Daily update August 29

New York: Bar security guard returns gunfire
Buffalo News

"A security guard at the Copacabana Bar, 751 Fillmore Ave., returned fire early Sunday after shots were fired at him, according to Ferry-Fillmore District officers. Bobby D. Lee told police that several shots were fired at him at 3:45 a.m. and that "he saw a weapon pointed at him and flash from the muzzle." He fired three shots from his gun, for which he has a permit, and the man fled east on Broadway." (08/29/05)

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20050829/7056609.asp
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Too tight a line on gun possession
Seattle Times
staff

"The case, Washington v. Gurske, involved a man stopped for an illegal left turn while driving. Police discovered his driver's license had been suspended, arrested him and searched his truck. Behind the driver's seat was a backpack that contained three grams of methamphetamine. He was convicted of felony possession of an illegal drug and sentenced to an extra 18 months because his backpack also contained a pistol and ammunition clip. To fire the gun, he would have had to stop the truck, get out of the driver's seat, flip it forward, unzip the pack, find the gun and clip, and insert the clip. The court ruled unanimously that he was not armed." (08/28/05)


http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2002453659_guned28.html

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Organizing the militia
Sierra Times
William S. Lind

"The militia was the basis of America’s defense through most of our history as a republic. More, there are two contemporary models. One is volunteer fire departments, which small town and rural America depend on and which almost always perform well. The other is community policing, where cops walk the same beat in the same neighborhood for a long time, long enough to understand the neighborhood and prevent crimes instead of just responding to them. Neither volunteer fire departments nor community police serve as control mechanisms for the federal government. They respond to their local communities, not to Washington." (08/29/05)

http://www.sierratimes.com/05/08/29/194_105_124_70_45178.htm

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Israel: Quarter of a million Israelis own firearms
YNet News

"A quarter of a million Israeli citizens possess personal firearms, according to an Interior Ministry survey. The survey said that as of June 2005, 236,879 Israeli citizens had guns. At the same time, the survey pointed to a downwards trend in personal weapon possession. The study also found that a worrying number of guns were held without valid license, 34,000, due to a failure by owners to renew their licenses. .... In order to qualify for a license, an applicant must pass a number of conditions set, including an assessment of their medical and mental health, and whether they live or work in dangerous areas. A decade ago, there were almost no limitations on the ownership of guns." (08/28/05)

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3134459,00.html

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So much for gun control
Edmonton Sun [Canada]
staff

"When we first read the headline in last Thursday's Sun - "Feds taking aim at gun violence" - we thought that there must have been some mistake. Gun violence? What gun violence? We have a very expensive national gun registry that was put into place to ensure that every firearm in Canada can be tracked. We have cumbersome regulations in place that make it more difficult for Canadians to buy guns. We have armies of bureaucrats shuffling paper to and fro to make sure that everything related to guns in this country is all very above-board and law-abiding. So there can't possibly be any gun violence in Canada!
OK, we made our point. There is still lots of gun violence in Canada, and the gun registry hasn't done a single thing to stop it." (08/29/05)

http://www.edmontonsun.com/Comment/Commentary/2005/08/28/1192061.html

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