Daily Archives: May 14, 2020

To the editor.

Over the weekend, a dozen people with weapons, flags, and even a large pipe wrench marched through downtown Raleigh. Thank goodness no one was injured or killed.

North Carolinians Against Gun Violence condemns these senseless actions. The only reason that armed people would walk around our states capital is to intimidate innocent bystanders and send a message that somehow a stay-home order infringes on Second Amendment rights. This is false: firearm stores have remained open under the governors stay-home order.

On May 1, another group of armed men mocked a North Carolina law prohibiting weapons at rallies, stating that that the law, which two officers tried to hand them in writing, to explain why the group could not carry at protests, was worthless paper. NCGV stands with North Carolinas law-abiding firearm owners, and joins voices from around the state in condemning these lawless protests. North Carolina is one of only six states that does not allow firearms at rallies. We agree with Supreme Court Justice Scalias majority opinion in the District of Columbia v Heller (2008) that said that the Second Amendment was not unlimited and that a range of firearm regulations are fully consistent with the Second Amendment. It is common sense not to have weapons at rallies.

People open carrying firearms at rallies and Subway shops are there to intimidate others plain and simple. We will not stand for this in our communities.

NCGV board member, Gerald D. Givens Jr., president of Raleigh-Apex NAACP said, Weapons and firearms will not protect us from COVID-19. Staying at home, social distancing and wearing masks prevent us from passing around the virus. Instead of seeking to intimidate each other we should be encouraging one another to protect our families, neighbors and those on the front lines everyday from COVID-19.

Becky Ceartas,

executive director of North Carolinians Against Gun Violence

The NCGV is a nonprofit organization that has been working for more than 25 years to reduce the number of incidents of gun-related deaths in our state each year. For more information on NCGV visit http://www.ncgv.org.

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Read the original:
Second Amendment does not give people right to carry guns at rallies - The Robesonian

BRIDGEPORT, CT A Second Amendment group filed a federal lawsuit against the state of Connecticut Saturday, claiming Gov. Ned Lamont and several municipal police chiefs have violated their rights by slowing down the gun permitting process due to COVID-19.

The Connecticut Citizens Defense League is seeking an injunction to force the state to accept and process their firearms applications. The group contends Lamonts March 17 executive order that allows police to limit hours for fingerprinting goes beyond his authority.

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The lawsuit, filed by state Reps. Craig Fishbein and Doug Dubitsky on behalf of CCDL and six named plaintiffs, argues that the executive order has caused law enforcement to refuse to collect fingerprints for firearm permits and has essentially shut down the issuance of all firearm permits.

One of the plaintiffs, Joseph Coll, is a school teacher and already had fingerprints on file with the Vernon Police Department, but was still denied the ability to apply for a permit, according to the complaint.

On March 16, 2020, Plaintiff Coll appeared at the Vernon Police Department to submit his application for a State-issued pistol permit, at which time Plaintiff Coll was informed that the Vernon Police Department had suspended the taking of fingerprints for pistol permits. In violation of CGS 29-17a, the Vernon Police Department refused to take Plaintiff Colls fingerprints, and refused to accept Plaintiff Colls application for a pistol permit, the complaint states.

Then on March 17, Lamont issued the executive order permitting the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection and municipal police departments to eliminate or limit fingerprint hours for firearms certificates and permits, but maintained that fingerprinting for long term care providers would continue to take place at DESPP headquarters. Additionally, that DESPP headquarters would remain open to the general public for other purposes.

The CCDL wrote Lamont on April 10 seeking reinstatement of the fingerprinting and application process, and offered alternatives to the process. The governor never responded, according to the CCDL.

While the CCDL understands these are times of unprecedented challenges, many Connecticut residents are being denied their constitutional rights just when they feel the exercise of those rights is most needed, CCDL President Holly Sullivan said. We respect the governors goal of mitigating the COVID-19 virus. However, stripping citizens of their rights does not further that laudable goal. It is in these extraordinary times that the governor must most staunchly defend the rights of Connecticuts people. If the governor wont, the CCDL will.

Attorney General William Tong said Lamont has broad authority in a public health emergency and is confident the state will be able to defend its action in court.

Our state constitution and state laws grant the governor broad authority to protect Connecticut residents and families in a public health emergency, and his executive orders have been very clearly constitutional and fully legally justified, Tong said. This case has no merit and we will defend the state vigorously.

View post:
Second Amendment Group Says Decision To Stop Fingerprinting Is Infringing Their Rights - CT News Junkie

THURSDAY PUZZLE Crossword puzzles count as games in my book, as I often tell people who claim to be intimidated by the New York Times Crossword, and games are supposed to be fun. Solving a crossword with the same trepidation one might feel when sitting down to take an exam kind of misses the point.

The only thing more fun than a game is a game within a game. And thats what the constructor Michael Schlossberg who made his New York Times Crossword debut in February has in store for us.

26A. Clever wordplay. Assembly line? in this puzzle doesnt refer to a crew building something. It is a line (or verbalization) that you might hear in a political assembly, and the answer is NAY.

32A. A Cellular plan? is not, in this puzzle at least, what you owe to Verizon or Sprint, but the considerably less expensive DNA. Some of our DNA is inside the mitochondria, which, as we all know from high school biology, is the powerhouse of the cell.

34A. The warm weather is coming, so dont forget that the Second Amendment promises you the right to bare ARMS. I, myself, am a big fan of tank tops.

12D. The playwright PAULA Vogel is probably best known for her Pulitzer Prize-winning play How I Learned to Drive.

18D/29D/31D. There is considerable YORE and YON in this puzzle, which happened ERE the morrow.

39D. Leaves before paying the check? is brilliant. It sounds like someone dined and dashed, but thats not where this clue is going. This clue is asking you what kind of leaves you might encounter before you pay your bill in a restaurant. Pour yourself a nice cuppa TEA and ponder that one.

50D. Whether you are trying to score a goal or not, everyone can use an ASSIST sometimes.

64D. The answer to Orders is HAS because if you order something in a restaurant say some leaves (see 39D) you are having it.

There are a lot of bingos in this puzzles clues, and for good reason: The grid is supposed to represent a bingo card.

Pretty crafty the way Mr. Schlossberg just sneaked that FREE square rebus into the center there, with no other rebuses (rebi?) around, isnt it? If you are solving in the app or online, here is how to enter more than one letter into a square so that you, too, can take advantage of that FREE space. If you are not sure where it is, it is at the crossing of GLUTEN [FREE] CEREAL (37A) and CRY [FREE]DOM (25D).

The theme clues hint at four ways that the word bingo can be defined. For example, a Bingo, in Scrabble is a FIFTY POINT BONUS. The song B-I-N-G-O! is a NURSERY RHYME.

We are very excited to welcome the actress Zoe Kazan (HBOs The Plot Against America) to Crosswords Live on Thursday, May 14 at 1 p.m.

Tune in on either our Twitter account (@NYTimesWordplay) or our YouTube channel (@WordplayNYT), click the grid to enter the conversation and help us solve this tricky puzzle.

In case you missed it, heres Ms. Kazan, blowing this puzzle out of the water.

I got the idea for this puzzle after a game of Monopoly with my children. I thought I could shorten the phrase GET OUT OF JAIL FREE to 15 letters or less with some type of FREE-themed rebus puzzle. When the phrase FREE SPACE came up, the puzzle mutated into a Bingo theme. I submitted my original manuscript in October 2018, and two trips through the mail and several more revisions later, the puzzle was accepted in September.

My Scrabble clue made the final cut, but the other three themed clues were toughened up (originally Bingo, in a preschool; Bingo, on a card; and Bingo!, on trivia night). Im glad that my clues for 26- and 32-Across and 39-Down made it. I had hoped that my original clue for ROSS, TV painter with the line, We dont make mistakes, just happy little accidents, would get in, but ALAS.

Almost finished solving but need a bit more help? Weve got you covered.

Warning: There be spoilers ahead, but subscribers can take a peek at the answer key.

Trying to get back to the puzzle page? Right here.

Your thoughts?

Originally posted here:
Leaves Before Paying the Check - The New York Times