World Examiner

34-State Concealed Firearm Permit Offered in Orange County

I noticed this article about a concealed carry being offered through a chamber of commerce elsewhere.

I have been promoting concealed carry through my own chamber, the Ladera Ranch Chamber of Commerce, which is part of the South Orange County Regional Chambers of Commerce.  I flew to Utah last weekend and got approved this week as a Utah instructor, so I  am now offering the class in the Chamber's online Business Directory (click the "Hot Deals" button).

I am also looking for community groups interested in promoting a class for their members as a charity event, and I have approached various Catholic groups and a domestic violence shelter.  For these groups, I would consider donating my time and suggesting a donation in lieu of training fee.

NRA CAL-ERT on Ammo-Edge-To-Criminals Bill (a/k/a Practice-Shooting-Less Bill)

VIRTUAL LOBBY-DAY, Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Join us and help defeat the ammunition registration bill AB 2062

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!!!

IT'S TIME TO LIGHT-UP THE PHONES IN SACRAMENTO!

In Sacramento, the anti-gun hysteria is at a fever pitch, and extremist groups and legislators are promoting even more of it.

Working in conjunction with the NRA-ILA State Liaison, Ed Worley, the NRA Members' Councils have - for the last several years - used their latest Internet based communication system to deliver a crushing volume of calls, faxes and emails into the State Capitol.  IT WILL SOON BE TIME TO INCREASE THE PRESSURE ON SACRAMENTO! 

One of the biggest threats to firearms owners is AB 2062.  Assembly Bill 2062 (De Leon) imposes:
(1) an ammunition purchasers permit requirement for Californians to purchase handgun ammo
(2) a fee for each Handgun ammo purchase
(3) requires a state license to sell ammunition
(4) more unfair restrictions on law-abiding gun owners.............

YOU CAN HELP PROTECT THE 2nd AMENDMENT AND STOP  ANTI-FREEDOM SCHEMES LIKE AB 2062 ! ! !

SITUATION;  AB 2062 is a clear and present danger to all firearms owners in California!  The NRA has been actively opposing AB 2062.  Refer to the following pages for more information:
http://www.calnra.com/calerts/calert040108.shtml & http://www.calnra.com/calerts/calert040808.shtml .

• AB 2062 is scheduled to be heard on Wednesday, May 7th, in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. 
• Several groups are coordinating active opposition to the overbearing restrictions of AB 2062.
• The NRA realizes that most California gun owners cannot take the time off of work and pay the ever-increasing fuel prices required to personally attend a "Lobby-Day" in the State Capitol in Sacramento. 
• The NRA has made our legislative contact resources available to you, the firearms owner, so that you can participate in our statewide coordinated effort to oppose AB 2062....... no matter where you are located. 

WHAT YOU CAN DO:  Tell the Legislators to stop supporting ill-conceived gun control proposals, such as the AB 2062 ammunition sales restriction scheme, by participating in NRA's Virtual Lobby-Day on Tuesday, May 6th. 

• RIGHT NOW: Send this message to every gun owner you know.  Include all: gun clubs, stores, ranges, RKBA groups, etc.  Cross-post this on the Internet - on web sites and firearm-related forums.  Email this link http://www.calnra.com/calerts/calert042908.shtml to everyone you know. 
• RIGHT NOW: On the Internet, go to the California Legislative Contact Page at: http://www.calnra.com/legs.shtml and use our ONE-CLICK email delivery system to contact the Assembly with a single message in opposition to AB 2062. Note: emails will be received in the legislators offices with the "From:" field set to the ORIGINAL SENDER. Remember that you are sending a single Email to several people. You should address your message accordingly. Example: Dear Assembly Member, . (Legislators will not see that they are receiving the same message as the others.)
• TUESDAY, MAY 6TH: Call and Fax the legislature and voice your opposition to more gun control proposals!  And make those phone calls/faxes between 9:00AM until 4:00PM. Those firearms owners who can travel to the State Capitol will be visiting the legislative offices at the same time your calls and faxes will be arriving. Please be polite while you get your point across to them!  The combination of your calls, faxes, and emails, together with those personal visits, will show the legislators that California's firearms owners strongly opposed AB 2062 and similar legislative proposals.  Contact information, including phone and fax numbers, is listed on the CA Legislative Contact Pages at: http://www.calnra.com/legs/asm.shtml .

Together, our voices will be heard and we can stop the anti-freedom forces and win back our rights!

California Legislative Contact resources:
http://www.nramemberscouncils.com aka http://www.calnra.com
http://www.nramemberscouncils.com/legs.shtml

Official NRA-ILA web site:
http://www.NRA-ILA.org

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Continue to monitor the latest legislative updates at: http://NRAMembersCouncils.com/legs.shtml

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NRA Members’ Councils of California http://NRAMembersCouncils.com

Fred Schnaubelt: California Eminent Domain Proposition 99 is Sham...Support Prop 98

League of Cities Pushes Sham Eminent Domain Proposition 99
Loophole Exposed

The League of Cities and California State Association of Counties have placed on the June ballot a deceptive and competing proposition 99 to specifically confuse and neutralize the citizens Proposition 98 which seriously limits Eminent Domain abuse. 

A new independent analysis by the Institute for Justice, a non-profit organization that represented Susette Kelo before the U.S. Supreme Court reports that public agencies can easily circumvent so-called protections under Proposition 99 by first rezoning residential land to a commercial zone.  This is usually the intent anyway when the government takes private homes to give to private developers in order to obtain higher property taxes through greater development.

Additionally, their Prop. 99 allows the condemning of tax exempt church land to be given at less than Fair Market Value to billion dollar companies such as Costco which  pay huge sales taxes to local governments.

It is clear why the States independent Legislative Analysts Office has stated that the sham Prop. 99 is "not likely to significantly alter current government land acquisition practices."

Whereas Proposition 98 not only limits the governments ability to take property from present owners and give it to others to make a profit Prop 98 also prevents churches and small businesses from being condemned for the benefit of big-box stores and sports arenas.  It restores the 5th Amendment to the Constitution. It decontrols rental units when protected tenants move freeing up the unit to be re-rented at Fair Market Value. As long as tenants remain in place they remain under rent control.

The opponents of Proposition 98, mostly government agencies or recipients of government handouts, are doing everything possible to confuse voters and obfuscate what’s at stake.  They say letting people keep their homes and businesses is too complicated and confusing.  They say voters should trust politicians and not put any limitations in the Constitution.  James Madison said, “If men were angels no government would be necessary.”  Apparently, the Leagues of Cities and State Association of Counties believe that politicians since Madison’s time have suddenly become angels and trustworthy. There is no longer any need to bind them down with the chains of the Constitution.

The opponents of Proposition 98 say if approved by the voters, California will run out of safe drinking water.  Some people wonder why those people who support more government power could use such scare tactics to confuse the people. Of course those who support the governments proposition 99 want to frighten people into believing government should have the power to decide how development should take place and who should be the winners and losers rather than leaving it up to the free market.

Under Proposition 98 the government of Yolo County (or any California county or city)  for instance would be prohibited from condemning a working ranch having 50,000 acre feet of water (which it tried)  just to prevent it from ever being developed without even a claim that the use of  Eminent Domain was for a public benefit or for public use. 

We should not be confused by the government’s ploy in support of Proposition 99 that will give unlimited power to government to continue taking private property under the false claim of a public good. We must understand that under proposition 98 the government can still utilize Eminent Domain for legitimate public uses such as dams, waterways, right-of-ways for water and sewer etc., therefore Proposition 98 is responsible and good for the people.  If both Propositions pass the government's Proposition 99 will prevail killing the protections afforded under Proposition Prop. 98.

CPPR strongly urges defenders of property rights, the Fifth Amendment and individual freedom to oppose the government's Proposition 99 and support Proposition 98, the people’s proposition.   

Fred Schnaubelt 

California Bill Would Require Technology That Does Not Exist

Good thing the electorate does not mandate "smart legislators":

Link: NRA-ILA :: Legislation.

News on Pending Second Amendment-Related Bills in California!

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Please Contact Your State Assembly Member Today! On Tuesday, April 15, numerous bills affecting our Second Amendment rights were considered by the California Legislature. The Assembly Public Safety Committee passed Assembly Bill 2235, a bill to forbid the sale of handguns other than "owner-authorized (or “smart”) handguns" -- that is, handguns with a permanent, programmable biometric feature that renders the firearm useless unless activated by the authorized user.   No proven, viable handgun of this type has ever been developed.  AB2235 now heads to the Assembly floor for consideration. Introduced by Assemblyman Mark DeSaulnier (D-11), AB2235 would require the Attorney General to report to the Governor and Legislature on the availability of owner-authorized handguns; once the Attorney General finds that these guns are available, only “owner-authorized” handguns could be approved for sale in California.  The law enforcement community has even expressed concerns about the use of this technology in firearms.  How often has your computer malfunctioned while simply sitting stationary on your desktop?  With that in mind, are you willing to put your personal safety, and that of your loved ones, in the hands of a sensitive computer system exposed to recoil, heat, solvents, dirt and grime?  For an informative article about smart guns and the New Jersey law this bill is based on, please click here. Assembly Bill 2948, sponsored by State Assembly Member Mark Leno (D-13) was approved by the Assembly Business and Professions Committee and now is en route to the Assembly floor for deliberation.  AB2948 would ban the sale of firearms and ammunition on the property or inside the buildings that comprise the Cow Palace. While these threats to our rights have made it to the Assembly floor, one attack of anti-freedom forces was thwarted.  Assembly Bill 2566 by State Assembly Member Loni Hancock (D-14), failed to pass in the Assembly Public Safety Committee.  AB2566 would have repealed statewide preemption statutes and allowed cities, counties, and other such localities to enact their own forms of restrictive regulation on handguns.  Uniform laws regulating firearms and ammunition are necessary to protect the constitutional rights of California’s law-abiding gun owners and to prevent anti-gun municipalities from passing their own laws, which may conflict with state law. Please contact your State Assembly Member and respectfully urge him or her to oppose AB2235 and AB2948 when it comes before them for a vote.  Contact information can be found by clicking here.

SF Gun Ban Dead

http://www.nraila.org/News/Read/NewsReleases.aspx?ID=10872

San Francisco Prop H Dead!

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Fairfax, VA -The California State Supreme Court has ruled that Proposition H, the draconian gun ban proposed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors violates California law. This exhausts all possible avenues for appeal by the Board of Supervisors. Proposition H would ban the manufacture, distribution, sale and transfer of firearms and ammunition within San Francisco. The National Rifle Association was the lead organization fighting this ban.

NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre welcomed the ruling stating, "Freedom and common sense have prevailed today. Proposition H was a foolish scheme that would have disarmed only the law-abiding in San Francisco. The NRA said that we will do everything we can to overturn this ill-conceived gun ban and I am pleased to say that we have delivered on that promise."

Earlier this year, San Francisco asked the California Supreme Court to review a Court of Appeal's decision asserting that under California law, local officials do not have the authority to ban firearms from law abiding residents. That ruling was made by San Francisco Superior Court Judge James Warren and was later upheld in a unanimous opinion from a three judge panel in the Court of Appeals issued in January, 2008.

Chris W. Cox, NRA chief lobbyist, stated, "We are pleased with the Supreme Court ruling.. The NRA filed our lawsuit after Proposition H passed arguing that the proposition was in violation of California preemption laws that clearly assert that firearm laws are regulated by the state and not local municipalities. Our belief that the authors of this measure authored this proposed measure with gross disregard of California law has been confirmed by the Supreme Court. Regrettably, San Francisco taxpayers had to bear the considerable financial burden to satisfy the careless political whim of their elected officials."

The San Francisco Police Officers Association also opposed the ban, stating that the new law nullified "the personal choice of city residents to lawfully possess a handgun for self-defense purposes."

-NRA-

Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen's group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation's leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military.

California Ammo Bill

LEGISLATION PENDING:  AB2062 (De Leon) AMMO SALES RESTRICTIONS

In AB2062, the proponents seek to mandate that all retail handgun ammunition sales would have to be purchased only in a “face to face” transaction. Retail purchasers of handgun ammunition would be registered and fingerprinted at the point of purchase. The provisions of AB2062 would have a negative impact on the millions of lawful purchasers of handgun ammunition in California.

• AB2062 WOULD NOT STOP THE SALE OF HANDGUN AMMUNITION TO CRIMINALS! 
  
• AB2062 WILL COST THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA MILLIONS OF DOLLARS
  
• AB2062 would impose millions of dollars of startup costs without funding and an annual cost of millions of dollars on the Department of Justice, “ Significant annual costs - in the range of several million dollars - for DOJ to create and maintain a handgun ammunition sales and permit registry.
  
• AB2062 would create a new misdemeanor crime and penalties, increasing the costs of local incarceration and contribute to the already overcrowded prison problem.
  
• AB2062 would ban the sale of handgun ammunition through the mail order or via the Internet.
  
• AB2062 would require the fingerprinting on the millions of retail purchasers of handgun ammunition.
  
• AB2062 would require the millions of retail purchasers of handgun ammunition to fill out registration paperwork at the point of purchase every time they purchase handgun ammunition.

Consumer Implications

• Handgun ammunition sales registered at the point of sale
  
• Cost of handgun ammunition purchasers permit is $35.00  NO PERMIT = NO AMMO!
  
• Handgun ammunition purchasers permit is valid for only 5 years
  
• Handgun ammunition purchasers permit processing can take up to 30 days with the Department of Justice.
  
• Purchasers would be restricted so that they would be allowed to transfer only 50 cartridges to another person every month unless they are licensed by the government.
  
• Each handgun ammunition purchaser would pay a $3.00 fee --- per transaction
  
• Only face to face transfers/sales of handgun ammunition would be allowed.  This would end all Internet and mail order handgun ammunition sales
  
  Firearms Dealer Implications 
• New license required to sell handgun ammunition
  
• Handgun ammunition must be secured so there is no access by the consumer.

ACTION REQUESTED:

·  Contact as many members of the ASSEMBLY as possible INDIVIDUALLY! 

·  Send an email to the entire Assembly with NRA's "ONE CLICK" email system.   

CONTACT INFORMATION:
A complete listing of all of the State Assembly Members including phone/fax/email information can be found HERE . Also, you can send a single email to each of the State Assembly Members by using the special "ONE CLICK" email address that you can find HERE . By sending one email to the special "ONE CLICK" address, each one of the State Assembly Members will receive a copy of your message (so it is probably a good idea to address your messages with: Dear Assembly Member,).

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Chapman Law Ranked Tier 3!

Good news for Chapman Law (source of my LL.M).  It has now risen to Tier 3 in the USNWR ranking.  UC Hastings (source of my JD) seems to have fallen a bit since I went there but is still in Tier 1.

Link: Search - Law - Best Graduate Schools - Education - USNews.

Take note if you are pulling your kids out of GuvSchool...

email received today....

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ALERT: A news conference is taking place next week and they need your help!

Randy Thomasson, President of Campaign for Children and Families is sponsoring a news conference urging parents to leave government schools. He needs to hear from parents ASAP who have recently left or are planning to leave public schools because of the new sexual indoctrination laws (SB777 and AB394).

If you or someone you know fits this description, please send an email message to ccf.email.5650@savecalifornia.com ASAP with your contact information. Please mention that we referred you.

Thank you,

Alan Schaeffer, President
Alliance for the Separation of School & State
1071 North Fulton Street, Fresno, CA 93728
559-499-1776 * Toll Free 888-325-1776
www.SchoolandState.org

Sacramento Sheriff cracking down on gun permits

Link: News - Sheriff cracking down on gun permits - sacbee.com.

Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness has revoked concealed weapon permits of a gubernatorial appointee and a state parole official while also vowing to overhaul permit record keeping, both in the wake of a Bee investigation. The Bee reported that at least 30 of the 550 people issued local carry permits from 1996 to 2007 had records of criminal convictions – and at least seven had failed to disclose them in their concealed weapon applications. Most of those permits were granted by McGinness' predecessor, former Sheriff Lou Blanas.

Meanwhile, OC gets a new acting sheriff. 

SF Gun Ban Overturned 3-0 by California Court of Appeals

Link: NRA-ILA :: In The News.

The California State Court of Appeals announced today their decision to overturn one of the most restrictive gun bans in the country, following a legal battle by attorneys for the National Rifle Association (NRA) and a previous court order against the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

Firefighters help bring down 100-pound Cat chased up tree by 20-pound Sheltie

Link: News: Mountain lion spotted in San Juan Capistrano | OCRegister.com.

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO – It will likely be the biggest cat Jo Ann Merrell’s dog, Cody, ever chases up a tree.

WorldNetDaily: 'Mom' and 'Dad' banished by California

This blog is about "guns and the right to life" and when a post, like this one, appears to have left the rails of relevancy, it is usually a bit of shocking news about the latest cultural attack on the family, the basic unit of capitalism and ordered liberty.

Link: WorldNetDaily: 'Mom' and 'Dad' banished by California.

"Mom and Dad" as well as "husband and wife" have been banned from California schools under a bill signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who with his signature also ordered public schools to allow boys to use girls restrooms and locker rooms, and vice versa, if they choose.

Schwarzenegger compares California to Athens and Sparta; says CA should lead ze vurldt

Link: Schwarzenegger: Calif. is 'nation-state' leading world | Politics News | Reuters.com.

"We are the modern equivalent of the ancient city-states of Athens and Sparta. California has the ideas of Athens and the power of Sparta," Schwarzenegger, who played Hercules in his first film role, told legislators at the capitol. "Not only can we lead California into the future ... we can show the nation and the world how to get there."

Athens was a democracy; California has elections but seats in the legislature never change hands (seats super-safe due to bi-partisan redistricting).  Sparta?  About the only thing we have in common with Sparta is destruction of the family.

What are we?  Along with the rest of America, we are a highly visible experiment in freedom, a "City upon a hill."  Massachusetts Bay Colony Guv John Winthrop wrote in 1630:

For we must consider that we shall be as a City upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. Soe that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause him to withdraw his present help from us, we shall be made a story and a byword throughout the world.

There's no spendthrift clause protecting this trust corpus.  It's ours to blow or pass on, if we can keep it.  All eyes are watching, and our descendants will curse us if we lose what is so costly to replace.

Ride Fast & Shoot Straight: Anti-gun California keeps pushing bad laws

Link: Ride Fast & Shoot Straight: Anti-gun California keeps pushing bad laws.

Fodder posts summaries of status of various recent CA gun bills.