Federal Court OKs Border State Gun Sale Reporting Requirement
A federal district court in Washington, DC recently upheld a BATFE firearms sale reporting policy. This policy, via ATF Demand Letter 3, will require all of the nearly 9,000 firearms dealers in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas to report sales of two or more semi-automatic rifles by the same buyer within five consecutive days. The plaintiffs, who plan to appeal immediately, noted that this number of dealers is around 20 times the number subject to similar previous demand letters.
A recent NRA-ILA article was published on the court ruling, in which they continue to make their argument that the Fast And Furious operation was used as justification for this new Demand Letter.
The 4 Laws of Gun Safety
The 1st Law – Consider every firearm loaded at all times and treat it accordingly.
It doesn’t matter if you just checked the chamber seconds ago, always assume that it is loaded. (Note that NRA has decided not to teach this rule in their safety courses and brochures).
The 2nd Law – Never Point The Gun At Something You Are Not Prepared To Destroy! Always keep firearms pointed in a safe direction.
A safe direction means that the gun is pointed so that even if it were to go off it would not cause injury or damage. The key to this rule is to control where the muzzle is pointed at all times. This rule directly correlates to the first rule; pretend that every firearm is loaded and that it will go off. Pay attention to where your muzzle is pointed; don’t go waving it around. Keep it pointed in a safe direction even when checking out the sights or dry-fire practicing.
The 3rd Law – Always Be Sure Of Your Target And What Is Behind It!
This means don’t shoot at things your bullet could bounce off of (ricochet) and hurt someone or something that you don’t intend to shoot. It also means don’t rely on your target to stop the projectile; be sure that if your bullet passes completely through your target that it will not continue on and hurt someone or something that you don’t intend to shoot. It also means being sure that if you miss your target your bullet will not continue on its path and hit something or someone you don’t intend to shoot.
Be sure you have a good, bulletproof backstop. If you can’t be sure of your projectile’s trajectory from the time it leaves your firearm until it comes safely to rest, DON”T SHOOT!
The 4th Law – Keep Your Finger Off The Trigger Until You Are Ready to Fire!
The best way I’ve heard this put is “Keep your booger hook off the bang switch!” When holding a firearm, rest your finger on the trigger guard or along the side of the gun. Until you are actually ready to fire, do not touch the trigger. You don’t want a muscle twitch, a sneeze or a light trigger causing your firearm to go off and end in tragedy.
These rules won’t protect you from all firearm mishaps, accidental discharges (ADs) or negligent discharges (NDs) but, when combined with common sense (e.g. don’t use drugs or alcohol when handling firearms, know how to correctly operate the firearms you are handling), they will put you well on your way to being a safe shooter.
Firearms Are NOT Inherently Dangerous!
We’ve had a few recent stories on our forums that I thought we’d make more accessible by posting about on the blog.
The first item was a link to an NSSF release giving some stats about how hunting is safer than most other recreational activities. For example, did you know that you are 25 times more likely to be injured while riding a bicycle than while hunting or that your chances of getting injured playing soccer are 34 times that of getting injured while hunting. And football? Forget about it! You’re over 100 times more likely to get injured playing tackle football than you are while hunting.
Just because it’s “safer” doesn’t mean that it’s completely safe, though. You still need to take precautions while out hunting. Continue reading
NRA’s “Big Wins” for Gun Owners Might Not Be So Big
Unclear reporting muddies the water on shotgun import bans and “sporting purpose”
An article recently released by the NRA-ILA entitled “Rumor Alert: Appropriations Bill Blocks New Shotgun Ban—Does Not Repeal ‘Sporting Purposes’ Test” doesn’t go far toward clearing up “inaccurate reporting”. The earlier article, Twelve Big Wins for Gun Owners, Nov 18, 2011, described “big wins” for gun rights provided by the conference report on the combined Fiscal Year 2012 Agriculture, Commerce/Justice/Science and Transportation/Housing/Urban Development Appropriations bills (also known as the “mini-bus”).
The article states that the conference report added two new provisions that bolster gun rights and protect the Second Amendment. One such provision touted by the article was listed under the heading of “Shotgun Importation Protections”, where the NRA states that the report “Prohibits the Department of Justice from requiring imported shotguns to meet a ‘sporting purposes’ test that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) has used to prohibit the importation of shotguns.” Continue reading
Gun Found in Carry-On Discharges, Officer Hit in Face
A police officer at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia was struck in the face when a pistol that he found in a passenger’s carry-on luggage discharged.
Security screeners discovered the .22 Magnum revolver as they x-rayed a carry-on bag taken through security by 43 year old Richard Popkin, of Georgia. Atlanta police officer NJ Phillips was notified and responded to the call to secure the firearm, which was loaded with five rounds of “snake shot,” ammunition loaded with small pellets used for killing snakes and other small animals.
As Phillips spoke with Popkin about how to clear the firearm, he unintentionally fired a shot from the revolver. Luckily, the firearm was pointed in the relatively safe direction of a screening table; however, Phillips reported that he was grazed by a pellet fragment on the left side of his face, which left no visible injuries.
