearms themselves, the whole bill should be abolished, Reichert said.
And once both parts of the bill are scrapped?
"I wouldn't propose another bill." Reichert said. "It's not my purpose to go back to Congress and introduce any other legislation that would limit gun ownership or limit magazine capacity. I'm going back to Congress because I want to focus on homeland security. I want to focus on jobs and the economy. I want to focus on health care and traffic."
Allan Gottlieb, founder of the Second Amendment foundation, said he appreciated the reassurances Reichert offered his and other gun rights groups in attendance at the fund-raiser at Wade's Gun Range in Bellevue on Aug. 20.
"He definitely has the right instincts," Gottlieb said of Reichert. "He hasn't done anything to lead me to believe we couldn't count on him." ¶ 4:11 PM 0 comments
Sunday, August 22, 2004
Woodridge, Il. won't back AWB
A resolution urging Congress to renew and strengthen the federal ban on assault weapons has been rejected by Woodridge village trustees.
The board's 4-2 vote this week was disheartening to the trustee who sponsored the initiative, but not surprising.
"One of my campaign promises was to enact an assault weapons ban for Woodridge, but that would have been an administrative nightmare and not very effective," Trustee Robert Brandt said Friday. "The next step was to encourage Congress to extend the federal ban, which is more effective than a municipal ban."
The federal ban, which targets certain semi-automatic assault weapons capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition, is set to expire Sept. 13.
Brandt said he's shared the resolution with neighboring municipalities in hopes they might approve it, but most officials said they've heard little talk of the idea.
"I haven't heard a word about it," Lisle Mayor Joe Broda said, "but that's not to say it's not in the system somewhere."
The other Woodridge trustee to support the resolution, Richard Wood, said opponents on the board felt the resolution was too far reaching.
"Most of the board members said ... they couldn't support something they didn't think the municipality should be involved in," he said. "I felt strongly enough in favor of it to support it."
Broda said he also thinks the resolution may be too far reaching and suggested other avenues for Brandt's campaign.
"Most communities are only empowered as much as the state law allows," he said. "This could go to the DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference, where it might be better suited."
A local gun advocacy group, Woodridge Citizens for Firearm Safety, opposed the resolution, saying the existing ban isn't working. Representatives from the National Rifle Association and Illinois State Rifle Association also opposed the measure.
"Not a single one of the studies found any public safety benefit (from the ban) whatsoever and two studies found incremental increases in crime and murder," said the group's president, Dave Mamer.
Strengthening the ban isn't going to help it, either, he said.
"We're doing more of something that doesn't work already? I don't see the logic in that," he said.
The federal ban is supported by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police.
"Assault weapons are routinely the weapons of choice for gangs and drug dealers," said Elmwood Park Chief Tom Braglia, also president of the state group. "Weapons of this nature exist for one reason only, and that is to kill people."
Brandt said it was his intention to bring the pending expiration of the assault weapons ban to light and urge its renewal. He said he's not interested in taking people's sporting weapons away.
"It's just common sense," he said. "I received support from numerous Woodridge residents."
¶ 12:20 PM 0 comments
Chicago Daily Herald, (Aug. 21)
Woodridge won't back ban on assault gunsA resolution urging Congress to renew and strengthen the federal ban on assault weapons has been rejected by Woodridge village trustees.
The board's 4-2 vote this week was disheartening to the trustee who sponsored the initiative, but not surprising.
"One of my campaign promises was to enact an assault weapons ban for Woodridge, but that would have been an administrative nightmare and not very effective," Trustee Robert Brandt said Friday. "The next step was to encourage Congress to extend the federal ban, which is more effective than a municipal ban."
The federal ban, which targets certain semi-automatic assault weapons capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition, is set to expire Sept. 13.
Brandt said he's shared the resolution with neighboring municipalities in hopes they might approve it, but most officials said they've heard little talk of the idea.
"I haven't heard a word about it," Lisle Mayor Joe Broda said, "but that's not to say it's not in the system somewhere."
The other Woodridge trustee to support the resolution, Richard Wood, said opponents on the board felt the resolution was too far reaching.
"Most of the board members said ... they couldn't support something they didn't think the municipality should be involved in," he said. "I felt strongly enough in favor of it to support it."
Broda said he also thinks the resolution may be too far reaching and suggested other avenues for Brandt's campaign.
"Most communities are only empowered as much as the state law allows," he said. "This could go to the DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference, where it might be better suited."
A local gun advocacy group, Woodridge Citizens for Firearm Safety, opposed the resolution, saying the existing ban isn't working. Representatives from the National Rifle Association and Illinois State Rifle Association also opposed the measure.
"Not a single one of the studies found any public safety benefit (from the ban) whatsoever and two studies found incremental increases in crime and murder," said the group's president, Dave Mamer.
Strengthening the ban isn't going to help it, either, he said.
"We're doing more of something that doesn't work already? I don't see the logic in that," he said.
The federal ban is supported by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police.
"Assault weapons are routinely the weapons of choice for gangs and drug dealers," said Elmwood Park Chief Tom Braglia, also president of the state group. "Weapons of this nature exist for one reason only, and that is to kill people."
Brandt said it was his intention to bring the pending expiration of the assault weapons ban to light and urge its renewal. He said he's not interested in taking people's sporting weapons away.
"It's just common sense," he said. "I received support from numerous Woodridge residents."
¶ 12:20 PM 0 comments
Marshal bypasses city, buys Glocks for deputies from public donors
The Muscogee County marshal has raised $9,500 from private donors to buy each of his deputies new guns.
Marshal Kenneth Suddeth purchased 15 Glock .45-caliber pistols. The guns cost about $365 each with trade-ins. The rest of the money will be used to buy new holsters and magazines for the guns, Suddeth said.
Suddeth made his announcement at a press conference Thursday morning in the Government Center. He spent most of the time talking about how great the weapon is and even had a representative from Glock welcoming his office to the "Glock family." There were no city officials present.
Suddeth wrote a letter to private citizens dated Dec. 10, 2003, soliciting funds for uniforms and weapons for his deputies.
"The weapons we have been using have been in service for the past 11 years and we want to update them with Glock handguns that are more accurate and easier to handle," Suddeth said in the letter.
Those who contributed include Mary G. Walker Realty Co., Ashley Motor Co., Korean Association of Columbus, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 665 and Disabled American Veterans Chapter 56, Suddeth said.
In December, when city officials found out Suddeth was soliciting private donations, they questioned why he felt he needed to go to the public.
City Manager Carmen Cavezza was not aware Suddeth had bought the weapons Thursday evening.
"I didn't realize he had the money," Cavezza said. "I'm kind of surprised by it."
Usually, city departments coordinate with Cavezza and the Finance Department to make purchases and take it before Columbus Council for approval.
"Since he's an elected official, I have no control over it," Cavezza said.
Suddeth said he requested the funding for the guns as part of the 2005 budget, but was told by the city manager's office that "the city cannot afford the costly purchase for my department."
Councilor Nathan Suber said if the marshal would have come before council requesting the funds, he would have received them. "I think it's wonderful that citizens want to support public safety, but the city government provides funding for weapons."
In January, council authorized the purchase of 30 semi-automatic Glock pistols for Muscogee County sheriff deputies.
Mayor and Public Safety Director Bob Poydasheff said Suddeth should have discussed the matter with him before buying the guns and he didn't see the necessity of the purchase.
"He's been provided by the budget with what he really needs," Poydasheff said. "I have never been told by him that he needed new weapons."
The marshal's duties include providing security for Municipal Court and serving papers.
"I don't, candidly, know if the weapon is what is needed," Poydasheff said. "I just don't understand it."
¶ 12:16 PM 0 comments
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (Aug 20)
The Muscogee County marshal has raised $9,500 from private donors to buy each of his deputies new guns.
Marshal Kenneth Suddeth purchased 15 Glock .45-caliber pistols. The guns cost about $365 each with trade-ins. The rest of the money will be used to buy new holsters and magazines for the guns, Suddeth said.
Suddeth made his announcement at a press conference Thursday morning in the Government Center. He spent most of the time talking about how great the weapon is and even had a representative from Glock welcoming his office to the "Glock family." There were no city officials present.
Suddeth wrote a letter to private citizens dated Dec. 10, 2003, soliciting funds for uniforms and weapons for his deputies.
"The weapons we have been using have been in service for the past 11 years and we want to update them with Glock handguns that are more accurate and easier to handle," Suddeth said in the letter.
Those who contributed include Mary G. Walker Realty Co., Ashley Motor Co., Korean Association of Columbus, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 665 and Disabled American Veterans Chapter 56, Suddeth said.
In December, when city officials found out Suddeth was soliciting private donations, they questioned why he felt he needed to go to the public.
City Manager Carmen Cavezza was not aware Suddeth had bought the weapons Thursday evening.
"I didn't realize he had the money," Cavezza said. "I'm kind of surprised by it."
Usually, city departments coordinate with Cavezza and the Finance Department to make purchases and take it before Columbus Council for approval.
"Since he's an elected official, I have no control over it," Cavezza said.
Suddeth said he requested the funding for the guns as part of the 2005 budget, but was told by the city manager's office that "the city cannot afford the costly purchase for my department."
Councilor Nathan Suber said if the marshal would have come before council requesting the funds, he would have received them. "I think it's wonderful that citizens want to support public safety, but the city government provides funding for weapons."
In January, council authorized the purchase of 30 semi-automatic Glock pistols for Muscogee County sheriff deputies.
Mayor and Public Safety Director Bob Poydasheff said Suddeth should have discussed the matter with him before buying the guns and he didn't see the necessity of the purchase.
"He's been provided by the budget with what he really needs," Poydasheff said. "I have never been told by him that he needed new weapons."
The marshal's duties include providing security for Municipal Court and serving papers.
"I don't, candidly, know if the weapon is what is needed," Poydasheff said. "I just don't understand it."
¶ 12:16 PM 0 comments
Thursday, August 19, 2004
NIJ: Ban on assault weapons didn't reduce violence
The federal assault-weapons ban, scheduled to expire in September, is not responsible for the nation's steady decline in gun-related violence and its renewal likely will achieve little, according to an independent study commissioned by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ).
"We cannot clearly credit the ban with any of the nation's recent drop in gun violence. And, indeed, there has been no discernible reduction in the lethality and injuriousness of gun violence," said the unreleased NIJ report, written by Christopher Koper, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
"It is thus premature to make definitive assessments of the ban's impact on gun violence. Should it be renewed, the ban's effects on gun violence are likely to be small at best and perhaps too small for reliable measurement," said the report, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Times.
The report also noted that assault weapons were "rarely used in gun crimes even before the ban."
NIJ is the Justice Department's research, development and evaluation agency ? assigned the job of providing objective, independent, evidence-based information to the department through independent studies and other data collection activities.
The assault-weapons ban is set to expire Sept. 13, and at least six bills reauthorizing it are pending in the Senate and House.
The issue has sparked nationwide debate: The National Rifle Association has called the ban ineffective in curbing crime and a violation of the Second Amendment, while gun-control advocates have said the nation's streets will be filled with automatic weapons if the ban is not reauthorized.
The assault-weapons ban imposed a 10-year moratorium on the "manufacture, transfer and possession" of certain semiautomatic firearms designated as assault weapons. It banned 18 models and variations by name, as well as revolving-cylinder shotguns, and prohibited flash hiders, folding rifle stocks and threaded barrels for attaching silencers.
A number of the banned weapons were foreign semiautomatic rifles that have been barred from importation into the United States since 1989. The ban also prohibited most ammunition magazines holding more than 10 rounds.
According to recent surveys by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), firearms-related crime has declined to record levels. The violent crime rate has fallen 54 percent since 1993, and there were more than 980,000 fewer violent crimes in 2002 than in 2000.
But in the past three years, according to the BJS, federal gun prosecutions have increased by 68 percent, with the number of persons charged with federal firearms offenses rising by more than 22 percent in fiscal 2003, the largest single-year increase ever recorded.
The 102-page NIJ report said the assault-weapons ban was intended to "reduce gunshot victimizations by limiting the national stock of semiautomatic firearms with large ammunition capacities," although it said the automatic-weapons provision of the bill targeted a "relatively small number of weapons" based on features that had little to do with the weapons' operation.
The report said the removal of those features, such as detachable high-capacity magazines, was "sufficient to make the weapons legal."
In 1994, when the ban was approved by Congress, 1.5 million privately owned assault weapons were thought to be in the United States. The report said assault weapons were used in 2 percent of gun crimes reported nationwide before enactment of the 1994 ban. It also said assault weapons and other guns equipped with large-capacity magazines accounted for a higher share of the guns used to kill police officers and in mass public shootings, although such incidents were "very rare."
The report said the relatively rare use of assault weapons in crimes was attributable to a number of factors: Most assault weapons are rifles, which are used much less often than handguns, a number of the weapons were barred from importation before the ban was enacted, and the weapons are expensive and difficult to conceal.
"The ban's success in reducing criminal use of the banned guns and magazines has been mixed," the report said, noting that because the ban had not yet reduced the use of large-capacity magazines in crime, researchers could not "clearly credit the ban with any of the nation's recent drop in gun violence."
The report said although the ban's reauthorization or expiration could affect gunshot victimizations, predictions were "tenuous." It said restricting the flow of large-capacity magazines into the United States from abroad might be necessary to achieve the ban's desired effects.
But it said it was not known whether mandating further design changes in the outward features of semiautomatic weapons ? such as removing all military-style features ? would produce measurable benefits beyond restricting ammunition capacity.
Past experience also suggests that congressional discussion of broadening the assault-weapons ban to new models or features would raise prices and production of the weapons being considered, the report said, adding that if the ban were lifted, gun and magazine manufacturers could reintroduce weapons and magazines in substantial numbers. But, the report said, any resulting increase in crimes with assault weapons and large-capacity magazines might increase gunshot victimizations, "though this effect could be difficult to measure." ¶ 7:34 PM 0 comments
Washington Times (Aug. 16
The federal assault-weapons ban, scheduled to expire in September, is not responsible for the nation's steady decline in gun-related violence and its renewal likely will achieve little, according to an independent study commissioned by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ).
"We cannot clearly credit the ban with any of the nation's recent drop in gun violence. And, indeed, there has been no discernible reduction in the lethality and injuriousness of gun violence," said the unreleased NIJ report, written by Christopher Koper, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
"It is thus premature to make definitive assessments of the ban's impact on gun violence. Should it be renewed, the ban's effects on gun violence are likely to be small at best and perhaps too small for reliable measurement," said the report, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Times.
The report also noted that assault weapons were "rarely used in gun crimes even before the ban."
NIJ is the Justice Department's research, development and evaluation agency ? assigned the job of providing objective, independent, evidence-based information to the department through independent studies and other data collection activities.
The assault-weapons ban is set to expire Sept. 13, and at least six bills reauthorizing it are pending in the Senate and House.
The issue has sparked nationwide debate: The National Rifle Association has called the ban ineffective in curbing crime and a violation of the Second Amendment, while gun-control advocates have said the nation's streets will be filled with automatic weapons if the ban is not reauthorized.
The assault-weapons ban imposed a 10-year moratorium on the "manufacture, transfer and possession" of certain semiautomatic firearms designated as assault weapons. It banned 18 models and variations by name, as well as revolving-cylinder shotguns, and prohibited flash hiders, folding rifle stocks and threaded barrels for attaching silencers.
A number of the banned weapons were foreign semiautomatic rifles that have been barred from importation into the United States since 1989. The ban also prohibited most ammunition magazines holding more than 10 rounds.
According to recent surveys by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), firearms-related crime has declined to record levels. The violent crime rate has fallen 54 percent since 1993, and there were more than 980,000 fewer violent crimes in 2002 than in 2000.
But in the past three years, according to the BJS, federal gun prosecutions have increased by 68 percent, with the number of persons charged with federal firearms offenses rising by more than 22 percent in fiscal 2003, the largest single-year increase ever recorded.
The 102-page NIJ report said the assault-weapons ban was intended to "reduce gunshot victimizations by limiting the national stock of semiautomatic firearms with large ammunition capacities," although it said the automatic-weapons provision of the bill targeted a "relatively small number of weapons" based on features that had little to do with the weapons' operation.
The report said the removal of those features, such as detachable high-capacity magazines, was "sufficient to make the weapons legal."
In 1994, when the ban was approved by Congress, 1.5 million privately owned assault weapons were thought to be in the United States. The report said assault weapons were used in 2 percent of gun crimes reported nationwide before enactment of the 1994 ban. It also said assault weapons and other guns equipped with large-capacity magazines accounted for a higher share of the guns used to kill police officers and in mass public shootings, although such incidents were "very rare."
The report said the relatively rare use of assault weapons in crimes was attributable to a number of factors: Most assault weapons are rifles, which are used much less often than handguns, a number of the weapons were barred from importation before the ban was enacted, and the weapons are expensive and difficult to conceal.
"The ban's success in reducing criminal use of the banned guns and magazines has been mixed," the report said, noting that because the ban had not yet reduced the use of large-capacity magazines in crime, researchers could not "clearly credit the ban with any of the nation's recent drop in gun violence."
The report said although the ban's reauthorization or expiration could affect gunshot victimizations, predictions were "tenuous." It said restricting the flow of large-capacity magazines into the United States from abroad might be necessary to achieve the ban's desired effects.
But it said it was not known whether mandating further design changes in the outward features of semiautomatic weapons ? such as removing all military-style features ? would produce measurable benefits beyond restricting ammunition capacity.
Past experience also suggests that congressional discussion of broadening the assault-weapons ban to new models or features would raise prices and production of the weapons being considered, the report said, adding that if the ban were lifted, gun and magazine manufacturers could reintroduce weapons and magazines in substantial numbers. But, the report said, any resulting increase in crimes with assault weapons and large-capacity magazines might increase gunshot victimizations, "though this effect could be difficult to measure." ¶ 7:34 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Students shoots self at LFI class
DUNBARTON--A Concord attorney accidentally shot herself in the leg while attending a firearms course yesterday.
Penny Dean was not hurt badly when she fired her handgun while attempting to put it in a gun holster she was wearing.
Dean was taking an advanced shooting course offered by the Concord-based Lethal Force Institute at the Pioneer Sportsmen shooting range on Clinton Street when the accident happened shortly before 2 p.m. yesterday.
"Miss Dean was holstering a handgun, at which point the weapon discharged and fired a bullet into her left leg," said Dunbarton police officer Christopher Connelly. Police determined the shooting was accidental after a brief investigation at the pistol range.
Dean was wielding a 10mm Glock Model 29 automatic handgun, which is popular with both men and women, according to Lethal Force shooting instructor Massad Ayoob. She was among five students involved in a five-day firearms course.
Ayoob described Dean as a "very skillful and confident gun handler." He said she was using a holster that was not right for the gun and said that it was not immediately obvious to the instructor prior to the accident.
Ayoob said it was the first such accident in his 23 years as a firearms instructor.
Dean had taken previous firearms instruction from the Lethal Force Institute prior to the advanced training she was involved in yesterday, according to Ayoob.
Dean was taken by ambulance to Concord Hospital, where she was treated and released.
¶ 1:58 PM 0 comments
The Union Leader (Aug. 17)
DUNBARTON--A Concord attorney accidentally shot herself in the leg while attending a firearms course yesterday.
Penny Dean was not hurt badly when she fired her handgun while attempting to put it in a gun holster she was wearing.
Dean was taking an advanced shooting course offered by the Concord-based Lethal Force Institute at the Pioneer Sportsmen shooting range on Clinton Street when the accident happened shortly before 2 p.m. yesterday.
"Miss Dean was holstering a handgun, at which point the weapon discharged and fired a bullet into her left leg," said Dunbarton police officer Christopher Connelly. Police determined the shooting was accidental after a brief investigation at the pistol range.
Dean was wielding a 10mm Glock Model 29 automatic handgun, which is popular with both men and women, according to Lethal Force shooting instructor Massad Ayoob. She was among five students involved in a five-day firearms course.
Ayoob described Dean as a "very skillful and confident gun handler." He said she was using a holster that was not right for the gun and said that it was not immediately obvious to the instructor prior to the accident.
Ayoob said it was the first such accident in his 23 years as a firearms instructor.
Dean had taken previous firearms instruction from the Lethal Force Institute prior to the advanced training she was involved in yesterday, according to Ayoob.
Dean was taken by ambulance to Concord Hospital, where she was treated and released.
¶ 1:58 PM 0 comments
