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CCO Commentaries:
New
Anti-Gun Control Law Set for Alaska
By MATT VOLZ
Associated Press Writer
October 17, 2005, 4:08 AM EDT
JUNEAU, Alaska -- Starting Wednesday, handgun owners won't need permits to
carry concealed weapons in the seven Alaska cities where they're still
required. There also will be no more restrictions on keeping a firearm in a
vehicle.
A new state anti-gun control law that goes into effect will essentially bar
municipalities from passing gun laws that are more restrictive than state
law.
The National Rifle Association, which helped Republican state Rep. Mike
Chenault write the legislation, says except for the concealed weapon permit
requirements, most Alaska city and state gun laws are the same.
What the NRA wants to do is prevent cities from passing more restrictive
laws in the future. It calls it state pre-emption, and Alaska will be the
44th state to have such a law on its books.
"We are looking to make it uniform to all 50 states," said NRA spokeswoman
Kelly Hobbs. "Without it, it creates an unfair, inconsistent and confusing
patchwork of local firearm ordinances."
But Alaska police chiefs worry about no longer being able to enforce laws
banning guns from public buildings, such as city halls.
The new law would allow cities to keep guns out of places beyond a
restricted access point, such as a metal detector, but the chiefs say their
cities can't afford the staff or equipment.
"There are lots of people, myself included, we really value our
constitutional rights," said Anchorage Police Chief Walter Monegan. "But if
we had the same enthusiasm to also support our constitutional
responsibilities, then I would be less concerned over this issue."
Chenault argues that even though state law now does not specifically
prohibit weapons in municipal buildings, it does prohibit them in state
buildings, so a municipal law wouldn't be considered more restrictive. He
acknowledged, however, that it may take a court challenge to see if he's
right.
*Australians Without Guns*
Here's a thought to warm some of your hearts...
From: Ed Chenel, a police officer in Australia:
Hi Yanks, I thought you all would like to see the real figures from
Down Under. It has now been 12 months since gun owners in Australia
were forced by a new law to surrender 640,381 personal firearms to
be destroyed by our own government, a program costing Australia
taxpayers more than $500 million dollars.
The first year results are now in:
Australia-wide, homicides are up 3.2 percent
Australia-wide, assaults are up 8.6 percent
Australia-wide, armed robberies are up 44 percent (yes, 44 percent)!
In the state of Victoria alone, homicides with firearms are now up
300 percent.
(Note that while the law-abiding citizens turned them in, the
criminals did not and criminals STILL possess THEIR guns!)
While figures over the previous 25 years showed a steady decrease in
armed robbery with firearms this has changed drastically upward in
the past 12 months, since the criminals now are guaranteed that
their prey is unarmed. There has also been a dramatic increase in
break-ins and assaults of the elderly.
Australian politicians are at a loss to explain how public safety
has decreased, after such monumental effort and expense was expended
in "successfully ridding Australian society of guns." You won't see
this on the American evening news or hear your governor or members
of the State Assembly disseminating this information.
The Australian experience proves it. Guns in the hands of honest
citizens save lives and property and, yes, gun-control laws affect
only the law-abiding citizens.
_Take note Americans, before it's too late!_
DON'T BE A MEMBER OF THE SILENT MAJORITY.
BE OF THE VOCAL MINORITY WHO WON'T LET THIS HAPPEN IN THE U.S.A
Why You Should Get a Concealed Carry Permit?
Several years ago, British and Australian citizens had their guns banned shortly
after their Governments required gun registration. The crime rate went off the
charts. There was a recent news report of a mass murder in Australia by a
criminal armed with several guns. Criminals will always find guns on the black
market. If there had been someone in the crowd with a concealed handgun, he or
she may have been able to stop the attack. When guns are banned, people are
left defenseless.
Rape and violent assault have increased dramatically in Australia and
Great Brittan since their guns were taken away. People are defenseless and the
criminals know it. My sympathy goes out to the citizens of those countries
and other places that have a suppressive government that will not allow them to
protect themselves and their families with firearms.
Here in America we have, thanks to our Founding Fathers, a Constitution
and Bill of Rights with a 2nd Amendment. That 2nd Amendment says we have a God
given unalienable (cannot be taken away) right to "Keep and Bear Arms."
We have a right to self-protection from all enemies, even an oppressive
unconstitutional government.
A good solid reason for gun ownership here in America is the fact that 20
million armed to the teeth Americans will make any invader think twice. It
should keep socialist and communistic politicians like Hitler, Stalin etc. at
bay also. If we let any politicians take away our right to "Keep and Bear
Arms" we will soon be under a dictatorship or police state.
Have you watched the news lately? It's full of terrorist threats, serial
killers, rapes, child murder and kidnapping, drug lab busts, violent assaults,
robberies, burglaries and that's just the tip of the iceberg. The news said the
other day that one in every 32 U.S. citizens is in prison, on probation or on
parole. That's a lot of criminals in our country, the most per capita in the
world. Do you feel safe? Would you let your wife or daughter walk a few
blocks in any city to visit a friend at night? I wouldn't, no way.
The "War On Drugs" is a miserable failure. Meth, heroine and crack addicts
are looking for a way to get their drugs and they don't have a regular job. They
burglarize and rob to get what they need. When strung out on any variety of
drugs, addicts will rob and kill you for the few bucks in your wallet or purse.
If you're a woman, expect worse. The answer to the question "How do I protect
myself and my family?" is to acquire shooting skill and a Concealed Carry
Permit. At this point in time only a few backward states don't allow Concealed
Carry Permits.
With today's climate of crime, rape and violent assault, I urge all women
to learn the shooting arts and arm themselves. Thousands of would be rapes
and assaults have been repelled by an armed female. God created men and
women but Smith and Wesson made them equal. A two hundred pound rapist will
leave the scene quickly after looking down the barrel of a 357 magnum in the
hand of a determined woman. Women have a physiological (not psychological)
advantage over men when it comes to shooting. It's a scientific fact. My wife
says, "It's the way we're built." Women often shoot better than men when they
both have the same training.
Isn't it true that an armed population would discourage terrorism?
Citizens carrying concealed handguns would multiply the risk to would be
terrorists, especially after the first few terrorists get shot by armed American
citizens. I've read that applications for Concealed Carry Permits have
increased dramatically since 9/11/01. That's great, but what kind of message
would it send to terrorist organizations around the world if most
American citizens carried a concealed side arm and were trained to use it. Might
make terrorists change their minds. Israeli citizens have shot and killed a
number of terrorists preventing mass causalities. These citizens are considered
to be heroes.
So why should you have a Concealed Carry Permit? It's your
Constitutional right and duty to be able to defend yourself, your loved ones and
even your country. It's also the main deterrent that will keep us free
from a socialist dictatorship.
But why do I need a permit? Because you will go to jail with a large
fine if they catch you with a handgun and no Concealed Carry Permit. I've
heard people say "But I will get on some list and if they ever ban guns they
will come for mine first." I wouldn't worry about that. If politicians ever
try and ban guns, there will be a revolution the next day. Americans love their
guns and will not give them up. My advice is to "Stay Legal". Then you won't
have to worry about it.
If you have children, teach them too. Then they will respect
firearms and hopefully not do anything stupid. Take precautions concerning
"access to firearms" if you have young children in your household.
When you learn to shoot and are carrying concealed you will feel more
"Secure In Your Person." It's a good feeling to know you are not as
vulnerable to some criminal, drug addict or terrorist that's bigger or meaner
than you. You can defend yourself if forced to.
Finally, fight for your right to "Keep and Bear Arms". It is an
"unalienable" (can't be taken away) God given right. If liberal
socialist politicians try and ban our guns, fight them all the way to the voting
booth. Join the NRA, Gun Owners of America, Second Amendment Foundation or
any other gun rights group or association and contribute. They have done a
pretty good job so far. Subscribe to gun related magazines like Concealed Carry
Magazine and support their advertisers. If we ever let politicians ban our guns,
only criminals will have them.
In the March/April 2003 issue of Backwoods Home Magazine, editor Dave Duffy reports that "Personal guns are getting to be in style." He says "I never thought I'd see the day: personal guns for self-protection are getting to be in vogue. Gun stores can barely keep guns in stock.
Reports from across the nation say requests for concealed carry permits are going through the roof. The terrorist attacks of 9/11/01 have put people in a self-defense mode. When Attorney General Ashcroft made the statement that the 2nd amendment was written for individuals, gun owners took a major step forward in our fight to "Keep and Bear Arms." Hooray.
We urge all gun owners to join pro 2nd amendment groups or associations (NRA, Gun Owners of America etc.) and contribute.
Tactical Fast Draw Using a CCO Vest
For a "Tactical Fast Draw", if your vest is snapped, grasp the vest inside the center seam on the front with your left hand and snap it open. We use snaps instead of buttons for this reason. Brush your vest back with your right hand exposing your weapon for a fast draw.
We recommend a good belt holster such as the Fobus, Bianchi, Safariland, Galco, or any one of the better quality belt holsters on the market. I personally prefer a belt slide style holster (has a belt slot on front and rear of holster) as they hold your weapon tight to your side eliminating weapon printing. Add a magazine or speed loader pouch to your other side.
We bought a dozen different shoulder holsters to experiment with and found that they all print when carrying a full size handgun. After months of "Research and development", we have added a "Holster Vest" to our line of products that actually conceals a full size handgun with virtually no printing.
I went into a large department store wearing one of our "Hot Weather Vests", our thinnest most light weight vest, with a full size 45 on my right side and a Beretta 92F, also a full size handgun, on my left side and stayed totally concealed even while reaching for my wallet at the check out aisle.
Last Resort
If you ever get to that "Last Resort" situation where you actually have to draw your handgun and pull that trigger, you must ask yourself "What is in the background in case I miss my target?" A full metal jacket or hollow point will easily penetrate several sheet rock walls and kill anyone unfortunate enough to be in the way of a stray bullet. And guess who's just committed manslaughter, a felony.
There is a remedy though. Several manufacturers make frangible bullets that disintegrate upon impact. Glaser Safety Slugs is one. While having enhanced stopping power (they explode with a load of tiny pellets in the nose cone) they will not, according to the manufacturer penetrate numerous walls and hit an innocent bystander.
There is another frangible round called "Extreme Shock", billed as the "World's Premier Antiterrorist and Home Defense Round". The advanced NyTrilium composite fragments upon impact.
Extreme Shock USA says the reduced over-penetration and reduced ricochet characteristics of these rounds are nothing short of revolutionary while retaining astonishing stopping power on organic targets. These rounds are recommended for inside-the-aircraft antiterrorism operations and are legendary within the special operations community. My concealed carry ammo choice is the Air Freedom Round by Extreme Shock.
Extreme Shock ammo comes in a full range of pistol and rifle calibers in both full power and subsonic rounds. The subsonics will properly function the actions of most automatics. See our Accessories pages to order.
If you ever have to defend yourself in court after a justified shoot, the fact you have the foresight to use a safety type round could be in your favor.
Use Enough Gun. There is an old axiom that says, "Use Enough Gun" which means if you should have to shoot a bad guy, doing so with a 22 or worse a 25 cal. handgun, will usually just piss him off (pardon my choice of words).
My usual carry gun is a Colt Lightweight Commander in a Bianchi #5 Blackwidow holster. The lightweight alloy frame is hardly noticeable hanging on my belt. It's 45 cal. cartridge is a real stopper. Statistics say its "one shot stop" is in the 90% range with proper ammunition. This means a bullet to center mass will stop a bad guy with one shot 90%+ of the time.
You do not want to shoot an attacker and still have him get to you. I've heard stories of a 45 cal. shot to the arm knocking a bad guy completely off his feet. If you use a frangible round with enhanced stopping power your chances of coming out of a justified shoot alive are increased. I always carry a magazine of frangible rounds in my magazine pouch. If I'm going into a mall or department store with lots of people around, I load the frangible round magazine in the Colt.
With the threat of terrorism, suicide bombers or worse, here in America, all qualified citizens should be armed and ready to defend themselves and others. That means "Use Enough Gun."
There is a meth epidemic going on across our nation. Up here in the Northwest the news is full of meth lab busts. When people get hooked on this drug they will do anything to support their habit.
Meth addicts are resorting to all types of crime to support their habits. If they are really strung out they can go on a crime spree and you must be ready to defend yourself.
Criminals high on drugs will not feel a shot from a small caliber handgun until after the attack is over. Double tap (two shots) the bad guy to center mass with a 45 cal. and the attack will end immediately.
Crime is increasing dramatically especially rape and violent assault. CNN just reported that more than half of violent crimes go unreported. We urge women to learn the shooting arts and arm themselves. God created men and women but Smith & Wesson made them equal.
I
occasionally carry a Sig Sauer P228 in 9mm. A great gun, but with a slightly
less "one shot stop" percentage rate.
In my estimation, a 380 cal. should be used as a back up weapon, not as a
primary defense gun. I've heard "But James Bond used a Walther PPK in 32
cal. and stopped the bad guy every time." Only in the movies folks.
With all the dangerous wild life in North Central Idaho, I always carry a 357 or 44 mag. when hiking or doing anything outdoors. I've seen cougar, bear, moose, elk and an assortment of smaller critters here on our property. An angry mama bear with cubs will kill you and have you for lunch. "Use Enough Gun" to repel an attack.
Keep your weapons clean and functioning perfectly. A dirty gun will jam according to "Murphy's Law" just at the wrong moment.
Finally, practice, practice and practice some more. If you cannot hit your target, yourself and anyone down range are in jeopardy. Take a course from an expert instructor like champion competition shooter Ted Bonnet down in San Antonio Texas (210) 657-9756. He will show you "State of The Art" gun control (hitting the target every time). Whatever amount he charges will be worth it.
In today's climate with crime and a major unprecedented threat of terrorism on our soil, shooting skill is extremely desirable so you may protect and defend yourself, your family and others.