Gun saint society honors 72-year-old defense shooter
“The St. Gabriel Possenti Society (www.GunSaint.com) notes the personal and social significance of proficient handgun self-defense use in July in Madison, TN, by 72-year-old Robert James Johnson,” Society chairman John M. Snyder said in a press release from Washington, DC.
“When Mr. Johnson used his handgun to defend himself successfully during a brutal armed robbery, he demonstrated that even an elderly armed gentleman can overcome evil acts by younger thugs,” Snyder continued.
“Mr. Johnson’s action is commensurate with the ideals of the St. Gabriel Possenti Society whose patron, St. Gabriel Possenti, rescued Italian villagers in 1860 with a one-shot, lizard-slaying demonstration of handgun marksmanship.” Snyder added.
The non-denominational St. Gabriel Possenti Society seeks official Vatican recognition of St. Gabriel Possenti as Patron of Handgunners.
In the incident, two men, at least one of whom was armed, assaulted Johnson as he got out of his car and demanded money from him while they hit him multiple times.
Johnson, carrying concealed, related that, “I was getting the gun out at the same time while he was asking for the money, when he was asking for the money, talking – POW! I shot that bastard.”
Johnson’s single shot killed the culprit, while the second robber fled with a thousand dollars.
Johnson said, “I’m a good shooter,” but regretted he “didn’t get the other one.”
Cuomo promises to fight Second Amendment bill
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has vowed to fight any attempt by Congress to negate the gun control law New York lawmakers adopted after the Sandy Hook massacre, according to the New York Daily News.
The newspaper reported that Cuomo, during a stop in upstate Hudson, NY, blasted Congressman Chris Collins (from Erie County) for introducing the Second Amendment Guarantee Act, which would limit the authority of states to regulate rifles and shotguns
A spokeswoman for Collins defended the proposed legislation, saying it would remove restrictions “unfairly placed on New Yorkers” by the governor, according to the Daily News.
“Governor Cuomo took away the Constitutional rights of Americans when he signed the so-called SAFE Act into law,” said Collins spokeswoman Sarah Minkel.
“If Governor Cuomo wants to criticize Congressman Collins for sticking up for his constituents by protecting their Second Amendment rights, or for working to reduce their property taxes, he can answer to them in 2018,” Minkel added.
Known as the SAFE Act, the gun control measure adopted by Cuomo and the state Legislature in early 2013 banned high-capacity magazines and tightened the state’s existing ban on assault weapons. It also implemented a reporting system for the mentally that has deprived tens of thousands of state residents of their Second Amendment rights, imposed ammunition sales regulations, and required recertification of lifetime concealed carry licenses originally “good until revoked” when first issued.
Collins’ proposed bill would block states from imposing gun regulations that are stricter than federal law.
Stossel warns against traveling armed in NYC
A recent John Stossel column focuses on New York City’s prosecution of out-of-state legally armed citizens who make the mistake of thinking their carry licenses are protection from prosecution.
In a column appearing in several online sites, including Townhall.com, Stossel, who lives in the Big Apple, enumerates the risks city visitors take when they erroneously believe they are legally armed.
“Have a gun license? Plan to bring your gun to my hometown? Don’t,” Stossel warns.
“Mean New York authorities will make your life miserable,” he continues, with examples.
“Patricia Jordan and her daughter flew here from her home state of Georgia. She wanted her gun nearby for protection.
“Jordan obeyed all the Transportation Security Administration’s rules: She put her gun in a locked TSA-approved case with its bullets separate. She informed the airline that she had a gun. The airline had no problem with that.
“In New York City, she kept the gun locked in her hotel room. She never needed it, but her daughter told me, ‘I was glad she brought it just in case something did happen.’
“When leaving the city, Jordan followed the TSA’s rules again. At the airline counter, she again told the agent she wanted to check her gun. But this time, she was told: ‘Wait.’
“’Next thing I know, they’re getting ready to arrest me,’ she said.
“Her daughter was crying, ‘Please don’t arrest my mom!’ But New York City cops arrested her, jailed her and told her she was guilty of a felony that mandates a minimum 3½ years in jail.
Stossel goes on to say that Jordan’s ordeal is not unique. Roughly once a week, New York City locks up people for carrying guns legally licensed by other states.
He continues with another example of New York City justice.
“’We are not going to apologize for enforcing our gun laws,’ said Assistant District Attorney Jack Ryan when I confronted him about these pointless and cruel arrests. He said New York City enforces laws as ‘humanely and as compassionately as we can.’”
S&W now shipping CA-compliant ARs
Smith & Wesson Corp. announced on Aug. 8 that it has begun shipping its industry-leading M&P15 Sport II and M&P15 Sport II OR rifles in California-Compliant versions.
The popular M&P15 Sport II rifles have been designed to comply with current California standards for semi-automatic centerfire rifles.
Jan Mladek, general manager of Smith & Wesson and M&P Brands, said, “The M&P15 Sport II is a market leader in modern sporting rifles, and we are now offering the California market two new compliant M&P15 Sport II rifles. Known for a winning combination of price, features and proven performance, the M&P15 Sport II rifle is ideally suited for sport, recreation, target and protection use.”
Chambered in 5.56mm NATO, the California Compliant M&P15 Sport II and M&P15 Sport II-Optics Ready rifles have a ten round magazine, fixed stock and ambidextrous safety selector. Both rifles feature the durable Armornite finish on the interior and exterior of the barrel for enhanced corrosion resistance. The M&P15 Sport II – CA Compliant rifle comes standard with a Magpul® MBUS® rear sight and A2 front post, with an MSRP of $739.00. The M&P15 Sport II OR-CA Compliant rifle is designed to be optics-ready and features a Picatinny-rail gas block and top rail system for easy mounting of optics, with an MSRP of $719.
Ruger issues safety bulletin for some Ruger Precision rifles
Sturm, Ruger recently learned that some Ruger Precision Rifles may experience interference between the aluminum bolt shroud and the cocking piece (also known as the firing pin back).
In rare instances, the interference can disrupt the firing mechanism and cause it to not function properly. This interference can potentially lead to light primer strikes or, in extreme cases, the rifle may not fire when the trigger is pulled. If the rifle fails to fire when the trigger is pulled, it may fire when the bolt handle is subsequently lifted. In rifles where this condition exists, the issue often resolves itself as the parts wear and the interference is reduced. Therefore, rifles that have fired more than 100 rounds with no issues or concerns are unlikely to be affected, and no additional action is necessary.
Although only a small percentage of rifles appear to be affected and the Company is not aware of any injuries, Ruger is firmly committed to safety and is offering free replacement aluminum bolt shrouds for affected rifles in order to eliminate the possibility of such interference. Ruger Precision Rifles (regardless of caliber) that have an aluminum bolt shroud and fall within the following serial number ranges are potentially affected: 1800-26274 to 1800-78345 or 1801-00506 to 1801-30461.
Not all rifles within these serial number ranges are affected; this Safety Bulletin does not apply to Ruger Precision Rifles with polymer bolt shrouds. Ruger encourages anyone with a Ruger Precision Rifle that has an aluminum bolt shroud and a serial number within the above ranges to visit Ruger.com/RPRSafety and use the lookup tool to determine whether their rifle is potentially affected.
Although all Ruger Precision Rifles with aluminum bolt shrouds within the above serial number ranges are potentially affected, most rifles will never experience this issue. Ruger Precision Rifle owners who have ever experienced light primer indents or failure to fire should visit Ruger.com/RPRSafety to sign up for the safety offer and obtain additional information.
When consumers sign up, Ruger will ship the replacement bolt shrouds on a first-come, first-served basis. Actual delivery will depend upon demand, as Ruger is currently manufacturing replacement bolt shrouds for this program.
New suit challenges Cook County ban on ‘assault weapons’
A lawsuit challenging a ban on so-called “assault weapons” in Cook County, IL, is getting support from the Second Amendment Foundation and Illinois State Rifle Association.
The ban was adopted more than a decade ago, according to SAF.
The case, filed in Cook County Circuit Court, was filed by Matthew D. Wilson and Troy Edhlund. They are represented by attorney David G. Sigale of Glen Ellyn.
The case is a re-filing of an action in 2007 that challenged the ordinance on constitutional grounds. Plaintiffs allege that, “The Cook County Assault Weapons Ordinance, as amended and adopted on November 14, 2006, violates the due process clause of the U.S. Constitution, as applied to the States by the 14th Amendment, because of vagueness in its definition language of ‘assault weapons.’”
SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb said the lawsuit is necessary because the ordinance defines “assault weapons” in a way that is both vague and arbitrary, without providing any explanation why certain firearms are prohibited.
“Recent violent history in the City of Chicago clearly demonstrates that this prohibition has not prevented a single slaying or injurious shooting,” Gottlieb said in a news release. “The only thing such gun control laws accomplish is to penalize law-abiding citizens for crimes they didn’t commit. Meanwhile, the real criminals have engaged in wholesale mayhem.”
The lawsuit also notes that under the ordinance, commonly-owned semi-automatic sporting shotguns and rifles could be banned due to the language of the law.
“Laws like this should never be written in the first place,” Gottlieb said, “and especially they shouldn’t be written by people who do not appear to know anything about firearms.”
The Cook County ban was originally propelled by Chicago politicians when the state legislature failed to adopt a similar proposal.
Smart gun makers not worried about hacking evidence
Even after a hacker at Defcon showed that smart guns aren’t all that smart, advocates for new firearm technology aren’t worried, CNet reported recently.
At the recent Smart Gun Symposium in Washington, DC, supporters discussed how upgrading firearms with gun-locking features like fingerprint scanners and radio-frequency identification tags could help protect police and prevent shootings. They also dismissed concerns that hackers could find ways to trick the features.
Smart guns are seen by some people as one way to stem the tide of violence. And Silicon Valley believes it can help through high-tech weapons with triggers that won’t pull in the wrong hands, or that employ a radio signaled lock. After the San Bernardino, CA, terrorist shooting in 2015, then-president Barack Obama called for a federal study on smart-gun technology in the hopes that it would improve firearm safety standards.
Like all connected devices though, smart guns aren’t immune to hacks. At the Defcon security conference, a hacker who goes by the name of “Plore” demonstrated how he tricked the Armatix IP1 — a smart pistol that locks unless it’s near a watch with the proper radio signal — using only $15 worth of magnets.
At the symposium, two smart-gun makers played down the threat of hacks against the connected weapons, calling it a “nuisance” but not a roadblock.
Jonathan Mossberg, the man behind the smart iGun, said the attacks Plore demonstrated were unlikely to happen in real-life scenarios, pointing out that people don’t carry magnets with them everywhere.
Plore disagreed, saying there’d be more magnets available if smart guns were more mainstream.
Safety and reliability are key issues when it comes to the potential for widespread adoption of high-tech firearms. Nearly 60 percent of police officers told the symposium they’d be interested in using smart guns, once the weapons prove reliable from a security and effectiveness perspective, and that has yet to happen.
SIG voluntarily upgrades P320 pistol
Recent events indicate that dropping the P320 beyond US standards for safety may cause an unintentional discharge.
As a result of input from law enforcement, government and military customers, SIG- Sauer has voluntarily developed a number of enhancements in function, reliability, and overall safety including drop performance for the P320 pistol. SIG Sauer is voluntarily offering these enhancements to its customers. Details of this program are available at sigsauer.com beginning Aug. 14.
The M17 variant of the P320, selected as the US Army’s Modular Handgun System (MHS), is not affected by the voluntary upgrade.
New York City DA hits reciprocity bill
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance came out swinging against the proposed national reciprocity act, claiming that it is supported by ISIS, the terrorist organization.
According to Vance, if Congress passes the reciprocity measure, which requires states to honor the concealed carry permits or licenses from other states, it will spell trouble for police and the public. According to the New York Post, Vance was being interviewed by a radio talk show host when he commented that, “This bill is supported, I am sure, by ISIS.”
The newspaper also noted Vance’s allegation that “ISIS points its readers to America and how they can easily obtain guns by going to states where there are no permitting requirements or buy guns in one of the 5,000 private gun shows around the country where no background checks are taken.”
Gun show sales are subject to the same laws that govern gun sales elsewhere.
Nominally, people could already skirt the gun laws of many states by buying illegally elsewhere, without the reciprocity law.
Specifically to the proposed reciprocity act, Vance reportedly told the radio host, “So a guy from Idaho, where there is no permitting requirements whatsoever, could carry his gun into New York City loaded into Time Square.” He described the legislation as a “dangerous and ill-considered bill.”
Vance reportedly complained that under the proposed law, “You could get up in the morning in Manhattan, drive to Vermont, buy loaded weapons, and bring them back to New York by dinner.”
DU milestone for conservation
Ducks Unlimited (DU) has achieved a conservation milestone with more than 14 million acres of habitat conserved in North America.
The groundbreaking number is a cumulative accomplishment of the millions of DU volunteers and partners who have been a part of the organization over the past 80 years.
Such conservation gains did not come easily in the face of ongoing threats to waterfowl and their habitats. Loss of wetlands across North America is a challenge DU volunteers take seriously, and their efforts will continue into the future. Although DU has successfully conserved more than 14 million acres of critical wetlands and associated habitat since our founding in 1937, wetland losses continue.
In the last 50 years alone, the United States has lost more than 17 million acres of wetlands. As human populations grow, demands for clean and plentiful water for use at home and in many agricultural and industrial processes also increase.
New California ammo law forces business closing
Citing new California gun control laws and internet sales that cut into the company’s profits, a Redding, CA-based ammunition manufacturer has closed its doors, the Redding Record Searchlight ported on Aug. 8.
Mike Schroeder, who owned the business known as The Cartridge Family, said while he officially closed his business, he had stopped taking new orders a month ago.
He said new California gun laws, including Proposition 63, created uncertainty in ammunition sales. The Cartridge Family, which opened in Redding in 2014, remanufactured and sold ammunition in more than 40 different calibers.
“We are unsure about what these new laws are going to bring,” Schroeder said. Internet sales of ammunition at rock bottom prices also cut into his business, he said.
Starting Jan. 1, 2018, Prop. 63 requires people purchasing ammunition to undergo a background check and obtain a permit to buy ammo. Ammunition dealers are also required to obtain a license to sell ammo. Starting in July 2019, Prop. 63 prohibits residents from buying ammunition out of state and bringing it into California.
Schroeder said most of his sales were to smaller stores that sold ammunition as well as other goods. Those businesses will suffer because of new requirements on them, he told the Record Searchlight.
Sales of ammunition plummeted after Donald Trump was elected president, Schroeder said. Ammo sales spiked before the election, spurred by gun owners worried Hillary Clinton would be elected and further clamp down on gun ownership, he said. But ammo sales returned to normal after Trump was elected, he said.
Collins’s column focuses reasoning
Republican Rep. Chris Collins represents New York’s 27th District in the House of Representatives. Below are some highlight quotes from an Op-Ed column he wrote about his Second Amendment Guarantee Act (SAGA) that the Buffalo News published on Aug. 2.
“This law would prohibit states from regulating, prohibiting, registering or licensing a rifle or shotgun for the sale, manufacturing, importation, transfer, possession or marketing beyond the requirements of federal law.”
“If enacted by Congress and signed by the president, SAGA would repeal much of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement (SAFE) Act and stop his ability to infringe upon the rights of law-abiding New Yorkers by instituting strict rifle and shotgun regulations.”
High School Girl Builds Trap Range
The new Bear Creek Range was scheduled for a grand opening in Malcolm, IA, on August 5, thanks to the drive of 16-year-old Lizzy Worthington.
The high schooler, who originally wanted to do something for her Girl Scouts troop, now wants as many people as possible to use it.
Building a range is no small enterprise. Worthington raised $50,000 and had a lot of other donations to fund the two year project. After a while, it wasn’t about the Girl Scouts gold award she had originally thought to win. It was something deeper.
“To give the opportunity to more people to be able to fall in love with something that opens up so many doors to meet more people and to learn things and just to be around fun, fun people, fun times – it’s really exciting,” Worthington told a local TV station.
CA city pays $40,000 gun shop settlement
On July 18, Daly City, CA, agreed to pay $40,000 to settle a lawsuit challenging the city’s decision to deny a conditional use permit application to the city’s only firearm repair shop, SetterArms.
As reported in 2015, the Daly City Council Planning Commission voted 5-0 in favor of the application. NRA and CRPA attorneys also submitted a letter in support of the application. But despite the Planning Commission’s unanimous support and support from local residents, the City Council voted 3-2 to deny the application, largely a result of anti-gun Councilmember David Canepa’s opposition. That action prompted a lawsuit.
The complaint highlights how Canepa initially delayed a vote on the application and used the delay to contact Julie Leftwich, Legal Director for the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence—one of the nation’s largest anti-gun organizations.
Canepa’s blatant bias should serve as a warning to city’s seeking to deny lawful business owners an opportunity to make a living.
