N.Y. gun-rights advocates upset over tipline

The state hotline offers a reward for tips on people suspected of having illegal guns. ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Add another match to the volatile fuels feeding the gun-rights debate in New York. Gun-rights supporters and some of their allies in the Legislature contend that the state wants neighbors to snitch against gun-owning neighbors and turn in individuals suspected of having illegal firearms under New York's new gun-control law. As evidence, they point to a recent email from the state Division of Criminal Justice Services to police chiefs about a toll-free tipline "to encourage residents to report illegal firearm possession." Tipsters can get $500, the email states. Republican Assemblyman Bill Nojay accused Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his administration of bolstering the program to increase compliance with the gun law, saying that many gun owners aren't planning to register their weapons with the state. "What do you do about that? You go to the old formula of regimes with unpopular programs and you develop a snitch or informant network," Nojay said in a radio interview Thursday. Republican state Sen. James Seward said he has concerns that the initiative will lead communities to turn against themselves. "To pit neighbor against neighbor and to have a financial reward and turning in a neighbor for something, I think is just bad," Seward said. "I hope that the administration will consider not moving forward with this." STORY: Lawsuit challenges N.Y. gun law STORY: Gun law supporters rally State officials don't deny that the email is authentic, nor do they dispute the existence of the tipline. The problem, they contend, is that the tipline was created in February 2012 and the email was a reminder to police chiefs about its existence. "This program has been in place for more than a year and is aimed only at getting illegal crime guns off the streets: a goal that every New Yorker can agree with," said DCJS spokeswoman Janine Kava. A February 2012 news release from the governor's office promoted a new anti-violence plan, including the tipline. "Individuals in communities with persistently high rates of gun violence will now have access to a dedicated hotline to report illegal guns," the news release stated. " Rewards will be determined based on the value of the lead." The Rev. Jill Bradway of Henrietta, N.Y., holds a sign in support of the SAFE Act during a rally of supporters of the act at Rochester city hall.(Photo: Annette Lein, Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle) Also, a June 2012 newsletter from DCJS highlights the $500 reward and uses almost identical language in parts from the email recently distributed. The newly fashioned initiative does include a texting option. Gun-rights supporters maintain that the timing of the recent email suspiciously aligns with the new gun law, known as the SAFE Act, which was approved in January and signed by Cuomo. The SAFE Act, which includes an assault weapons ban and restrictions on magazine rounds, has been roundly decried by gun-rights supporters. But nearly two out of every three New Yorkers backed the initiative in a recent poll.

Gun rights backers vow court fight against new Colorado laws

Only a day after Colorado's governor signed laws setting limits on ammunition and imposing background checks, gun rights advocates have vowed to sue, some county sheriffs have declined to enforce the measures, and an ammunition magazine manufacturer is leaving the state. The measures signed into law on Wednesday by Governor John Hickenlooper will ban ammunition magazines with more than 15 rounds, require universal background checks for gun buyers and force gun buyers to pay for their own background checks. Colorado has seen two of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history, and the legislation represented an effort to prevent those types of killings. The measures were also passed during a national debate over firearms violence reignited by the December slayings of 20 children and six adults at a school in Connecticut. The laws' passages are considered a victory for Democrats in a state where gun ownership is treasured. The Denver-based libertarian group Independence Institute said it would file a lawsuit either in state or federal court against Colorado seeking to block the measures that are set to go into effect on July 1. "We're going to court and the people in 2014 are going to have an opportunity to choose a new legislature and a new governor," said David Kopel, research director for the group. In another challenge to gun-control measures enacted after the Connecticut school shootings, a National Rifle Association affiliate filed a lawsuit on Thursday charging that New York state's laws banning assault weapons and limiting the size of ammunition magazines violated the constitutional right to bear arms. MANUFACTURER LEAVING Ammunition magazine manufacturer Magpul, which has a plant in Erie, Colorado, threatened before the passage of the Colorado bill to leave the state and take away what its executives said were 200 direct jobs and 400 jobs at related companies in its supply chain. On its Facebook page, Magpul said it would go through with the threat to move, and supporters posted comments inviting them to their own states such as Missouri and Nevada. "Our transition to a new home will occur in a phased and orderly manner to allow us to continue to serve our customers during the move, as well as to allow an orderly transition for affected employees," the company's statement on Facebook said. A representative for Magpul did not return calls. Eric Brown, spokesman for the governor, said in an email that nothing in the bills signed by Hickenlooper would prevent Magpul from "manufacturing here and selling elsewhere." Meanwhile, a number of county sheriffs in Colorado have said they cannot or will not enforce the new gun control laws, even as the governor's office has directed state officials to give law enforcement agencies technical guidance on how the magazine limits in particular should be interpreted and enforced. "We expect sheriffs to follow all state laws to the best of their abilities," Brown said. In July 2012, a gunman opened fire in a crowded theater at the opening night of the Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises" in the Denver suburb of Aurora, killing 12 people and wounding 58 others. Colorado was also the site of a 1999 massacre at Columbine High School, where two teenagers shot dead a teacher and 12 other students before committing suicide. (This story corrects to show Magpul is an ammunition magazine manufacturer, not an ammunition manufacturer) (Additional reporting by Joseph Ax in New York; Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Peter Cooney) Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gun-rights-backers-vow-court-fight-against-colorado-194745382.html

Major gun rights bill close to reality in Georgia

And any of Georgia's 180 K-12 public school systems could choose for themselves whether to train and arm willing administrators for added protection. State Representative Rick Jasperse (R-Jasper) shepherded the bill through only about 10 minutes of House floor debate. He told 11 Alive News the added carry rights are meant for law-abiding adults and not criminals. "Those people have been through a license requirement, they've been finger printed, background checked, I don't think that's an issue; these are mature Georgians," he added. Most of those voting against the bill were Democrats who think it goes too far. "I don't think the spreading of guns is necessarily a good thing," Rep. David Wilkerson (D-Austell) told 11 Alive. "We already have enough crime in certain areas and I don't think the access to guns is going to help that," he added. The only person to actually debate against the bill was a conservative Republican who doesn't think it goes far enough, especially at colleges. "Just because I'm a 21-year-old adult and I choose to live on a college campus, I don't get to exercise my Second Amendment rights?" asked Rep. Charles Gregory (R-Kennesaw). "What if we did that with freedom of speech or what if we did that with freedom of religion?" he added. The bill would also lower the age for a gun carry license from 21 to 18 for honorably discharged veterans or active duty and military reservists. Supporters say that's so trained and experienced veterans can quality for private security jobs between those ages. With only a few days left in this year's legislative session, the bill now goes back to the Senate, which will have to reject or approve House changes. If they accept the House version, it's on to Republican Governor Nathan Deal, who'll then decide whether to veto it. source: http://www.11alive.com/news/article/284637/40/Major-gun-rights-bill-close-to-reality-in-Georgia

South Dakota Signs Law Allowing Teachers to Carry Guns in the Classroom

South Dakota Republican Gov. Dennis Daugaard on Friday signed into law a bill to allow teachers to carry guns in the classroom. The education community stiffly opposed the measure, according the Rapid City Journal. With it, school boards can decide whether to adopt “sentinel programs” to arm teachers or other school personnel with guns. Though some states have provisions in their gun laws allowing teachers to carry firearms in the classroom, South Dakota’s law is believed to be the first in the nation to specifically allow it, according to the New York Times. Calls came to arm teachers after the shooting massacre at a Connecticut elementary school in December, with supporters saying doing so could prevent future tragedies. South Dakota school administrators and teachers said arming personnel could lead to accidental shootings and put weapons in the hands of inadequately trained people, the Associated Press reported. The new law doesn’t force school districts to arm teachers or force teachers to carry guns, according to the AP, and local law enforcement agencies will have to sign off on a school’s sentinel program. Full Story Here

Lawmakers Propose New Taxes On Guns & Ammo

Lawmakers are frustrated as at every turn they are met with resistance against gun bans. Now they are seeking to regulate firearms and ammunition with taxation, a sin tax of sorts. According to Fox News, The proposals range from the modest — a proposed 5 percent tax in New Jersey — to the steep — a proposed 50 percent ammo tax in Maryland. The bills follow efforts to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and expand background checks, measures that have had mixed success at the state level. The taxes — much like so-called “sin taxes,” like those on cigarettes — serve a dual purpose. They can deter buyers, while using the extra revenue for favored programs. In this case, the sponsors want to direct the money toward mental health services, police training and victims’ treatment. Obviously this is punishing law abiding citizens and a gross abuse of the power of taxation. Senior vice president and general counsel for the National Shooting Sports Foundation Lawrence Keane said, “If anything, gun owners ought to be getting a tax rebate for helping reduce crime.” “We’re obviously extremely opposed to try to tax the lawful exercise of the Second Amendment rights by law-abiding Americans,” he said. "Lawmakers eye new taxes on guns, ammo in latest wave of legislation Read more:

Police are systematically performing raids on californian homes to confiscate their firearms

The California Senate approved a $24-million expenditure on Thursday to speed the confiscation of guns from people who have been disqualified from owning firearms because of criminal convictions or serious mental illness. Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) said budget cuts to the Department of Justice have hampered a program that targets people who purchased firearms legally but were later disqualified because of a subsequent conviction or determination of mental illness. As a result of the cuts, there is a backlog of 19,000 people who have improper possession of more than 40,000 guns, including 1,600 assault weapons, and the number is increasing faster than their firearms can be confiscated. full story here

SON USES FATHER’S GUN TO DEFEND PARENTS FROM ARMED HOME INTRUDERS

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/02/24/son-uses-fathers-gun-to-defend-parents-from-armed-home-intruders/ One suspect is dead after a quick-thinking 21-year-old man sprang into action and grabbed his father’s gun to fend off three armed intruders and protect his parents in Texas. The Houston-area young man and his parents were at home baking a cake Thursday night when there was a knock on the door, KHOU-TV reported. “I see a young boy and I think it is a friend of my son so I open it a little bit,” the father, who didn’t want to show his face or give his name on camera, told KHOU. “These guys push and out comes two more, they push me on the ground.” With the father down, the suspects went after the mother, telling her to get on the ground. She ran to her bedroom, where her son was already grabbing the gun from under the bed. “I just hear a couple of times, boom, boom, boom,” the father said.