Category Archives: Second Amendment

The political arm of the National Rifle Association has endorsed U.S. Rep. Bill Owens, D-Plattsburgh, for re-election, based on his voting record and advocacy on Second Amendment issues.

Bill Owens has a proven record of defending the Second Amendment, said Chris W. Cox, chairman of the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund, in a press release.

Republican challenger Matt Doheny also received a high rating from the group, but did not receive the endorsement.

Owens received an A-plus rating, the highest possible, as well as the endorsement of the NRA, the nations largest gun rights organization.

The A-plus rating goes to legislators with an excellent voting record who also make a vigorous effort to promote and defend the Second Amendment, according to the NRA website.

Doheny, an investment fund manager from Watertown, received an AQ rating, based on his answers to a questionnaire.

Owens, Doheny and Green Party candidate Donald Hassig are running in the new 21st Congressional District, which includes Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties.

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NRA endorses U.S. Rep. Owens for re-election

(Jay LaPrete/AP Photo)

COLUMBUS, Ohio Paul Ryan warned a group of hunters and fishermen this evening that he shudder(s) to think what President Obama would do if he never has to face the voters ever again.

You see the federal government already infringing upon the First Amendment right to religious liberty, Ryan said, referring to the federal mandate that all employers include insurance coverage for birth control.

I see the president put these kind of regulations out there in a tough election year that could cost him votes, I wonder, I shudder as a gun owner, seeing his record when he was in the Illinois State Senate, what would he do if he never has to face the voters ever again? Ryan said. These are the kinds of questions we think about.

The next president will appoint a lot of different judges and these are lifetime appointments, he said. If you want to make sure that judges respect our Second Amendment rights, you need a president who respects those rights as well.

Speaking at the U.S. Sportsmens Alliances Annual Save Our Heritage banquet, the GOP vice presidential nominee stressed that his ticket would respect the Second Amendment.

Ryan is an avid hunter and an accomplished bow hunter and this states season for bow hunting kicked off today. He was welcomed into the group of fellow sportsmen with a gift of a 20 gauge shot gun.

Ryan grabbed the gun and held it, but then gave it back citing congressional ethics rules. He donated it to the silent auction, which already had a hunting hog decoy, South African safari, and Alaska fishing trip up for grabs.

He told the group to remember one thing: we are all taxpayers.

That means we as taxpayers own our public land, Ryan said. Hunters are the original conservationists. Bureaucrats more and more these days think that public lands have to be protected from hunters. I myself see it another way; I think hunters need to be protected by the bureaucrats.

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Ryan Tells Hunters Second Obama Term Makes Him 'Shudder'

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Paul Ryan warned a group of hunters and fishermen this evening that he "shudder(s)" to think what President Obama would do "if he never has to face the voters ever again."

"You see the federal government already infringing upon the First Amendment right to religious liberty," Ryan said, referring to the federal mandate that all employers include insurance coverage for birth control.

"I see the president put these kind of regulations out there in a tough election year that could cost him votes, I wonder, I shudder as a gun owner, seeing his record when he was in the Illinois State Senate, what would he do if he never has to face the voters ever again?" Ryan said. "These are the kinds of questions we think about.

"The next president will appoint a lot of different judges and these are lifetime appointments," he said. "If you want to make sure that judges respect our Second Amendment rights, you need a president who respects those rights as well."

Speaking at the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance's Annual "Save Our Heritage" banquet, the GOP vice presidential nominee stressed that his ticket would "respect the Second Amendment."

Ryan is an avid hunter and an accomplished bow hunter and this state's season for bow hunting kicked off today. He was welcomed into the group of fellow sportsmen with a gift of a 20 gauge shot gun.

Ryan grabbed the gun and held it, but then gave it back citing congressional ethics rules. He donated it to the silent auction, which already had a hunting hog decoy, South African safari, and Alaska fishing trip up for grabs.

He told the group to "remember one thing: we are all taxpayers."

"That means we as taxpayers own our public land," Ryan said. "Hunters are the original conservationists. Bureaucrats more and more these days think that public lands have to be protected from hunters. I myself see it another way; I think hunters need to be protected by the bureaucrats."

The House Budget chairman was clearly comfortable talking to the group, mentioning that he takes his family hunting and telling the crowd that his 10-year-old daughter, Liza - for whom he bought a hunting outfit last week - would begin hunting this year.

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Paul Ryan Tells Hunters Thought of Second Obama Term Makes Him 'Shudder'

COLUMBUS, Ohio Vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan courted the votes of hunters on Saturday in a speech to a sportsmens group, suggesting that President Obama would seek to strip gun owners of their rights by appointing judges hostile to a broad interpretation of the Second Amendment.

I shudder as a gun owner ... what would he do if he never has to face the voters ever again? Ryan asked aloud during a speech to the National U.S. Sportsmens Alliances 16th Annual Save Our Heritage Banquet here.

The next president is going to pick a lot of judges. The next president will appoint a lot of different judges and these are lifetime appointments. If you want to make sure that judges respect our Second Amendment rights, you need a president who respects those rights as well, he said.

Ryan likened gun ownership to religious liberty, suggesting that the federal government had intruded on peoples First Amendment rights as well. He also stressed the importance of appointing people to government agencies who will respect the rights of hunting and fishing, and said that the widely criticized Fast and Furious gunwalking operation would never occur under a Romney-Ryan administration.

He also responded to claims by Vice President Joe Biden on Friday that he and Romney could raise taxes on seniors receiving Social Security. The Obama campaign has sought to argue that because various analyses of Romneys tax-cut plan suggest the tax burden would shift from wealthy to middle-class families, it is reasonable to assume that the shifted tax burden would fall on Social Security benefits.

But Romney has never said that he would raise taxes on Social Security benefits, and he has promised that he will not reduce Social Security benefits for current retirees. The Obama campaign has been making a similar argument using the Romney campaigns Medicare plan.

Ryan said his and Romneys plan makes no changes for those in or near retirement and that Biden himself had voted to raise taxes on seniors benefits by supporting President Clintons 1993 budget tax increases that Obama voted to keep in place three times, he noted.

Shame on the politician who wants to use this issue to try and scare seniors when those of us who are out there [are] trying to fix this problem for my generation and my kids generation and your kids, Ryan said.

Responding to Ryan's comments, Obama campaign spokesman Danny Kanner noted that Republican Gov. John Kasich said in introducing the House Budget Committee chairman that Ohio has added 123,000 jobs since 2011 "and is moving forward. But rather than building on the progress we'vemade under President Obama, Mitt Romney and Congressman Ryan would take us back."

Ryans appearance before the group Saturday evening underscores his role in the campaign as an ambassador to the middle class who better understands some traditions, such as hunting, with which Romney has less experience. Ryan is a former chairman of the Congressional Sportsmens Caucus for four years, and lauds the values he and his wife Janna have taught their children during hunting trips.

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Ryan: Gun Owners Should Fear an Obama Re-Election

While the National Rifle Association may be perceived as the biggest protector of Second Amendment rights and the biggest nemesis of gun control, the president of the organization says those roles actually belong to the American people.

Speaking at the Montana Firearms Institute Conference at the Lodge on Whitefish Lake, David Keene said the NRA has a strong membership roster of 4 million, but there are at least 30 million who strongly support the association and what it does.

Its those 30 million people who make it possible for us to accomplish what we do on their behalf, said Keene, who also is chairman emeritus of the American Conservative Union and has served on the NRA board since 2000.

Keene recalled that in the early 1960s, gun control wasnt an issue and the Second Amendment was plainly understood and supported by both political parties. The NRA wasnt even involved in politics.

But then came the Gun Control Act of 1968. At that point things begin to change and change very quickly, he said.

Republican and Democratic lawmakers were on board with some gun control measures that came forward in the years after, and leaders in the well-established NRA recognized they had to engage in politics.

Even those who believed strongly in the Second Amendment thought were looking at a pretty bleak future at that time, Keene said.

But the firearms world was highly fragmented, with little unity among hunters, collectors, manufacturers, dealers and other gun groups.

We all started to work together, he said. Now everybody knows they are in the same boat.

Keene said the tide was reversed with most Americans grasping the importance of their Second Amendment rights.

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In Whitefish, NRA leader touts power of people

Mark OMara, the attorney representing George Zimmerman against charges he murdered Trayvon Martin after a confrontation in a Sanford gated community earlier this year, is one of the panelists at the 27th annual Gun Rights Policy Conference this weekend at the Hyatt Regency Airport Hotel in Orlando.

The conference, sponsored by the Second Amendment Foundation and Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms is billed as an opportunity for firearms owners to meet and discuss important issues pending at the local and national levels. Its free and open to the public. You can register at http://www.saf.org.

The groups press release is below the jump:

More than 500 gun rights activists from across the country will gather with the nations leading Second Amendment advocates this weekend at the Hyatt Regency Airport Hotel in Orlando, FL for the 27th annual Gun Rights Policy Conference.

The 27th Annual Gun Rights Policy Conference attracts leaders from across the country, including Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms; Joseph Tartaro, president of the Second Amendment Foundation; Maria Heil of the National Rifle Association and many others.

Also scheduled: Attorney Alan Gura, winner of the landmark Supreme Court Second Amendment Heller and McDonald cases; Criminal Defense Attorney Mark OMara; Columnist and Fox News contributor John Fund; John Lott, author of More Guns, Less Crime, and Emily Miller, senior editor of The Washington Times.

In addition, Texas Congressman Joe Barton, Otis McDonald who was the lead plaintiff in the landmark Supreme Court gun rights legal victory and U.S. Ambassador Donald Mahley who was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Arms Control and worked tirelessly on the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty will speak at the Awards Luncheon.

Hosted by the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA), this annual conference provides an opportunity for firearms owners to meet and discuss important issues pending at the local and national levels.

Additional speakers will include Larry Pratt, executive director, Gun Owners of America; Jeff Knox, communications director, Firearms Coalition, Senator Sam Slom, Minority Leader Hawaii Senate; Don Moran, president, Illinois State Rifle Association; Richard Nascak and Sean Caranna co-executive directors , Florida Carry; Patrick Slomo, president Maryland Shall Issue; Tony Montanarella, president California Rifle and Pistol Association; Maj. General Allen Youngman, executive director, Defense Small Arms Advisory Council; Bobbie Ross, American Bar Association; David Kopel, research director, Independence Institute, and many others.

Receptions co-hosted by SAF, CCRKBA and the National Shooting Sports Foundation are scheduled Friday and Saturday evenings, 7-9 p.m. Conference panels begin at 8:00 Saturday morning, and at 9 a.m. Sunday, with adjournment at 1 p.m.

Link:
Zimmerman attorney to speak at Gun Rights Conference

GRAND RAPIDS, MI Social Security isn't broken and it doesn't need fixing. At least not now, says letter writer Jake Terpstra.

"There is $2.5 trillion in the Social Security Trust Fund, and according to the Congressional Budget Office, the fund will continue to grow until 2017," Terpstra writes.

Also on letter writers' minds:

The importance of restaurant inspections.

Democrats, Republicans and presidential politics.

And interpreting the Second Amendment.

MORE OPINION: Click this link for more Grand Rapids-area opinion pieces.

Email letters of 250-words or less to grletters@mlive.com. Please include a name, address, hometown and phone number. (The address and phone number are for verification purposes only.)

Don't fall for misleading statements about Social SecuritySocial Security is fixable said an article in the Aug. 21 issue of The Grand Rapids Press. It claims that long-term problems of Social Security can be fixed, and it can be preserved, with relatively small adjustments.

This is misleading information. It implies that Social Security needs fixing now, which it does not. There is $2.5 trillion in the Social Security Trust Fund, and according to the Congressional Budget Office, the fund will continue to grow until 2017. Then it will begin to diminish, and in 2037 the fund may be depleted. At that time, adjustments will have to be made. Even then without adjustments, payments could be continued at 80 percent of the current rate.

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Nothing dire about Social Security, letter writer says

Kansas has joined 13 other states in supporting the U.S. Constitutions Second Amendment by agreeing that people dont need to show why they want a permit to carry a concealed firearm.

Attorney General Derek Schmidt said Thursday he has added Kansas to a friend-of-the-court brief filed in the 4th U.S. Circuit of Appeals in Richmond, Va. The appellate court is reviewing a decision by a Maryland district court that struck down a Maryland requirement that a person must show a reason for needing a concealed permit before one is issued.

Citizens who qualify to have a concealed carry permit should not be required to clear the further hurdle of showing the government why they need to have a firearm, Schmidt said. The Second Amendment protects the individuals right to keep and bear arms and does not allow the government to demand to know the reason why.

Kansas is one of 39 states with a concealed-carry law on the books that doesnt require a person to give a reason for needing the license, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Maryland is among 10 states with a concealed-carry law that has further restrictions, such as requiring a reason for the permit. In Maryland, the law requires a person to have good and substantial reason to wear, carry, or transport a handgun.

The Maryland State Police unit that handles the permit requests has said that such a reason must reflect more than `personal anxiety and (show) a level of threat beyond that faced by the average citizen, according to court filings.

Illinois is the only state that bans a private citizen from carrying a concealed firearm. The District of Columbia also has the prohibition.

Kansas became one of the last states to adopt a concealed-carry law when it was passed by the Legislature in 2006; it took effect in 2007. As of Aug. 15, there were 45,953 concealed-carry permits issued in Kansas, including 9,869 in Sedgwick County.

The other 13 states signing on with the brief are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia and West Virginia.

Reach Rick Plumlee at 316-268-6660 or at rplumlee@wichitaeagle.com.

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Kansas supports suit opposing concealed-carry permit restrictions

The Fremont County Planning Commission on Tuesday approved a second amendment to the county subdivision regulations, this one covering the sketch plan and exemptions section of the regulations.

"The biggest part of this amendment is taking the language we use in zoning and converting it here so we have consistency," Planning and Zoning Director Bill Giordono said.

A sketch plan is an optional, non-binding concept phase of a project in most circumstances and the department does not see them often, Giordono said.

"Some developers will do it so the public around them will get a feel for (the project)," said planning coordinator Marshall Butler.

Planning Commissioner Steve Smith expressed a concern about a provision limiting resubmittal of an application for two years after a denial.

"It seems like it would be better to have it come back fresh rather than wait two years," he said "It seems we're trying to block progress."

Giordono explained the limit is only on those applications that do not include significant changes addressing the reasons for denial. If any of those reasons are addressed, he said, the application can be resubmitted at any time.

In August, the planning commission approved a similar amendment to the definitions section of the regulations, and in October, they will consider an amendment to the preliminary application section of the regulations.

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Fremont County Planning Commission OKs second change to subdivision regulations

The Second Amendment protects the right of all citizens to keep and bear arms but like any other legal right it has its limits.

Those limits have been clarified several times by the U.S. Supreme Court, most recently in 2008. But the development of new and more sophisticated weaponry opens up the possibility for renewed investigation.

Justice Antonin Scalia, whose decisions generally favor gun rights, recently told Fox News that Second Amendment rights are certainly limited although he didn't elaborate how. To speculate on what he might have meant, it's helpful to understand what limits already exist.

The most recent decision on Second Amendment rights, U.S. v. Heller, prohibited any kind of complete ban on a category of guns.

At issue was a D.C. law banning ownership of any handguns. That law was struck down and the decision effectively barred states from implementing similar laws.

No state can take it away your Second Amendment rights. But they can place limits on it.

The way most states regulate guns is through licensing requirements and bans on certain guns within a given class. Those kinds of limits have generally been upheld by courts and Heller doesn't stop them.

That means state assault weapon bans and restrictive license and permitting laws are generally acceptable limits on Second Amendment rights.

One of the more famous examples of highly restrictive gun laws is federal regulation of fully automatic weapons or machine guns.

Machines guns aren't banned in the U.S.; Heller likely wouldn't allow it. But they are subject to intense regulation. Under the National Firearms Act, prospective owners must apply to the U.S. Treasury Department for special permission to own machine guns.

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Second Amendment Limits to Gun Ownership