Proof: Open Carry is a deterrent
From Georgia, comes this incident where open carry of firearms itself helped deter a robbery.
Matt Brannan and J.P. Mitchell were dining in the Wafflehouse on Barrett Parkway at I-575 in Kennesaw at 4:45 in the morning recently when a scout for an armed robbery crew entered the restaurant to case it. At the time, Matt and J.P. thought he looked a little suspicious, as he was wandering around the small restaurant like he was looking for someone. Unknown to Matt and J.P., two cars full of armed robbers were parked behind the restaurant waiting for the scout’s report.
The scout saw that two of the customers were wearing holstered 1911 Springfield Mil-Spec .45 pistols, and he immediately turned and left the store.
Meanwhile, conscientious Cobb County Police Officer D. Lowe had noticed suspicious cars sitting behind the restaurant in the dark and decided to investigate. He caught men with masks and rifles who had been preparing to rob the Wafflehouse. The criminals informed the police that they had changed their mind upon discovering armed customers and were waiting for Matt and J.P. to leave. Ironically, the police car was pulling in to the parking lot just as Matt and J.P. were driving away. In other words, had Matt and J.P. not been armed, the robbery probably would have occurred before the police intervened.
Inside the Supreme Court Gun Ban Case: Gura vs. NRA
Brian Doherty at Reason.com has an excellent article outlining the battle between Alan Gura and the NRA in regards to the Chicago Gun Ban case that is set to be heard by the Supreme Court on March 2nd, 2010. So the McDonald vs. Chicago case seems to have become the Gura vs. NRA case.
Alan Gura, lawyer for the Chicago plaintiffs whose right to effectively defend their lives in their own homes has been abridged by the city’s ban on handgun possession, previously won 2008′s D.C. v. Heller, the case establishing that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess weapons against federal encroachment. Gura is responsible, then, for the rehabilitation and revival of one constitutional amendment already. In McDonald, rather than merely extending the Second’s reach, he is aiming to rehabilitate and revive the 14th Amendment as well.
However, the Supreme Court’s decision in late January to grant 10 of Gura’s 30 minutes of oral argument time to the National Rifle Association (NRA) seems likely to hurt chances that the Court will take the more dramatic route laid before them. The NRA isn’t a plaintiff in McDonald (though they were parties in an earlier version heard by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, which combined separate challenges to Chicago’s gun bans), and the organization’s intent is to emphasize the more limited and traditional method of incorporating the Second Amendment against the states via the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment.
To sum up a very complicated legal argument quickly, Gura’s McDonald briefs do not rely solely on the traditional due process method. He also argued that 14th Amendment’s Privileges or Immunities Clause was more clearly intended to accomplish such incorporation, in terms of both legal logic and history.
This is almost a “libertarian” vs. “Republican” argument taking shape. Gura’s effort in using the Privileges or Immunities clause is much more far-reaching and thus more “libertarian” than the NRA’s effort to use, the more typical for incorporation, Due Process clause.
It could be said that winning this case on Privileges or Immunities grounds would make everyone, not just gun owners, more free. Winning the case on Due Process grounds would be more specific and mostly help gun owners alone.
Take the time to read the entire article if you are interested in this case.
AmmoSeek gets mentioned on DownRange TV
Michael Bane from DownRange.tv gives AmmoSeek a great mention in their weekly video podcast.
Bane says, “There’s a new way to find ammunition on the Internet. It’s called AmmoSeek.com.”
You can watch it here or embedded below. The AmmoSeek.com mention begins around the 4 minute mark.
Thanks for the mention, Michael!
Now Seeking Two New Calibers: 10mm and 7.62x54R
We’ve listened to some of the initial requests for adding new calibers to AmmoSeek. We now have 10mm handgun ammo and 7.62x54R rifle ammo in place.
AmmoSeek Has Launched! Find cheap ammunition right now.
We are ready to open AmmoSeek to the masses, however many they may be. We are now out of beta mode and are beginning to promote the use of the site more aggressively.
Feel free to tell all your friends that AmmoSeek is now here to serve all of your ammunition hunting needs!
Now that it has launched we can start working on some new enhancements and features we have in mind.
Enjoy the site and as always let us know how we are doing by sending us some feedback, good or bad.
The Armed Citizen- NRA News
- Washington Post calls for more gun control laws, including a new semi-auto firearms ban, blames U.S. gun laws for Mexico violence and makes excuses for Eric Holder February 5, 2012
- Virginia: Bills saying it is all right to use deadly force against intruders in your home are moving easily through the General Assembly. February 4, 2012
- Washington: Two Firearms-Related Bills Going to the House Floor! February 3, 2012
- GOA Alerts
