Category Archives: Second Amendment

As the senior strategist and head writer of Transportation Alternatives, Jessie Singer helped move the phrase Crash, not accident from the activist world to the mainstream a crucial effort to make people see that all crashes can be prevented. In her deeply reported new book, There Are No Accidents: The Deadly Rise of Injury and Disaster Who Profits and Who Pays the Price (Simon & Schuster, Feb. 15, 2022), Singer surveys accidents arising from industries as diverse as energy, poultry, automobiles and pharmaceuticals to argue that the disasters weve come to accept as inevitable are, in fact, preventable and that they stem from a rapacious capitalism that has distorted our politics because it values profits over peoples lives. The following excerpt is from the climactic conclusion of Singers important book.

Around 170,000 people will die by accident next year. I can tell you thisbecause around 170,000 people died by accident last year, and not muchis going to change.

These numbers are a predictable minimum, but going forward, without action, we can expect that number to rise because 170,000 does not account for the accidental deaths to come as our planet becomes morefragile, our regulatory agencies less effective, and our built environmentmore automated. As the gig economy expands, fewer people will beprotected from the danger of their jobs, and more people will die inwork accidents. As the delivery economy expands, more Americansworkplaces will be the open road, and more people will die in trafficaccidents. As the corporate anti-regulatory agenda advances, the regulations that make accidents expensive for corporations will be rolledback, one by one, and accidents, from oil spills to post-hospital slip and-falls, will rise.

As global warming escalates, accidents will rise in surprising ways.

We will accidentally freeze to death in unheated homes in places thatnever used to have snow such as the 210 who died, most of hypothermia, when a snowstorm struck Texas in 2021. We will accidentally overheat in our apartments when the power goes out, which has beenhappening at an increasing rate as the world gets warmer the numberof power failures has risen 60 percent since 2015, and already, an estimated 12,000 a year die premature, heat-related deaths.

We will accidentally drown when the remnants of larger-than-ever storms strike ashard as the storms themselves such as the 43 who died in andaround New York City in 2021, many killed in flooded basement apartments when the lingering aftermath of a hurricane that made landfall as far away as Louisiana broke rainfall records all the way over on the East Coast. And climate emergencies will drive us to desperate migration, which too will lead to accidents, such as those killed crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in 2021 in April, 13 dead of the 25people crammed inside an SUV crossing into California, and in August,at least 10 killed of the 30 crammed inside a van crossing into Texas.

In all cases, blame will distract us in ways that sound new but harkback to the age-old patterns that this book traces through history. The food-app company will blame the delivery courier killed in a bike accident for breaking traffic laws, even though their job is impossible to dowithout breaking traffic laws. The developer will blame the constructionworker killed in a fall for breaking work rules about fall-arrest harnesses,even though they would be fired if they took the time to suit up. The drugcompany will blame the drug user killed by an overdose, even thoughnaloxone could have saved them, if only it were accessible in their state.

And a new era of accidents will dawn as more automakers testdriverless cars on public roads, more retailers replace employees with machines, and plane manufacturers build new automated systems into the act of flying. Well soon see deaths born not of human mistakes but of the inhuman nature of machines programmed to ignore human life.

Weve already gotten a taste of what this will look like in Amazonwarehouses, where automation arrived in the form of robots movingmerchandise to fulfill orders. With these robots came a rising accidental injury rate as high as 50 percent more than warehouses withoutautomation in part because Amazon used the robots as an excuse to speed up production. The company aimed to lower the accident rate in2018 by 20 percent; instead, the accident rate rose. In 2019, the companyaimed for 5 percent; the accident rate rose again. Amazon failed to meetits goals because while it kept aiming for accident rate reductions, italso kept raising the production quota for workers.

Of course, theseare just the injuries that we know of. A first-aid manager at a DuPont, Wash., Amazon warehouse where the rate of accidental injury was higher in 2019 than at any Amazon warehouse in the country, andfive times higher than the industry average reported that his bossesoffered workers under his care pizza parties if a shift was completedwith no accidents reported, so workers didnt report injuries, since theydidnt want to deprive their colleagues of a free meal.

While climate change and automation cause more accidents, I predictwe will hear less and less about the systems of accountability that CrystalEastman [Eastman was a lawyer and muckraking journalist whose 1910 report Work Accidents and the Law led to Americas first workers compensation law] and Ralph Nader fought for the laws and rules that createa cost for accidents. And if I am right, accidents will continue to rise.

As we die more by accident, I predict that we will also hear more abouthow protecting us from accidents is actually an infringement on our liberty. The trigger lock that protects a child from being accidentally shot isan infringement on Second Amendment rights. The regulatory agency isan oppression of the rights of the free market. The independent contractormay not have access to workers compensation, but they are free to work wherever they please. You are free to buy the largest SUV you wish, even when the hood blocks your view of the child playing in your driveway.

Without seismic change, this is our future.

Accidents happen in America, and happen here at outsize rates compared to our peer countries around the globe, because everything inAmerica is built with a mind toward profit and thrift, and on a foundation of white supremacy, a culture of punishment, and a myth ofself-reliance.

The solution is simple: Stop punishing mistakes and pretending that people are perfectible. Trade in the bootstraps parable for an acceptance that people need tools and resources to survive, and aninsistence that society should provide them. Apply a harm-reductionmodel to every corner of the built environment. Construct workplaces,roads, and homes, but also laws and policies, with a focus on reducing accident-related damage, cushioning the blow of everything, and protecting life, health, and dignity at any and all cost. Remember that the people who die most often by accident are often the most vulnerable the youngest and the oldest, the most discriminated against and leastwealthy and start there.

From There Are No Accidents: The Deadly Rise of Injury and Disaster Who Profits and Who Pays the Price (Simon & Schuster) by Jessie Singer. Click here for moreinformation.

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EXCERPT: There are No 'Accidents' We Have Been Fooled into Thinking There Are - Streetsblog New York

Icarus, as far as we know, never lived in El Paso, but the mythical Greek heros ill-fated flight toward the sun is a handy metaphor for the recent political ambitions of Beto ORourke, Texas best-known Democrat and now a candidate for governor. Four years ago, the little-known three-term congressman representing a far-West Texas district had the audacity to challenge U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. To the surprise of Democrats and Republicans alike, he almost defeated the Republican incumbent.

ORourkes energy and charisma as he campaigned in every Texas county, combined with an engaging facility with the issues, gave beleaguered Texas Democrats hope that he might lead them out of the wilderness of despond. Despite his narrow loss, Democratic eyes lit up when they realized that his spirited campaign had helped the party win 12 seats in the Texas House and two in Congress. He also raised $80 million, mostly from small individual donations.

Suddenly a national figure, the defeated Democrat launched a presidential campaign. Like Icarus, he burned and crashed.

Now, singed and perhaps humbled by that ill-fated effort, ORourke seeks to become the first Democratic governor of Texas since the late Ann Richards lost her 1994 bid for re-election to George W. Bush. One of five candidates seeking the Democratic nomination, hes by far the best known and certainly the best prepared to lead this state if Texans elect him governor. He has our enthusiastic endorsement in the Democratic primary.

If Gov. Greg Abbott manages to vanquish challengers from the far right in his bid for a third term, ORourke also will be the candidate best equipped to hold him accountable for his seven years in office, even as he articulates a vision for Texas going forward. When he spoke via Zoom to the Chronicle editorial board last week from a motel room in the little East Texas town of Emory he emphasized what he called the big things, including jobs, expanding Medicaid, reducing property taxes and a world-class education system.

He discussed maintaining Texas and Houstons pride of position as the energy capital of the world. Fossil-fuel technology is not going away anytime soon, he noted, but by expanding our leadership in wind and solar, as well as battery-storage technology, geothermal and hydrogen, we can nurture a strong economy. A forward-looking energy focus, the candidate maintained, can create more than 1 million jobs in the coming decades.

We asked about challenges hes facing on the campaign trail this time around, how much, for instance, his infamous quote, hell yes, were going to take your AR-15 is still ringing in the ears of gun owners who might otherwise be inclined to vote for him but have the false impression that he doesnt support Second Amendment rights.

Itll be an issue for some people, no two ways about it, he said. And yes, there will be folks who will come up, and they may have gotten a message from Greg Abbott that says that I want to take away everything that they own, including the butter knife.

But he told us it gives him an opportunity to explain why he made that bold declaration in one of the presidential debates: Look, I don't know how you all would have reacted if 23 people in your community were slaughtered. If you were there, the day it happened and met the family members in the ICU waiting room who said, why in the world, Beto, does somebody need a weapon like this in our community? And why were we as Hispanics hunted down for the color of our skin or ethnicity or country of national origin? And what are you, Beto, gonna do about that? Those are serious questions.

And he answered them, before a national audience and political opponents who will never let him forget it.

We asked whether hes noticed less excitement from supporters on the campaign trail this go-around.

Look, when Im in a park at six oclock, and its dark in December, and its, you know, 35 degrees in Amarillo, Texas, and 350 people show up as they did a month and a half ago, thats a good sign to me, he said.

Still, hes gotten four years older since his punk-rocker political celebrity filled stadiums with fiery crowds and his lifelong nickname became ubiquitous on urban lawns and car bumpers. And hes figured out a few things: Maybe a lesson learned is, it cannot be about the person or the candidate, he said. It cannot center on a single human being. Its got to be about all of us, if were going to be successful.

But first things first, ORourke must win the primary. He faces four challengers, none of whom has raised more than $10,000. Michael Cooper is a Beaumont pastor, civil rights leader and business leader who lost in the Democratic primaries for lieutenant governor in 2018 and the U.S. Senate in 2020. Cooper, 56, delivers sound ideas in his down-home, East Texas baritone such as making vocational training a part of the curriculum starting in sixth grade.

Richard Wakeland, 66, offers the strongest contrast to ORourke. He told the editorial board he is a conservative Democrat who will protect womens rights and the oil and gas industry, attempting to represent the middle of the political spectrum. He would secure our border with an economic wall, not a physical wall and protect Second Amendment rights. Two first-time candidates, Inocencio Barrientez, 71, a retired Seguin resident, and Joy Diaz, 45, a former journalist with KUT radio in Austin, did not screen with us.

ORourke, of course, already has his sights set on Abbott, accusing the governor of incompetence, corruption and cruelty, during his seven years in office. He faulted the governor for his inability to keep the lights on in Texas during winter storm Uri, his handling of the pandemic and his efforts to restrict voting and encourage the proliferation of guns, among several far-right initiatives.

Obviously, Democrats are not the party of power in this state, but a candidate as experienced, capable and eloquent as ORourke can force a conversation that Texas voters need to hear. When one party, Democrat or Republican, manages to dominate for decades, voters succumb to lassitude. Conversations grow stale and formulaic. New ideas wither.

With ORourke in the race this fall, we look forward to a lively debate about real issues. Texas voters will be the beneficiaries.

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Editorial: We recommend Beto O'Rourke in Democratic primary for Governor - Houston Chronicle

Senators Joe Manchin and Lisa Murkowski crossed party lines to endorse each other's campaigns during a joint appearance Sunday morning on CNN's State of the Union.

Manchin, who is a West Virginia Democrat, and Murkowski, who is an Alaska Republican, are among their parties most centrist members and have crossed party lines on votes before. In an increasingly polarized country, their endorsements offer a rare moment of bipartisanship.

"Alaska could only be so lucky to have her continue to serve them," Manchin said. "It's hypocritical to basically work with a person day-in and day-out, and then when they're in cycle, you're supposed to be against them because they have an R or D by their name."

Murkowski said that senators crossing party lines to endorse their colleagues used to be more common than it is now, adding that she would endorse Manchin if he chooses to run again in 2024.

Despite their bipartisan credentials, both could face a challenging path to reelection.

Murkowski is up for reelection this year. A rare critic of former President Donald Trump among the GOP who voted to impeach him, she has faced criticism from Trump-aligned Republicans in her home state.

The Alaskan senator will run in the nonpartisan primary, where the four candidates who receive the most amount of votes will advance and run in the general election, which uses ranked-choice voting.

Trump endorsed her primary challenger, Kelly Tshibaka, and called Murkowski "bad for Alaska." The former president praised Tshibaka as a "fighter who stands for Alaska values and America First. She is MAGA all the way, pro-energy, strong on the Border, tough on Crime and totally supports our Military and our great Vets. Kelly is a powerful supporter of the Second Amendment and JOBS!"

Polling on the race has been mixed. An August poll from Alaska Survey Research found Murkowski with a 9-point lead in the general election. But a poll from Change Research in June found Tshibaka leading Murkowski by about 20 points, with Democrat Al Gross winning 25 percent of the vote.

Manchin, on the other hand, will be up for reelection in 2024 after narrowly winning in 2018. West Virginia's strong GOP lean and high turnout in a presidential election year could complicate his path to victorythough he has sought to separate himself from the party's more liberal wing.

He could also face a primary opponent, as progressive Democrats including Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren indicated potential support for primary challengers.

Some on Twitter also pointed out that CNN mistakenly labeled Manchin a Republican during Sunday's interview.

Newsweek reached out to both senators' offices for comment Sunday afternoon, but did not hear back by publication. This story will be updated with any response.

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Manchin and Murkowski Cross Party Lines to Endorse Each Other - Newsweek

The latest wave of campaign announcements for the Arkansas Legislature sets up Republican primaries across the state and includes a GOP challenge to a Little Rock incumbent.

All 100 House districts and 35 Senate districts were redrawn during the state's redistricting process last year, and all seats are up for reelection in November.

The filing period begins Feb. 22 and ends March 1. The primary election is May 24, and the general election is set for Nov. 8.

LITTLE ROCK

In Little Rock, Republican Jon Wickliffe on Jan. 31 announced a challenge to Democratic Rep. Andrew Collins.

The seat, House District 73, stretches from the Riverdale neighborhood to west Little Rock.

Wickliffe, who is responsible for business development in Arkansas for a health plan company, said in his announcement that his bid for the seat isn't about partisan politics, but about effectively representing all residents of the district.

"We need an advocate for the entire district, someone who is willing to listen and put in the work to ensure that each and every voice is heard," he said.

Collins, who has served in the House since 2019, has announced that he will seek reelection.

"I want to continue to fight for Arkansas families and help build a Legislature worthy of our people," he said in a Facebook post in August.

Democrat Grant Smith has announced a bid for House District 77, which covers parts of west central and southwest Little Rock.

The incumbent, Rep. Fred Allen, D-Little Rock, has said he is considering a run for state Senate. Reached by phone Friday, Allen said he would announce what his plans are next week.

On his website, Smith said he is running "to amplify the voices of our beautifully diverse district."

Smith said he supports Medicare for all, improving educational opportunities, decriminalizing marijuana, raising the minimum wage, making it easier for people to vote and LGBTQ+ rights.

Another Democrat, Little Rock NAACP branch President Dianne Curry, said she is considering running in House District 77. Curry unsuccessfully challenged Republican U.S. Rep. French Hill for Arkansas' 2nd Congressional District seat in 2016.

NORTHEAST ARKANSAS

At least two Republicans are planning to run in the district covering the northeast corner of the state, a seat that will be vacated by Rep. Joe Jett, R-Success.

Jett, who has served in the House since 2013, announced last month that he would not seek reelection in House District 1 this year.

The district includes Clay County and parts of Randolph and Greene counties.

Jeremy Wooldridge, the CEO of Crowley's Ridge Development Council and a member of the Greene County Quorum Court, said in a Jan. 27 news release that he is running for the seat on a conservative platform that includes fiscal responsibility, opposing abortion, defending small businesses, protecting the Second Amendment and supporting workforce and economic development for northeast Arkansas.

"It is imperative that we continue to protect our constitutional rights, support our school systems, and make wise financial decisions for our state," Wooldridge said.

Steve Dixon, the mayor of Marmaduke in Greene County, said in a statement Wednesday that he intends to run for House District 1 because he has a desire to serve the citizens of the district in a larger capacity than just the city.

Dixon described himself as a moderate conservative and said he believes in local control for city governments. He said he wants to see jobs continue to come to Arkansas, continuous highway improvements in the area, improvements to the area's ability to hire and quality teachers in public schools. He added that he opposes abortion and supports the Second Amendment.

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS

In Northwest Arkansas, Bentonville City Council Member Aubrey Patterson has announced that she will seek the Republican nomination in the newly created District 13.

The district includes neighborhoods in south Bentonville and west Rogers.

Patterson said she wants to be a "voice for the people of Northwest Arkansas to help ensure the family values and conservative principles of our community are represented in Little Rock."

Two other Bentonville Republicans have also declared their candidacy for the seat: attorney Greg Payne and Scott Richardson, director of technology for CEI Engineering Associates.

A second Republican has announced a bid for House District 25, which runs through rural areas of eastern Washington and Crawford counties and a portion of Franklin County, where the incumbent is not seeking reelection.

Rep. Bruce Coleman, R-Mountainburg, confirmed to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Jan. 24 that he would not seek reelection in the district.

Special-education teacher Chad Puryear announced Wednesday that he would run for the open seat. In a news release, he said he is a sixth-generation Arkansas farmer with conservative values and a desire to be a voice for the district.

"My life has deep roots in rural Arkansas, and I am passionate about the way of life our small communities offer. I believe that we can support rural development in Arkansas while preserving the quality of life these communities provide," Puryear said.

Businesswoman Jody Harris is also seeking the GOP's nomination for the seat.

In Fort Smith, attorney Kelly Procter Pierce announced Wednesday that she would run as a Republican in Senate District 27.

Rep. Justin Boyd, R-Fort Smith, is also running for the seat. The incumbent, Sen. Mat Pitsch, R-Fort Smith, is running for state treasurer.

In her announcement, Pierce said she wants to be "a voice for parents against out-of-control school boards, stand up against government overreach whether it's mask or vaccine mandates and protect our traditional values of life and liberty."

Pierce narrowly lost the Republican primary for a state House seat in Fort Smith in 2018.

See the legislative maps:

https://www.arkansasonline.com/1219arkmaps/

Note: Information for this article was drawn from news releases, news tips, local news sources and social media. Some candidates may not have come to the attention of this newspaper as of Friday. Previous lists of candidates were published in earlier editions. Announcing for statewide, congressional or legislative office? Email capitol@arkansasononline.com.

Information for this article was contributed by the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazett

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As Arkansas filing period nears, legislative candidates across the state air intentions to run - Arkansas Online

Ray Waddle| Special to Nashville Tennessean, USA TODAY NETWORK newsrooms in Tennessee

The closest Ive come to hearing a booming celebrity voice from the Bible was on the phone with Charlton Heston. He famously played Moses in the 1956 Ten Commandments movie. Some years before he died in 2008, he was in Nashville, and I interviewed him. We started with Second Amendment politics but ended on faith and films. As a bonus to me he recited some dialogue from Planet of the Apes (1969). He signed off that day with a nice bit of non-denominational wisdom: Do your best, and keep your promises.

Its a strange marvel how the Bible plays out in the imagination of modern entertainment media and how public tastes and technologies change. Ten Commandments was a 1950s blockbuster (using 14,000 extras and 15,000 animals). Then big-screen biblical epics fell flat in the 1960s. American spirituality was fragmenting. Religious attendance entered a decline. The cinematic sweep of the Exodus story gave way to narrower themes, notably apocalyptic speculations better suited to books like The Late Great Planet Earth. The last big Bible movie was Mel Gibsons The Passion of the Christ nearly 20 years ago.

Its tempting to regard a box office smash, or the absence of one, as an ethical index of biblical influence, or its eclipse. But this is elusive stuff. Bible interest today is dispersed, entrepreneurial, harder to gauge than ever, especially amid the traumatic disruptions of a pandemic.

Polls and surveys keep trying. Last year the American Bible Society reported increases in Bible reading during the COVIDcrisis. Fifty percent of Americans were Bible users meaningthey read it at least three or four times a year outside of congregational settings, according to the State of the Bible: USA 2021 study. That percentage has been steady for a decade. Last year, though, one in six adults reads scripture most days during the week, a 12% increase over 2020.

The survey identified sources of comfort during COVID. Family members topped the list, followed by prayer/meditation, food and exercise. Bible reading was ranked seventh, ahead of alcohol. Among Black Americans, Bible reading was in the top three.

The study warned that Gen Z youngsters inhabit a very different informational world from their elders, and new models of discipleship are needed to engage teens questions about the sacred. Surely this is always the case. Adults have worried about the Bibles cultural decline ever since the first generation of Mayflower Puritans, who fretted about their children going morally slack.

Unpredictable times dont change a daily truth: Even in group study or congregations, the Bible is pondered one reader at a time, usually under the radar, undetected. Scriptures social mandates and political consequences are real, but the words are first encountered by the individual open to its meanings, whether through crisis, gratitude, or a vision of public reform.

The Bible carries a secret, poet Richard Howard once said: It is addressed not to everyone but to each one. In every line, the Bible hints at something that it does not reveal but that tempts us, arrests us, fascinates us all the more, he said in a 1996 lecture.

When I read from Ecclesiastes or Jeremiah or the Gospels late at night, while the pandemic burns I think I see what he means. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. (First Corinthians 13:12)

Columnist Ray Waddle is a former Tennessean reporter.

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Bible importance just can't be measured by surveys or box office - Tennessean

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President Joe Biden said Thursday that "no amendment is absolute" while discussing the Second Amendment and repeated a debunked claim that cannons were prohibited when the amendment was passed.

"Theres no violation of the Second Amendment right," Biden said in New York City while discussing background checks and other ways to address gun crime. "We talk like. Theres no amendment thats absolute. When the amendment was passed it didnt say anybody can own a gun, any kind of gun, and any kind of weapon. You couldnt buy a cannon when this amendment was passed so theres no reason why you should be able to buy certain assault weapons. But thats another issue."

President Biden speaks at an event to discuss gun violence strategies, at police headquarters, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

BIDEN, AHEAD OF NYC VISIT, ROLLS OUT STRATEGY TO STOP FLOW OF GUNS, BOLSTER LAW ENFORCEMENT

Biden has been criticized for using the same cannon example in the past and earned "Four Pinocchios" from the Washington Post in 2021 over the claim and also a "False" label from Politifact in 2020.

Additionally, Biden received backlash on Twitter from gun rights advocates who took issue with his claim that the Second Amendment is not "absolute."

"Actually, @JoeBiden, the 2nd Amendment is absolute," oil executive and author Dan K. Eberhart tweeted. "It's part of the Constitution, whether you like it or not."

"Biden targets law-abiding gun owners, saying there's NO amendment that's absolute!" a Republican National Committee Twitter account posted.

BIDEN SAYS THE ANSWER 'IS NOT TO DEFUND THE POLICE,' BUT TO INVEST IN LAW ENFORCEMENT

"Joe Biden is saying the quiet part out loud," Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton tweeted. "I stand ready to defend Texas against any infringement of our Second Amendment his failed administration will throw at us. #2A"

"Someone didn't read the Second Amendment," Fox News contributor Dan Bonginos website, the Bongino Report, posted along with an article stating that Bidens comments should "terrify" gun owners.

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks while joining the White House Covid-19 Response Team's call with the National Governors Association. (Ken Cedeno/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"It was a lie in 2020," Townhalls Spencer Brown tweeted. "It was a lie in 2021. It's still a lie today. Despite being fact checked by PolitiFact and WaPo, Biden keeps lying to the American people as he attempts to undermine the Second Amendment."

In Bidens speech, he also drew ire from conservatives by claiming that a "Glock with 40 rounds" is a "weapon of war."

Revolvers are displayed for sale at Firearms Unknown, a gun store in Oceanside, California. REUTERS/Bing Guan

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"Biden is the worst gun grabber in decades," author J.D. Vance, who is running for Senate in Ohio as a Republican, tweeted. "Between this and the illegal ATF database, hes declared war on the Second Amendment."

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News.

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Biden repeats debunked Second Amendment cannon claim, says 'no amendment is absolute' - Fox News

(The Center Square) Gov. Tom Wolf has vetoed legislation designed to protect Pennsylvania residents Second Amendment rights against municipalities that enact restrictive gun ordinances.

Once again, this governor has failed to live up to his oath to support, obey and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of this Commonwealth, said Rep. Matthew Dowling, R-Fayette, sponsor of House Bill 979. By vetoing this bill, the governor has put the Second Amendment rights of every citizen in jeopardy, effectively encouraging communities to continue enacting illegal gun control measures.

The legislation would have established the state, not local governments, has the final say on regulations involving firearms and would have prevented municipalities from creating more restrictive rules.

HB 979 reads: The commonwealth, by this section, preempts and supersedes any manner of ordinance, resolution, regulation, rule, practice or other action promulgated or enforced by a municipality of firearms, ammunition, firearms components or ammunition components in this commonwealth, and any such action is declared null and void.

The legislation also would have allowed a person adversely affected by local ordinances or rules to sue for declarative or injunctive relief and actual damages, such as lost wages.

Wolf characterized HB 979 as an attack on local governments who take action to find commonsense solutions to gun violence in his veto message Thursday.

At a time when injuries and deaths from gun violence are spiking, House Bill 979 would discourage local jurisdictions from attempting to regulate firearms, Wolf wrote. In addition, it provides an opportunity for individuals to challenge local ordinances and sue a county, municipality, or township that violates the prohibition on stricter firearms laws.

Wolf pointed to Philadelphia, where Republican lawmakers repeatedly have highlighted declining conviction rates for gun crimes.

Under House Bill 979, Philadelphia, which saw more gun violence-related deaths than days in January, may have difficulty enforcing local laws that were created to curb the violence and save families and communities from continued heartache, Wolf wrote.

Wolf also likened the legislation to Senate Bill 565 to eliminate the requirement for a license to carry a concealed firearm that he vetoed last year.

When I vetoed Senate Bill 565 of 2021, a bill that would have allowed unvetted gun owners to carry concealed weapons through our streets, I stated that these victims and communities deserve to have meaningful legislation passed to address the scourge of gun violence. I stand by that, he wrote.

I have offered many ideas that would help keep Pennsylvanians safe while respecting the rights of responsible gun owners, including legislation to require safe storage, authorize extreme risk protection orders, enhance reporting requirements for lost or stolen guns and close gaps in the background check system and yet, I have not received a bill from the General Assembly that seeks to address this issue in a meaningful way.

Dowling said hes not giving up on his effort to protect gun rights.

While frustrated by the governors actions today, it comes as no surprise, he said. We will continue this fight in the days ahead.

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Wolf sides with local governments in rejecting gun rights bill - WFMZ Allentown

WASHINGTON Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) applauded todays House passage of two amendments he authored that will be part of the America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence in Technology, and Economic Strength (COMPETES) Act that will be considered on Friday.

One amendment, which combats foreign kleptocrats and which he offered with Congressman and Helsinki Commission Ranking member Joe Wilson (SC-02), contains both the Justice for Victims of Kleptocracy Act and the Foreign Corruption Accountability Act. The first bill mandates a public listing by country of stolen assets recovered in the United States and the second authorizes public visa bans against foreign individuals who demand bribes.

The second amendment, the Foreign Business Agent Act, which he offered with Congressman French Hill (AR-02), requires foreign business entities to assign and register agents with the Department of Commerce for service of process in legal and regulatory proceedings.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

These amendments are commonsense but overdue solutions to problems that hurt our countrys ability to compete. Kleptocracy threatens national security and human rights and has an impact on every global challenge we face today. From climate change and COVID to organized crime and human trafficking, kleptocrats either cause or worsen the problem.

Transparency and the rule of law are essential elements of fair and efficient business operations, but many foreign companies in the United States operate outside our legal system, beyond the jurisdiction of U.S. courts and regulatory agencies. The Foreign Business Agent Act would remedy this legal gray area by requiring foreign business entities to assign and register agents with the Department of Commerce.

I am proud to work with my Republican colleagues in strengthening this important bill.

The full House of Representatives is expected to take up America COMPETES with Congressman Cohens amendments on Friday.

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Congressman Cohen Applauds Passage of His Amendments to the America COMPETES Act - Congressman Steve Cohen

Michael J. DeCicco| Correspondent for the Taunton Daily Gazette

Gun sales are up among women amid the coronavirus pandemic

Gun sales are up nationwide during the coronavirus pandemic andwomen are looking for firearm protection.

Fox - LA, Fox - LA

BERKLEY Not only is Kerrie Ann Auclairthe secretary for the BerkleyConservation Commission she's alsothe owner of the town's "Dirty Bird Nail Salon"and a certified pistol instructor.

The latter designation is just as important to the Berkley resident as are her other two titles, she said.

She and Renee Gagne of Taunton volunteer as co-leaders of the Massachusetts chapter of "Armed Women of America,"a non-profitorganization dedicated to educating women in the proper use of firearms and the art of self-protection.

The group is an outgrowth of the two women's personal passions.

Auclair became a licensed gun owner in 2015 to protect her home and family when her husband began working a late-night third shift.

"Once I got my first firearm," Auclair said, "I realized it was important to get educated about its use.Women need to be educated gun owners to feel comfortable using one when we need it.That's why we started the chapter."

For Gagne, who by day works as an operating nurse at a local hospital, the interest in guns started a little earlier.She was first shown how shoot a rifle by her father when she was 6years old.

Real estate report: New Berkley home nearly doubles in value in six years

The motivation to own a gun came later, in her mid-30s, when she bought her first firearm to protect herself and her children as a single mother after getting divorced.

The motivation to create a firearms training program for women came quickly after that.

When Gagnewalked into her first firearms class ten years ago, she said, she was overwhelmed by what surrounded her.It was a man's world, and she felt intimidated by that environment.Women, she realized, needed an environment that they can feel safe learning in.

"Women need instruction from other women," Auclair said, "in a safe, comfortable environment.That's why we do this.We hear so many stories.Women want self-protection, to feel comfortable, to be a responsible gun owner."

The pair started the state chapter of the nationwide organization "Armed Women of America" in 2019. Its focus is firearms education workshops once a month at the Mansfield Fish and Game range, 501 East St.

Budding industry: Taunton retail pot dispute lands in Supreme Judicial Court's lap

The chapter currently includes 80 members coming from as far away as Cape Cod and Rhode Island. An average of 25-30 women attend each meeting. It is one of 325 "Armed Women of America" chapters spreadacross the country.

The local chapter's goals line up with those of the national non-profit organization: "To enable women to be their own self-protectors, creating freedom, peace of mind and confidence in themselves," the website states.

"We meet the second Monday of every month for educating and equipping women to reach their firearm goals," Auclair said.

The club's two goals, the pair said, are education and firearms practice.On the day they started the chapter in 2019, they werepleasantly surprised by the turnout: 40 women showed up, and 30 of them signed up.

They've learned a lot more about their members since then.

"They decide to join for different reasons," Gagne said."It's not just for self-defense. It's a sport.Some love target practice.Some hunt.Many just want help getting their gun license.For some, it's self-protection and home protection."

"They are single women living alone," Auclair added, "or domestic violence survivors having to be on their own.They are their own first responders if a threatening situation arises."

When they are not volunteering their time, the two are both NRA-certified pistol instructors and home firearms safety instructors who teach range firearm safety, independent of the chapter, at the Mansfield range.

"We've found that one Monday a month is not enough for what women need to learn," Auclair said."So we've obtained certification to branch off as firearm instruction for women individually."

Auclair said they are passionate about gun ownership for women, and education is a crucial component of that passion.

With anod toward the debate between gun control and Second Amendment gun ownership rights, she elaborated on how she views the issue, "A bad guy does not follow the rules of law. Restricting gun rights won't make the world safer. Education is the key to safety and learning responsible gun ownership. And addressing the mental illness component that causes these tragedies."

Auclair's gun rightsefforts are going even further right now. Her other volunteer effort is as the state director for the "DCProject" of Massachusetts, part of a nationwide non-profit nonpartisan gun rights advocacy organization for women.

The DC Project brings women, at least one from each state, to Washington D.C. to establish relationships with legislators and put a human face on firearms owners and Second Amendment supporters, Auclair said.

Next fall, Auclair will head to Washingtonon behalf of the DC Project.Auclair andher "delegate,"Renee Gagne, are also working on the DCProject'slocal fundraising and awareness raising campaign, which includes writing letters, testifying andsending emails to lawmakers on the issue of gun rights.

"We believe education, not legislation, is the key to safety, not gun control," Auclair said.

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Here's why Berkley and Taunton friends teach other women how to use guns - Taunton Daily Gazette

PAHRUMP, Nev. (KLAS) The Nye County Board of Commissioners voted in December to allow guns in most parts of the countys courthouses, but the judges, who decide the fates of their neighbors, tell the 8 News Now I-Team that decision is asking for trouble.

In a meeting on Dec. 16, the commissioners unanimously voted to remove a judicial order banning firearms in the Ian Deutch Government Complex, which houses both the Fifth Judicial District Court and the Pahrump Justice Court.

The county owns the building. The judiciary runs the courtrooms.

The judges say, according to the commissioners, does not apply outside of their chambers. That includes most of the building, including the hallways.

District Court Judge Kim Wankers concerns about her safety have prompted her to keep a gun safe on her bench.

I am certain its an incident waiting to happen, she said. Its not if it happens, its when it happens.

Wankers courtroom is through a set of double doors straight from the buildings lobby. When court is in session, her bailiff, a position recently vacant for a year, she said, will set up a metal detector at the courtroom door.

There is no security at the main entrance, which leads to the district attorneys office and to the clerk. County commissioners said they control the halls. A Nevada state law gives the control of county buildings to their respective commissioners.

In Clark County, entrances to the Regional Justice Center, home to the Eighth Judicial District Court and Las Vegas Justice Court, are flanked with security. The building also houses the Clark County District Attorneys Office.

I think that probably the greatest threat or risk for an incident is in the hallways or in the parking lot, Wanker said.

The four judges working out of the building enter through the same doors as the public.

The judges park out front, too.

We have a joke here, Wanker said. They finally approved the lighting to come in the front door. My staff laughs and says, Judge were so glad that they improved the lighting because now when they shoot from the dark parking lot, theyll be sure to get you and not us.

Wanker gave the I-Team a tour of the complex, which shares an address with the Nye County Sheriffs Office and the Nye County Jail.

A back door does not lock. It is right next to Wankers courtroom and the way prisoners enter the court complex from jail, she said.

In 2010, after several shootings at courthouses, including one at the federal building in Las Vegas, District Court Judge Robert Lane wrote an order forbidding firearms in the building and the courts other office in Tonopah. Instead, county employees could apply to carry concealed weapons.

The judicial order specifically mentions the courthouse and its courtrooms, chambers, offices, annexes and other rooms where a judicial proceeding may be underway.

Commissioner Bruce Jabbour, appointed to the commission in 2020 by Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak, applied to carry his concealed weapon as the order dictates.

Jabbours request was denied.

Judge Lane and Judge Wanker have serious concerns for their safety, but obviously, no concern for the safety of others, including myself, Jabbour said during the December meeting.

In a 5-0 vote, the commissioners removed the order, meaning weapons would be allowed in the building except in immediate courtrooms and judicial offices. When the I-Team visited the complex, the signs remained on the doors.

Metal detectors remain in place at the entrance to the justice court, which was added to the building after it was built in 1999.

The court has no right to control access to these governmental offices simply because theyre in the same building as the court, Jabbour said.

Technically, based on the decision, you could walk in with an AR-15 rifle, Wanker said.

Three of the judges working in the building, Lane, Wanker and Justice Court Judge Kent Jasperson, said the issue is not about the Second Amendment. They are all gun owners.

The countys bargaining agreement with the Nye County Employee Association said employees can be terminated for bringing a gun to work.

The county shall have the right to discharge or discipline any employee for cause [for] carrying or possessing firearms or weapons while on the job, a line in the agreement said.

You dont need to have a gun here to resolve an issue, Jasperson said. The only thing a gun is going to do is aggravate the situation.

Its kind of an old West cowboy kind of thing, Lane said. Well have the shootout.

Security measures, like a $90,000 scanner, sit in storage. The judges said the county will not pay to staff it.

The scanner, paid for with grant money received through then-Sen. Harry Reids office, has sat in a storeroom for a decade, Wanker said.

Just because were rural, doesnt mean incidents arent going to happen, she said.

The I-Team asked the Nye County Sheriffs Office for a list of calls to the complex over the last 10 years. Deputies responded to the courts for everything from assaults to domestic disputes to threats.

Just last summer, a man who got into a shootout with deputies had threatened to come to the courthouse, Wanker said.

I ran from office to office pounding on the doors telling people to get away from the windows, active shooter on their way, she said.

The order also applies to the districts second location in Tonopah.

Jabbour declined an interview, saying his comments from the meeting would suffice. The board chair did not respond to a request for comment.

The rest is here:
I-Team: Its not if it happens, its when it happens, judges fear for safety after county allows guns in courthouse - KLAS - 8 News Now