Allegheny County Sportsmen's League Legislative Committee Report
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Allegheny County Sportsmen’s League Legislative Committee Report June 2010 Issue 188 ALLEGHENY COUNTY SPORTSMEN LEAGUE ON THE INTERNET http://www.acslpa.org Contacts : Legislative Committee Chairman , Kim Stolfer (412.221.3346) - [email protected] Legislative Committee Vice-Chairman, Mike Christeson - [email protected] Founding Fathers: "Our own Country's Honor , all call upon us for a vigorous and manly exertion, and if we now shamefully fail, we shall become infamous to the whole world. Let us therefore rely upon the goodness of the Cause, and the aid of the supreme Being, in whose hands Victory is, to animate and encourage us to great and noble Actions - The Eyes of all our Countrymen are now upon us, and we shall have their blessings, and praises, if happily we are the instruments of saving them from the Tyranny mediated against them. Let us therefore animate and encourage each other, and shew the whole world, that a Freeman contending for Liberty on his own ground is superior to any slavish mercenary on earth ." -- George Washington, General Orders, 1776 Self Defense Upheld in House Judiciary Committee so they negotiated through Rep. Curtis Thomas the ability to bring up three anti-gun bills-House Judiciary Committee: bills 1043, 1044, and 1045. Each one of these pieces of House Bill 40 – Castle Doctrine – legislation was debated briefly and was defeated by a three to one margin or greater. PASSES House Judiciary What is perhaps the most troubling are the comments by Rep. Thomas wherein he stated during discussion on the After 5 1/2 long years of lobbying and educating on the anti-gun bills that we can no longer rely on locking up need for updating and upgrading the Pennsylvania use of criminals to solve our crime problems. Apparently then he force laws to protect law-abiding citizens who defend believes that sacrificing freedoms and allowing criminals to themselves with firearms we finally have the beginnings of roam free will somehow make us a more safe society. What victory showing as the Pennsylvania House Judiciary say you? committee, on May 25, voted House Bill 40-Castle All in all this hearing was a great success and now this Doctrine-out of committee by a vote of 22 to 4. legislation moves to the Pennsylvania House Appropriations While the legislation, House Bill 40, was amended in Committee and this is where gunowners need to pressure the committee most of the changes were technical in nature and program members of this committee to bring it up for a vote does not modify the basic intent of giving law-abiding and send it to the floor of the House of Representatives for a citizens the ability to "stand your ground" when confronted full vote of all the members. by an attacker with a weapon that can cause serious bodily On behalf of all of the activist and coalition groups harm or death. throughout the state who worked so hard on this legislation I As is customary at these hearings, some legislators who want to thank you! However we are not at the goal line yet wanted to hold this legislation up continued to want to so please keep up the pressure and if you need any rehash the entire concept even though all of their questions additional information on the members of this committee, received answers in previous hearings. However this time at appropriations, or any other background information please bat we were successful in getting a vote on the legislation let me know! and it did pass as we expected. In Harrisburg drama and theater sometimes take the How Obama Reduced Crime Rates Last Year place of sound reasoned thoughts on issues and at this by John Lott Judiciary Committee hearing the behind-the-scenes President Obama surely didn’t intend it, but he manipulation of public opinion continued in a fashion that deserves some would've made Hollywood proud. It was clear the anti-gun credit for last groups were desperate to avoid any type of public relations coup for the Castle doctrine passing overwhelmingly in the year’s 7.4 percent drop in murder Page 2 rates . His election caused gun sales to soar, and crime Guns, Less Crime shows that every place in the world rates to plummet. that we have crime data for has seen murder rates climb when guns were banned. While gun sales started notably rising in October If Mr. Obama really understood that letting law- 2008, sales really soared immediately after Mr. Obama abiding citizens defend themselves reduces crime, it is won the presidential race. 450,000 more people unlikely that gun sales would have had to increase. bought guns in November 2008 than bought them in Yet, if the Supreme Court strikes down the Chicago November 2007 , that’s over a 40 percent increase in gun ban this month, Americans may get to see yet sales. By comparison, the change from November again that more guns mean less crime. 2006 to November 2007 was only about 35,000. Over http://biggovernment.com/jlott/2010/06/08/how- the last decade, the average year-to-year increase in obama-reduced-crime-rates-last-year/ monthly sales was only 21,000. The increase in sales continued well beyond Reject Newest Attack on Second November 2008. From November 2008 to October Amendment 2009, almost 2.5 million more people bought guns in From John Birch Society email alert. (5/29/10) the 12 months after the election than in the preceding (Read related article ) 12 months. The National Instant Criminal Background The gun control fanatics in Congress are at it again, Check System, or NICS, doesn’t tell us how many capitalizing on the public's media- and government-induced guns each person bought just the number of people fear of terrorism and contrived anecdotes to promote their who bought them. Most likely though, gun sales rose watch list and gun control/gun-grabbing measures for all by more than the number of people who purchased Americans. them. In early May there was a hearing in the Senate At the same time gun sales were soaring, there was Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs an unusually large drop in murder rates. The 7.4 that gave perennial gun-grabber Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D- percent drop in the murder rate was the largest drop in N.J.), Rep. Peter King (R- N.Y.) and a few cronies a murder rates since the 1999. For those who don’t platform for the subject "Terrorists and Guns: The Nature of the Threat and Proposed Reforms." That subject is tied remember, 1999, when President Bill Clinton and into Lautenberg's S. 2820 PROTECT Act of 2009 Columbine occurred, was another time when gun sales (Preserving Records of Terrorist & Criminal Transactions soared. With people such as Elena Kagan serving as Act) and S. 1317 Denying Firearms and Explosives to Mr. Clinton’s deputy domestic policy adviser were Dangerous Terrorists Act, and Rep. Peter King's matching pushing hard for more gun control, Americans were version in the House, H.R. 2159. worried that more gun bans were coming. And in Billed as an "anti-terrorist" measure by the authors, response gun sales soared. the details of S. 1317 and its companion bill H.R. 2159 Just as higher arrest and conviction rates, longer would allow the Attorney General of the United States to prison sentences, or the more frequent use of the death deny the purchase of a firearm to anyone on the "terrorist penalty reduce crime, so does letting victims defend watch list." The AG could accomplish this without due themselves with guns. More certain or greater process of law and without the accused knowing any details penalties make it more risky for criminals to commit of possible suspicion. The responsibility of determining a crime. Victims who can defend themselves can also person's guilt or innocence would be outside the judicial make committing crime more dangerous and deter system and in the hands of the Attorney General (currently Eric Holder, not personally in favor of gun rights), and who criminals. would not have to produce one shred of evidence for his Americans living in the District of Columbia and decision, a huge loss of civil rights for American citizens. Chicago have seen this phenomenon themselves. After S. 2820 would establish a national gun registry . This the ban went into effect in both cities, murder rates bill would require record-keeping of gun transfers for ten rose dramatically. After the Supreme Court threw out years for anyone who is suspected of being a member of a DC’s ban and gunlock laws in 2008, the District’s terrorist organization, and 180 days for all other criminal murder rates plunged by 25 percent in 2009. Indeed, background checks relating to firearms transfers. It also my research in the just released third edition of More repeals "certain provisions that require the destruction Page 3 within 24 hours of identifying information for individuals The advocates' attorney, C. Scott Shields of Shields & who legally purchase or possess firearms." Hoppe in Media, Pa., said Tuesday that the allocatur With the growing labeling of "homegrown terrorists " denials represent a "huge victory" for the NRA and gun extending to concerned citizens who seek a return to owners because the city remains barred from enforcing the constitutional doctrine, the government would have free rein two ordinances "that had the most teeth." in determining individual gun ownership for those who As for the three other ordinances the Commonwealth indeed are not terrorists, all in direct contradiction to a Court upheld last year, Shields said the city has yet to begin protected God-given right.