Learning From History

German Chancellor Calls for Raids on Homes

This headline reads like something out of the 1930's or 1940's. But sadly, it is a modern headline, highlighting the frightening parallels between the early 20th Century and today. The German Chancellor's remarks were in response to a school shooting in Germany earlier this month that left 15 people dead. The headline comes from Peter Neidek's Dissent Blog on PrisonPlanet.com.

Monday, March 16, 2009 - Today, German Chancellor Angela Merkel demanded even tougher gun control measures relating to storage of firearms and ammunition in Germany. With an audacity that defies belief the former East German communist also called for unannounced raids on homes and offices of registered firearm owners. In an interview with the Deutschlandfunk Merkel said: “We must do everything to prevent children’s access to firearms.” As a further consequence of the recent mass shooting in Germany Merkel wants citizens to be more alert and pay particular attention to young people.“

Although Merkel characterized these raids as "unannounced visits by state authorities" I have no doubt that the German media of the 30's would portray a visit from the Geheime Staatspolizei in a similar manner.
German firearms laws are some of the most restrictive in Europe. Before even applying for a firearms permit you have to have a perfect attendance at a gun club for a year. The permit also requires guns stored to be locked up and the access to the guns controlled by the owner. If you actually use your firearm in defense, someone had better be bleeding first. Profusely.
Such home visits are diametrically opposed to the basic principles of a free and Democratically run government. In such governments the citizens are to be left alone unless there is a reason to believe they are involved in some crime. How much harder would it be for Merkel to call for these "visits" to be confiscations?
Also keep in mind that German law does permit "inspections" of the permit holder's storage of his firearms, but refusing such an inspection is grounds to revoke the ownership permit. To be fair, such visits are usually arranged a few days ahead of time, but the law does not require such. Imagine a sleepy-eyed resident answering his door at 3 a.m.
"Guten morgen, Herr Hoffmann." Says the policeman with a smile. "You vill show us your guns now, ja?" Of course, the police can make a swift inspection or they could decide to take their time and check each serial number and inspect each firearm.
Such invasive tactics are precisely why gun owners in America have consistently been against forced registration and government record keeping of firearms owners. In Germany, such a list is literally just a computer-command away. In the United States, such capability is supposed to be difficult. Although, as I pointed out in an earlier blog post, Illinois Senator Bobby Rush has introduced H.R. 45 that would repeal the prohibition on creating a gun owner database.

Have a comment? Email us at: editor@handgunclub.com

New Challenge May Have
Far Reaching Consequences

Civil rights attorney Alan Gura, the attorney who successfully argued the Heller case, has filed a new federal lawsuit against the District of Columbia. The lawsuit seeks relief from D.C.'s onerous and odious handgun registration scheme on behalf of three DC residents. Under the statute adopted by the DC Council last December, D.C. now bans many ordinary and common handguns based upon silly criteria such as the color of the gun.

The district's modified handgun registration scheme specifically uses the California Roster of Handguns Certified for Sale as a scheme to limit the types of guns district residents can own. Using the California scheme, a handgun bought today, which is on the list, may be unavailable to district residents if the manufacturer fails to pay a fee to extend the "certification" beyond it's expiration date.

The California roster requires certification of all handguns sold by "model." California has interpreted that to be the stocking-number (SKU) of the gun. Thus, two otherwise identical guns except for one wearing finger-grooved rosewood grips versus plain walnut are "different" guns and each must be approved separately. Guns with different finishes can be allowed, but only if the manufacturer submits a form attesting that both guns are identical except for the color of the finish.

Which brings us to plaintiff Tracy Ambeau Hanson, who tried to register her Springfield XD-45, only to be told by District bureaucrats that "her gun was the wrong color."

"Americans are not limited to a government list of approved books, or approved religions," Gura said. A handgun protected by the Second Amendment doesn't need to appear on any government-approved list either. "The Springfield XD-45 is approved for sale in Washington," Gura noted, "so long as it is black, green, or brown, but her bi-tone version is supposedly 'unsafe'."

In another ironic twist, Paul St. Lawrence's gun was rejected, even though it is the same model gun owned by Dick Heller for whom the Supreme Court ordered DC to issue a registration certificate less than a year ago. And Gillian St. Lawrence found that her gun was rejected merely because the manufacturer decided not to pay a fee to keep the gun on the California list.

The requirement to register guns is a constitutionally suspect prior restraint of the right to keep and bear arms to begin with, but to add restrictions based on cosmetic features, such as color, smack of arbitrary and capricious laws. The kind that led to the American Revolution.

If the handgun roster scheme is struck down as unconstitutional, it will impact not only Washington D.C.'s 580,000 residents, but the over 33 million Californians who are currently choked by the same law.

Public Impressions

Gun Videos Can Work Against Us.

Among all of the stuff on web sites like You Tube there are a lot of people posting videos of themselves shooting their favorite guns or someone else shooting a gun. The problem is, many of these videos form a negative commentary about guns, gun owners and how people handle guns.

Before you post a firearms-related video on You Tube or some other site, ask yourself what it shows about you or the people in the video. It might seem funny to watch someone's girlfriend fire a .500 Magnum and fall on her backside. But I've see videos where the shooter gets hurt because they weren't told about the recoil or they were being stupid. Worse yet, some videos show people drinking while shooting or doing things that will leave debris littering the landscape. If in doubt, just don't post the video.

Some Excellent Videos
It's time for some fun & education too. There are also some excellent training videos out there if you look. Some are better than others and some are more detailed that others. For those people still looking to buy their first handgun, Gun Talk Radio's Tom Gresham has some advice on buying your first handgun.

We have had a few people with revolvers ask some basic questions about using speedloaders. One video you can watch that shows the basic use of the speedloader is from Talon Training Group. As a basic primer on using speedloaders it's a good start.

There are several video segments produced by the Thunder Ranch training center featuring shooting expert Clint Smith.

For those new to handling guns (and for some folks in need of a refresher) watch Clint's description of the three places for a handgun when carrying or using a handgun. It's just under 2-1/2 minutes.



Clint's demonstration of the TAP-RACK-BANG drill is a six minute video clip that will introduce some folks to the concept and clarify it for others. If you've ever encountered a "jam" with your pistol at the range, Clint shows how you should handle the situation during combat. He's clear and concise and I think you'll enjoy the video.

Ladies & GunsMore and more women are enjoying shooting sports and defensive pistolcraft. You don't need to be a powerlifter or a size 12 to shoot, as shown by this young woman from somewhere in Asia (I think). Looking at the groups she fired, I wouldn't want her mad at me.

And while not strictly handgun related, even some very senior citizens can have a bit of fun shooting. This "little old lady" was having a blast with a German MP-40 SMG! I love her comment at the end! Go Grandma!




Do you want to comment? editor@handgunclub.com

Obama & The Second Amendment

President Obama Breaks Gun Promise
in Record Time

I'm sure all of you remember Presidential candidate Obama's repeated promises "I'm not going to take anybody's guns away" and that he "supports the Second Amendment". It took just 37 days, for Obama's administration to jump-start the bandwagon in support of yet another "assault weapons" ban. The difference is that this time some handguns are likely to fall under the ban. Certainly FN's Five-Seven (5.7x28mm) pistol, even though the ammunition that anti-gun crusaders claim are "cop-killer" bullets is not sold in the U.S.

Gun owners will remember that Attorney General Eric Holder was the number two man in charge of the Department of Justice under Janet Reno during the Clinton Administration. The number two man when we saw the FBI attack the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas; during Ruby Ridge; and when machine gun toting federal agents seized little Elian Gonzales at gunpoint to send him back to Cuba.

At the end of February, Holder said "As President Obama indicated during the campaign, there are just a few gun-related changes that we would like to make, and among them would be to reinstitute the ban on the sale of assault weapons."

The reason for the ban has changed - from protecting U.S. citizens to (my apologies to Dave Barry, but I am not making this up) protecting government officials in Mexico! In other words, the push for the ban - a ban that at least two studies said did not impact crime at all - is to protect Mexican officials from the drug cartels.

H.R. 45 - Illinois Style Gun Control
Across The Nation

Two weeks before the inauguration, Congressman Bobby Rush (D-Ill) introduced House Resolution 45. This is the bill your dad used to warn you about.

The most outrageous part of this bill is that this bill removes the law preventing the government from keeping a database of gun-owners!

That's right. It would allow the government to create a tracking system of who owns guns, how many and what kind. It would repeal Section 926(a) of Title 18, United States Code called the Prohibition on Establishment of System of Registration. More over, it opens up gun-owners for massive amounts of abuse and felony charges for mere paperwork problems.

Also known by the brief and catchy title of Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009 this bill proposes licensing all firearms owners and treating them like sex-offenders, much the way Illinois does. Included in this draconian legislation are provisions requiring;

• Obtaining a license to possess a handgun before purchasing one.
• A passport photo and thumbprint.
• Notification to the government any time you move.
• Sign a release for all your mental health records.
• Sign another release that you are not a "prohibited person".
• Sign an agreement to lock up your guns and keep them out of the hands of anyone under 18. (Note: No exclusion for training or hunting with your own kids).
• Take a written exam on local, state and federal gun laws.
• An exam on safe storage & handling of your handgun.
• Pay a $25 fee for the privilege of doing all of the above.

In return, you get a five year license to possess your own guns. The bill also makes it a felony to obtain a gun without a valid license and dealers will still have to call to confirm your license is valid.

More Silliness

And if all of this isn't enough, just wait until you hear this. Kansas state senator Oletha Faust-Goudeau (D-Wichita), introduced Senate Bill 106 which would make it illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to possess a cigarette lighter or "open flame device". Say what? The theory is that since those under 18 can't legally buy cigarettes and some youths commit arson, well we just have to protect them from themselves.

Never mind that many parents equip their children with a "survival kit" when camping or fishing in the outdoors. And those survival kits will contain matches AND a cigarette lighter for starting fires. And what of 16 or 17 year olds at the campsite waiting for parents to return? Are they not allowed matches or lighters to fire up the lanterns and the Coleman stove?

Herein lies the heart of the problem with one of our political parties. They believe that people are too inept to figure out what they should and should not possess. They need the guidance of this one political party to tell them what things are too dangerous for them to have. Whether it's lighters or guns.

Want to comment? editor@handgunclub.com