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utah-firearms-digest     Thursday, March 22 2001     Volume 02 : Number 208




----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2001 11:46:33 -0700
From: charles hardy <[e-mail]>
Subject: Fw: [UTGOA] URGENT GUN BILL UPDATE

I've just called the Senate, and HB 376 S3 IS CURRENTLY BEING DEBATED.
Please call at once and ask your message to be hand delived.

==================================================================
Charles C. Hardy
Utah Email Coordinator--Women Against Gun Control
<[e-mail]>

- --------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sarah Thompson <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2001 17:09:40 -700

URGENT GUN BILL UPDATE!

It turns out that the information give to Utah Gun Owners Alliance
earlier today about Senate leadership "holding" HB 376-S3 (Concealed
Carry Recognition) was incorrect, even though it came from bill
sponsor Glenn Donnelson.  The mixup started when the Senate did not
post a list of new bills to be considered today, which led to the
incorrect conclusion that they were "holding" the bill.

As you can imagine, there are some very hurt feelings on the part of
the Senators who have been working hard to support this bill!

The following people have committed to supporting HB 376-S3 with
friendly amendments.

Senate President Al Mansell
Senate Majority Leader Steve Poulton
Senate Rules Chair Mike Waddoups
Sen. Curt Bramble (who is the Senate sponsor and has been
enthusiastically supporting the bill all along!)

Also:
Sen. Ed Mayne
Sen. Dave Gladwell
Sen. Chris Buttars

There may be others who have not made their support public.

Please make sure you THANK these people for their support for
Concealed Carry Recognition!  If you sent a rude or threatening email,
please APOLOGIZE!

You can reach them by calling 801-538-1035.
You can send email by going to www.utahsenate.org and using the Senate
email system.  Faxes for all except Sen. Mayne can be sent to
538-1414, and to Sen. Mayne at 538-1449.

Full contact information is on the Utah Gun Owners Alliance web site
at www.utgoa.org

Although it was an entirely honest mistake, Utah Gun Owners Alliance
apologizes for disseminating incorrect information.  We appreciate the
support these Senators are showing for HB 376-S3.

We say this over and over, but some of you are still not listening.
DO NOT THREATEN LEGISLATORS!  That includes political threats such as
saying you'll remove them from office.  All you need to say is that
you want the legislator to vote YES (or NO) on a given bill or issue.

Please make sure you THANK the Senator listed above.  If your Senator
is not on this list, please POLITELY ask him/her to support HB 376-S3,
Concealed Carry Recognition.

Thanks!

Sarah Thompson, M.D.
http://www.utgoa.or

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------------------------------

Date: Fri, 2 Mar 2001 14:45:12 -0700
From: charles hardy <[e-mail]>
Subject: On a more personal note

I'm pleased, relieved, and also a bit overwhelmed to announce that at
about 4:20 this Friday morning, my wife Jennifer gave birth to our first
child, a happy baby girl.  Proving that the best laid plans of doctors
and mothers-to-be are no match for mother nature, Jennifer's water broke
and she started labor just four days prior to a scheduled inducement.
Following 10 hours of mostly back labor, Abigail Mae Hardy looks to be
full term, weighed in at 7 lbs, 15 ozs. and is 20 inches long.  Mother
and baby are tired, but doing fine.  Dad is tired and just starting to
come to some realization that now the really hard part begins.  :)


- ----------------
Charles Hardy
<[e-mail]>

- -

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 2 Mar 2001 14:50:19 -0700
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: On a more personal note

Congrats to you, your wife , and the new little one!  The hard part
begins, but so does one of the finest experiences of your lives.

Rob Sawyer





charles hardy <[e-mail]>
Sent by: [e-mail]
03/02/2001 02:45 PM
Please respond to utah-firearms


        To:     [e-mail]
        cc:
        Subject:        On a more personal note


I'm pleased, relieved, and also a bit overwhelmed to announce that at
about 4:20 this Friday morning, my wife Jennifer gave birth to our first
child, a happy baby girl.  Proving that the best laid plans of doctors
and mothers-to-be are no match for mother nature, Jennifer's water broke
and she started labor just four days prior to a scheduled inducement.
Following 10 hours of mostly back labor, Abigail Mae Hardy looks to be
full term, weighed in at 7 lbs, 15 ozs. and is 20 inches long.  Mother
and baby are tired, but doing fine.  Dad is tired and just starting to
come to some realization that now the really hard part begins.  :)


- ----------------
Charles Hardy
<[e-mail]>

- -





- -

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 04 Mar 2001 13:24:26 -0700
From: "David Sagers" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: On a more personal note

Congradulations!!

She will forever change your life, but its a good change, and little kids =
are the greatest.

David Sagers

<<< charles hardy <[e-mail]>  3/ 2  2:54p >>>
I'm pleased, relieved, and also a bit overwhelmed to announce that at
about 4:20 this Friday morning, my wife Jennifer gave birth to our first
child, a happy baby girl.  Proving that the best laid plans of doctors
and mothers-to-be are no match for mother nature, Jennifer's water broke
and she started labor just four days prior to a scheduled inducement.=20
Following 10 hours of mostly back labor, Abigail Mae Hardy looks to be
full term, weighed in at 7 lbs, 15 ozs. and is 20 inches long.  Mother
and baby are tired, but doing fine.  Dad is tired and just starting to
come to some realization that now the really hard part begins.  :)


- ----------------
Charles Hardy
<[e-mail]>

- -



- -

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2001 23:53:14 -0700
From: charles hardy <[e-mail]>
Subject: Fw: [UTGOA] Concealed carry recognition

The latest from UTGOA.

- ----------------
Charles Hardy
<[e-mail]>

- --------- Forwarded message ----------

The following article is from Monday's Salt Lake Tribune.  Utah Gun
Owners
Alliance's response follows:

http://www.sltrib.com/03052001/utah/76840.htm
MEASURE MISFIRES: Gun-Permits Bill is Shot Full of Holes
Monday, March 5, 2001

BY GREG BURTON
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE

     Members of Utah's all-powerful gun lobby -- which took aim this year

at the state's concealed-carry law -- may have fallen victim to
unintended
consequences.
     House Bill 376, sponsored by freshman Republican Rep. Glenn
Donnelson
of North Ogden, is not what it appears to be, says Nannette Rolfe, chief
of
the bureau that administers concealed weapon permitting in Utah.
     Sold by Donnelson and his well-armed friends as an act of
reciprocity
among states, HB376 actually does nothing for Utah permit holders. Zero.
     If signed by Gov. Mike Leavitt, who is studying the bill, HB376
would
allow permit holders from every state that issues them to move freely in
Utah for 60 days with their concealed weapons.
     However, Donnelson's bill severely limits what is now an unlimited
right bestowed on residents from only 16 states. Oops.
     The confusion can be traced to the win-at-all-cost stand of the gun
lobby, which badgered lawmakers to pass the bill. As conceived, the bill
abolished virtually all barriers to permit holders from out of state who
want to pack their guns in Utah.
     Hoping to preserve some sort of standard, lawmakers drafted three
substitute bills before they passed the final version, which includes the

60-day provision.
     In its current form, HB376 would allow all sorts of folks to conceal

their guns while in Utah, including Carey McWilliams, a North Dakota man
with 10 guns who is blind. McWilliams secured a permit in his state when
regulators helped him "get his bearings" before a shooting test.
     Under existing state law, North Dakota permit holders are prohibited

from carrying in Utah because officials in this state say North Dakota's
permitting process is lax. Why will the North Dakota guy be able to carry

after the law is passed?
     Still, Donnelson, an amiable facilities manager for Deseret
Industries, was giddy when his bill finally passed.
     "This is how the process works," he said.
     Or doesn't.
     "We have concerns," Rolfe says.
     For one thing, there is really no way to tell when an out-of-state
permit holder enters Utah, the triggering event for the 60-day countdown.
     It is also impossible to check whether a permit is valid after
working
hours. There is no national database for concealed-carry permits.
     "The officer in the alleyway at midnight isn't going to know whether

the permit is legal or not," Rolfe says.
     Concealed-carry holders from these states currently have unlimited
access to pack on Utah streets: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Kentucky,
Florida, Connecticut, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Nevada, North Carolina,
Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming.
     Those agreements, though, can change overnight, Rolfe says. The
state
Bureau of Criminal Identification faithfully monitors the laws in each
state to ensure that permit holders coming to Utah have met or exceeded
this state's safety requirements, which include fingerprinting and
criminal
history checks. (What does this have to do with unexpected consequences
of
the bill?)
     There is another quirk. Donnelson's bill really has nothing to do
with
two-way recognition or reciprocity. Thirteen states currently endorse gun

permits from Utah. The 37 states that do not are in no way expected to
suddenly change with HB376.
     The states that recognize Utah permits are: Alaska, Arizona,
Arkansas,
Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Oklahoma, South
Carolina, Texas and Wyoming.
     If HB376 becomes law, it will in some ways limit rather than expand
gun rights, Rolfe says.



UTAH GUN OWNERS ALLIANCE'S RESPONSE:

To the Editor, Salt Lake Tribune:

Thank you for your article on Rep. Donnelson's HB 376 - Concealed Carry
Recognition.  While Utah Gun Owners Alliance (UTGOA) supported the
initial
bill (1st and 3rd substitutes before amendments), we opposed Sen.
Spencer's
amendment to limit recognition to 60 days.  The original bill said that
Utah would honor permits issued by any state or county (not country, as
you've been publishing).   Unfortunately, UTGOA was the only gun rights
organization to oppose Spencer's amendment.

Our concerns are similar to those expressed by Ms. Rolfe.

The bill, as written, is unenforceable unless Utah starts issuing
passports
and sets up border checkpoints to monitor how many consecutive days
people
spend in the state.  Unenforceable laws are unfair to both citizens and
the
law enforcement officers who are charged with enforcing them.

Utah currently honors permits from 16 states for an indefinite period of
time.  We will no longer do so if this bill becomes law.  Utah residents
who currently carry concealed firearms legally based on possession of one

of these permits will become "overnight criminals", even though they've
done nothing wrong and may not even know about the new law.

There is also a potential problem because the states that currently honor

Utah permits may change their minds, and decide not to honor our permits
because of the 60 day rule.  Of course it's also possible that states
that
do not currently honor Utah permits will do so, once we start recognizing

theirs.  At this point, it's all conjecture.

BCI currently has up to 60 days to issue a permit from the time it
receives
a completed application.  It can therefore take longer than 60 days to
get
a permit, since the time needed for a class, fingerprints, letters of
reference, photos, etc. is not included in the 60 days.  As a result, a
new
resident may be left defenseless between the time his non-Utah permit
becomes invalid and the time he receives a Utah permit, even though he is

eligible under both states' criteria.

UTGOA does not, however, share your deep distrust of other states'
permitting procedures.  Concealed carry permittees nationwide have been
shown to be far more law-abiding than the average citizen, and have a
stellar reputation for responsible behavior.  Utah honors marriages,
divorces, drivers licenses, and high school diplomas from states whose
requirements differ significantly from ours. Carry permits should be no
different.

Utah Gun Owners Alliance hopes that our concerns, and those of BCI, can
be
resolved quickly, and that HB 376 will facilitate concealed carry
recognition as was originally intended.

We commend Rep. Donnelson for sponsoring this important and necessary
legislation, but are saddened that he chose to accept Sen. Spencer's
unnecessary and confusing amendment.

Sarah Thompson, M.D.
Executive Director, Utah Gun Owners Alliance
PO Box 1185
Sandy, UT 84091


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- -

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 06 Mar 2001 08:03:54 -0700
From: Scott Bergeson <[e-mail]>
Subject: Reciprocity and NRA

In his message "Thanks for the great effort you all put in at the legislature!"
on Mon, 05 Mar 2001 23:37:40 -0700 David A. Hansen <[e-mail]> gave
his thoughts on the last day of the Utah 2001 session and addressed HB 367 S3
- - CONCEALED CARRY RECOGNITION - DONNELSON, which passed. While I post this to
show the apparent true colors of the NRA, the way to deal with it should it
affect you is, if at all possible, to do nothing to register Utah residency
until the day you file the permit application. This requires a definite move
on in meeting the requirements, as until you do you can't be employed as a
Utah resident, register to vote, apply for a driver, professional or resident
hunting license, or possibly even sign up for utilities. Please recall that
unless it has changed its policy, the NRA also opposes Vermont carry.
Excerpted.

Scott

- -=-=-=-=-
On the topic of the CCW reciprocity bill, Terry Spencer pulled another
fast one on us. This time he worked with Brian Judy of the NRA to craft
an unenforceable amendment that would require anyone in Utah to acquire
a Utah CCW permit after being in the state 60 days.

When Judy was told that it took longer than 60 days to get a permit in
Utah, he still did not back down from his position. One has to wonder
just how much the NRA fights for your rights. Terry Spencer was quoted
as saying that this bill has the "holy blessing" of the NRA. Of course,
USSC, which is closely allied with the NRA, also endorsed this 60-day
stipulation. I just hope that when a court finds the 60-day provision
unconstitutional and stikes it down, that it doesn't strike down the
entire law that allows recognition of out-of-state CCW licenses. Please
thank the USSC and NRA for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Elwood Powell's email address is: mailto:[e-mail].

- -

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 07 Mar 2001 09:28:40 -0500
From: "Chad Leigh, Pengar Enterprises, Inc & Shire.Net LLC" <[e-mail]>
Subject: guns and school violence

Dear Mr. Eric Debarbieux:

In an AP news story that appeared today on YAHOO
(http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010306/wl/france_school_violence_2.html)
you were quoted as saying:

"
"It is a problem of the commerce of arms," Debarbieux said. "As long as the
United States hasn't regulated the sale of arms, we will have this type of
thing."
"

You sir, no NOTHING of which you speak.  "Commerce of Arms" in the USA IS
regulated.  Much more than it should be.  Kids cannot buy guns today.  At
18 they can buy rifles and shotguns and at 21 they can buy a handgun. And
adults have a lot of regulataory red tape to go through.  Especially in
California, where this latest event happened.  Regulatory burdens are also
heavy for the gun dealer and other merchants of such items.

And the violence in schools has nothing to do with "availability of arms."
You obviously no nothing about arms in America, the rules and regulations
and heavy burdens placed upon them and their commerce, nor have you done
any research on the availability of arms in the US as related to school
violence.  Firearms were much more prevalent 40 years ago, when any teenage
kid could go buy one, and they were often taken to school if the owner
meant to go hunting or shooting before or after school.  And they never
were used for such horrific crimes back then either.  Guns have become a
lot less accessible than they ever were but the crimes keep on happening.

As you should know, in science, when studying something, if there is a
change in the system, you look for the variable that changed.  In the study
of violence in schools (in the USA), the violence has gone up, but gun
accessibility has gone down, a lot.  So it sure ain't the "gun
availability" that is spuring this on.

It is very disingenuous of you to go around making comments like the above
from the AP which are totally unfounded in any sort of way, since you are
recognized as an expert in this "field" and your comments are believed as
those of an expert.  In reality, your comments have no basis in reality and
seem to be those of a politically motivated "academic" whose head is stuck
in the unreality of the academic world where political purity is more
important than honest, research supported truth.

Shame on you!

Sincerely,
Chad Leigh
Merrimack, NH USA

Pengar Enterprises, Inc. and Shire.Net LLC
Web and Macintosh Consulting -- full service web hosting
Chad Leigh
[e-mail]            [e-mail]


- -

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 07 Mar 2001 10:39:40 -0700
From: Scott Bergeson <[e-mail]>
Subject: McCain Incumbent Protection Bill Threatens Gun Owners

McCain Incumbent Protection Bill Threatens Gun Owners
 -- Bill to keep gun owners in the dark, endanger existence of GOA

Gun Owners of America E-Mail/FAX Alert
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: [phone] / FAX: [phone]
http://www.gunowners.org

(Tuesday, March 6, 2001) -- Irked by nettlesome groups such as GOA
which threaten to expose their anti-gun activities, Arizona Senator
John McCain (R) and Wisconsin Democrat Senator Russ Feingold (D) are
pushing legislation which would eliminate the ability of groups like
GOA to keep gun owners informed on how their legislators are voting.

In the name of reforming campaign finance laws, this Incumbent
Protection legislation would allow the government to seize the
membership lists of groups such as ours -- and potentially outlaw
our organization.  The issue is scheduled to come before the Senate
between March 19th and 26th.

The Incumbent Protection bill, S. 27, would require legislative
advocacy groups -- including Second Amendment organizations such as
GOA -- to report to the government if they spend more than $10,000
preparing for and participating in TV and radio broadcasts which
mention officeholder-candidates within two months of an election.
If they wished, government bureaucrats could define virtually all of
an organization's activities as "preparation" for TV and radio
interviews.

With GOA employees regularly appearing on TV shows such as Fox News,
Crossfire, and other programs to discuss gun-related legislation,
there can be little doubt that S. 27 would apply to this
organization.  If it did, GOA would be required to provide the
government with its donor list.  For the time being, this disclosure
would be limited to contributors of $1,000 or more, but no one
should assume this threshold would not be reduced or eliminated once
the government's foot was in our membership door.

It goes without saying that an activist who sends a check to GOA to
help protect his Second Amendment rights doesn't want his name being
registered with the government as a gun owner.  And for that reason,
GOA will fight this bill "tooth and nail."  And if this bill were to
become law, GOA would not comply.  We would fight it in court, and
exhaust every possible resource, because we are not going to turn
over our members' names to the government.

This underscores why it is SO VERY IMPORTANT that we defeat this
bill in the Congress!  GOA would rather spend its members' dollars
defending 2nd Amendment freedoms, as opposed to spending hundreds of
thousands of dollars fighting 1st Amendment battles in court.

Finally, because the Incumbent Protection bill would define
GOA's battles against anti-gun legislation as "electioneering" if
they occurred during election season, these legislative activities
could affect our tax-exempt status -- and ultimately, our existence.
Urge your Senators to keep their distance from John McCain and Russ
Feingold, and to respect the free speech rights of all Americans.


ACTION:

  1. Please call, fax or email your two Senators and ask them to
  filibuster and vote against the anti-gun McCain-Feingold bill,
  S. 27.  You can call the Senate at 202-224-3121, or toll-free at
  1-877-762-8762.  See the GOA Legislative Action Center at
  http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm for complete Senate contact
  information, and to send pre-written messages.

  2. Forward this alert to as many gun owners as possible and ask
  them to contact their Senators in opposition to S. 27.


- ----- Pre-written message -----

Dear Senator:

The anti-gun McCain-Feingold bill, S. 27, threatens to open the
membership lists of Second Amendment organizations -- and even
threaten their tax-exempt status.  I urge you to oppose any bill
that would limit the ability of outside groups such as Gun Owners of
America to communicate with their members.

I rely on groups like GOA to keep me informed when my rights are
being threatened.  I would consider a law to muzzle such groups as
an attempt to avoid the accountability that an informed electorate
provides.

Please filibuster and vote against this anti-gun and anti-speech
abomination.  Let me know what you intend to do.  Thank you.

Sincerely,

- -

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2001 13:13:39 -0700 (MST)
From: Karl Pearson <[e-mail]>
Subject: Patron Saint of Handgun Owners

Vatican urged to name handgun saint

CNN.com
February 28, 2001
Web posted at: 1:23 PM EST (1823 GMT)

VATICAN CITY, Vatican City -- CNN -- Admirers of a gun-toting saint are
campaigning for him to be made the patron saint of handgun owners.

St. Gabriel Possenti was known as a skilled gunman and is said to have once
used his skills to prevent a woman from being raped.

John Snyder, a former worker for the U.S. National Rifle Association, is
leading the campaign to give the saint the new title.

He said making Possenti the patron of handgun owners would demonstrate that
the Vatican was "courageous enough to stick its neck out for the right of
individuals to defend themselves against evil and tyranny."

Possenti was one of the three people made saints during the early 20th
century papacy of Benedict XV.

Although the Vatican has approved many saints as patrons of various
occupations or groups, its press office said naming a patron for gun
lobbyists was not opportune.

Possenti's reputation as a marksman is based on accounts that he once
frightened away renegade soldiers, who were about to rape a village woman,
by shooting a passing lizard.

To publicise his cause, Snyder, head of the St. Gabriel Possenti Society,
awarded medals, flanked by a handgun and a lizard, to other Possenti
lobbyists at a hotel near St. Peter's Basilica.

Snyder, who said the Vatican had told him he needed to enlist bishops from
around the world for his cause, added he would not be discouraged.

"I intend to keep bringing this to the Vatican's attention till they finally
get the message," Snyder said.

"Things in the Catholic church often take a very, very long time."


((( really.  cnn.  here's the link. )))
http://www.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/italy/02/28/Vatican.Possenti/index.html


- -

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 9 Mar 2001 15:57:08 -0700
From: charles hardy <[e-mail]>
Subject: Fw:  LP RELEASE: Media Bias & Shooting

The following, Libertarian Party Press Release is quite interesting...

==================================================================
Charles C. Hardy
Utah Email Coordinator--Women Against Gun Control
<[e-mail]>

- --------- Forwarded message ----------

High school shooting and car massacre:
Ultimate proof of media's anti-gun bias?

WASHINGTON, DC -- The media's anti-gun bias is showing loud and clear
this
week as the latest high school shooting (two dead in California) is
plastered all over every front page in America -- while last week's
murderous college car rampage (four dead in California) was virtually
ignored, charge Libertarians.

"A disturbed 15-year-old California high school student kills two
classmates
with a gun, and it's front-page news and around-the-clock TV coverage,"
said
George Getz, the Libertarian Party's press secretary. "Last week, a
disturbed 19-year-old California college student kills four classmates
with
a car, and it's a minor blurb in newspapers and a 10-second clip on the
news.

"What's the explanation for this, unless journalists are almost 100%
opposed
to the Second Amendment -- and eager to jump on any opportunity to
demonize
guns and exploit gun-related tragedies, while ignoring other, equally
horrific, crimes?"

On Monday, a 15-year-old boy opened fire on his classmates in Santee,
California, killing two and injuring 13 others at the Santana High
School.

The suspect, Charles Andrew Williams, was described as a "scrawny" kid
who
had been picked on by bullies. Over the previous weekend, he had joked
about
shooting up his school.

The story made the front page of almost every major American newspaper,
was
the lead item on the nightly network news, and is generating
around-the-clock discussion on cable TV networks. The crime also prompted
new demands to restrict or outlaw guns.

Meanwhile, on February 26, a 19-year-old student at the University of
California at Santa Barbara plowed his car -- traveling at 60 miles an
hour
- -- into a crowd of college students in Isla Vista, killing four and
critically injuring one.

The suspect, David Attias, shouted, "I'm the angel of death!" as he was
taken away from the scene. He was described by fellow students as
troubled,
and was known in his dormitory as "Crazy Dave."

That story was relegated to the inside of most newspapers, and generated
scant attention on network or cable news shows. The crime prompted no
demands to restrict or outlaw automobiles.

Why was one a major story in the eyes of journalists -- and the other an
afterthought? The only plausible explanation is media bias, said Getz.

"Journalists are taught to revere the First Amendment, but most appear to
scorn the Second Amendment," he said. "So they use their First Amendment
rights to slant and distort the news to attack the Second Amendment.

"As America rightfully mourns the two dead students in Santee while
unfairly
ignoring the four dead students in Isla Vista, that media bias is on
display
for everyone to see."

Unfortunately, the Santana High School coverage isn't the only example of
the hostility the media has towards gun rights, said Getz.

In January, the Media Research Center released the results of a two-year
study examining how the four major networks covered gun-related news
stories.

The study, "Outgunned: How the Network News Media are Spinning the Gun
Control Debate," analyzed 635 stories on gun policy by ABC, CBS, CNN, and
NBC. It found that stories with an anti-gun perspective outnumbered
pro-gun
stories by 357 to 36 -- a 10-to-l ratio. Another 260 stories were
classified
as neutral.

Such a pattern is troubling -- not just for the Second Amendment, but for
the First Amendment, too, said Getz.

"Libertarians are distressed by the media's anti-gun bias, but we
recognize
journalists' right to broadcast whatever they want," he said. "However,
journalists need to understand that when they attack one basic right,
they
attack all rights; when they give politicians more power in one area,
they
give politicians more power in all areas.

"In the long run, the media's hostility to the Second Amendment -- and
the
exploitation of tragedies like the one at Santana High School -- will
help
undermine the right they hold most dear: The First Amendment. That's a
lesson journalists need to learn before it's too late."

#       #       #

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- -

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2001 12:56:48 -0700
From: charles hardy <[e-mail]>
Subject: [none]

The following story, from today's DesNews
<http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,255012503,00.html?> was also
reported on the TV news last night.  Both store owners said, on camera,
they were convinced that if they had not been armed they would have been
killed.

Sorry to any who missed the report last night since, unlike criminal acts
involving guns like school schootings, lawful self-defense such as this
incident almost never get replayed much.  I didn't time it, but estimate
that coverage of the latest school shooting in CA received twice as much
air time several days after the fact as this local, self-defense use of
guns received on the night it took place.



Pawnshop robbery-gunfight ends without any injury

                  A robbery-turned-gunfight ended peacefully at a Salt
Lake pawnshop Tuesday.
                  According to the Salt Lake Police Department, two men
entered Pickles Pawn Shop, 1514 S. State, at 11:15 a.m. and fired some
            warning shots at customers who were ordered to lie the floor.
                  Two pawnshop owners heard the gunplay, ducked behind a
counter at the store's rear and returned fire. The robbers then
            retreated and fired at least one more round toward prone
customers, police said.
                  The robbers fled into an alley, where they entered a
getaway car occupied by two females. No one was hurt in the incident,
police
            said.
==================================================================
Charles C. Hardy
Utah Email Coordinator--Women Against Gun Control
<[e-mail]>

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------------------------------

Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2001 20:27:45 -0500
From: "Chad Leigh, Pengar Enterprises, Inc & Shire.Net LLC" <[e-mail]>
Subject: another old but good article

My brother posted this in 1995.  (For Utah folks concerns BYU).  Worth
reading

http://www.hoboes.com/pub/Firearms/Essays/No%20Logic%20in%20Gun%20Control


Pengar Enterprises, Inc. and Shire.Net LLC
Web and Macintosh Consulting -- full service web hosting
Chad Leigh
[e-mail]            [e-mail]


- -

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2001 19:21:02 -0700
From: Scott Bergeson <[e-mail]>
Subject: Where it's a crime not to own a gun

Where it's a crime not to own a gun
- ----------
   In Virgin, Utah, where dislike of the federal government runs deep
   and residents regularly defy federal mandates, the town council
   responded to gun control measures with a symbolic ordinance
   requiring guns in every home. (03/14/01)
http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/2001/03/14/fp3s1-csm.shtml

- -

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2001 13:58:08 -0700
From: charles hardy <[e-mail]>
Subject: Paycheck protection signed into law

According to the legislative web page, Gov. Leavitt signed HB 179,
Voluntary Contributions Act, aka "Paycheck Proteciont into law yesterday.
 While this is not a big surprise, it is still good news to gun owners
and other grass roots groups.

I'm sure the NEA and Public Employee Union will file their lawsuit(s)
shortly to challange the law.  Here's hoping it receives a thorough and
vigorous defense and is quickly found to be constitutional and
enforcable.

==================================================================
Charles C. Hardy
Utah Email Coordinator--Women Against Gun Control
<[e-mail]>

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Date: Wed, 21 Mar 2001 11:27:13 -0700
From: "Scott Bergeson" <[e-mail]>
Subject: To survivor, guns are the answer

http://arizonarepublic.com/news/articles/0318texasguns18.html

To survivor, guns are the answer

Hector Tobar
Los Angeles Times
March 18, 2001

AUSTIN - State Rep. Suzanna Hupp doesn't like to advertise the
fact. But if you press her, she won't deny it - yes, she does
carry a loaded gun when she's on the floor of the Texas House
of Representatives. She feels safer.

For similar reasons, she authored a bill - three days before
the recent school shooting in Santee, Calif. - to allow rural
high school principals to carry concealed weapons on the job.

"People who commit these crimes are sick, twisted individuals
who are looking for easy victims," Hupp said Tuesday, which
was Texas' annual Second Amendment Day, marking the
constitutional right to bear arms. Even in Texas, however,
the proposal to arm principals faces an uphill struggle.

But spend 30 minutes in the company of Hupp and you'll
understand why a dozen more outrages like the ones at
Columbine and Santana high schools would not be likely to
produce much support for tougher gun laws in rural America,
where owning a weapon is considered both a proud tradition
and sacred right.

Hupp, 41, is a survivor of the 1991 massacre in Killeen,
Texas, in which 23 people died. She has been elected three
times to the Texas Legislature on what could be called a
"guns and more guns" platform. She is the person perhaps
most responsible for the 1996 law that allows Texans to
carry concealed weapons.

The armed-principal bill is just one of a dozen gun bills she's
authored or co-authored for this year's legislative session.
Together, they would chip away at the remaining restrictions
on carrying a weapon in Texas - it's still illegal to carry a gun
in churches, on university campuses and at public schools.

"I try to obey the law," she said in an interview. "But when it
isn't convenient, or when I feel like I should (have a gun),
then I carry. I never want to be in that position ever again."

"That position" refers to the events of Oct. 16, 1991, the day
that scarred Hupp forever and set her off on a public crusade.

She was having lunch with her parents at the Luby's Cafeteria
in Killeen when a gunman crashed his car through the front
window and began methodically shooting people. Hupp's gun was
locked in her car - it was then illegal for her to carry it.
(At the time, she worked as a chiropractor and feared she
would lose her license if she broke the law.) So she could do
nothing while the gunman killed her mother and father. Hupp
ran out a shattered window, thinking her mother was behind
her, only to find out later that she had died embracing her
husband.

Copyright 2001, The Arizona Republic. All rights reserved
Gannett Co. Inc

- -

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2001 10:54:11 -0700
From: charles hardy <[e-mail]>
Subject: FW: Man Saves Life with Gun

With the leg session over things have really slowed down so I though I'd
pass along some other info.  While I do so, I also want to remind any
SLCo Republican Precinct Chairs and other officers to be sure to attend
the County Central Committee meeting this Saturday.

==================================================================
Charles C. Hardy
Utah Email Coordinator--Women Against Gun Control
<[e-mail]>

- --------- Forwarded message ----------

"If I'd had a trigger lock, I'd be dead," he said. "If my pistol had been
in
a gun safe, I'd be dead. If the bullets were stored separate, I'd be
dead.
They were going to kill me."
- -------------------------------------------

Man faces suspects accused of attacking him after getting ride

Victim had just fixed meal when he was assaulted and stabbed

By Ellen Miller, News Staff Writer

GRAND JUNCTION -- Chuck Harris, his right hand laced with stitches and
his
partially shaved head showing scars, came to court Tuesday to eyeball his
attackers.

It was the first time he had seen them since March 1, the day he was
attacked and stabbed repeatedly by young hitchhikers he had befriended.

Harris, a contractor, had picked up three young hitchhikers on his way
home
from work, taken them home and fixed them a steak dinner. He was
preparing
to offer them work when two of them attacked him, stabbing him repeatedly
in
the back, head and hands with knifes they had taken from Harris' kitchen.

The assault stopped when Harris said he would get them money. Instead, he
grabbed a .44-Magnum pistol he kept in a desk drawer and began shooting.
He
shot one in the torso. The two others tried to flee in Harris' car, so he
shot out two tires.

Police arrested the pair a short distance from Harris' house.

That was more than two weeks ago. Tuesday, Harris was in Mesa County
Court,
watching the legal process unfold.

"I plan to be here, every time," said Harris, 48, who came to court
Tuesday
with his mother and two of his three daughters. "I want them to get the
maximum so they don't do this to anybody else."

Tuesday's proceeding set May 25 for a preliminary hearing for the accused
attackers -- Richard Barbee, 25, and Colleen McLean, 18, both of
Bakersfield, Calif. The third suspect, Harold Scott, is in fair condition
at
St. Mary's Hospital. Charges are pending his release, police say.

Barbee and McLean remain in jail, Barbee on $500,000 bail and McLean on
$60,000 bail. Barbee faces 17 felony charges, including a first-degree
kidnapping charge that could result in life in prison without parole.
McLean
is facing lesser charges.

Harris, whose right hand remains swollen and bruised, said Tuesday that
he
will be off work for at least six weeks because four of his tendons were
severed in the attack.

"Working again is still a question," he said. "But I walked a mile today.
I'm feeling stronger."

Harris said the attack took him by surprise and that he was glad his
pistol
was easily available.

"If I'd had a trigger lock, I'd be dead," he said. "If my pistol had been
in
a gun safe, I'd be dead. If the bullets were stored separate, I'd be
dead.
They were going to kill me."


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End of utah-firearms-digest V2 #208
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