As some of you will remember, D.C. has been back in forth in the Second Amendment over the last few months. This week, a D.C. area investigative reporter ran an expose on how difficult it is in our nation’s capital to legally carry a gun outside of one’s home. D.C. has a may issue system, which means that any applicant must prove significant need or danger to receive a permit from DC Police. Emily Miller, the investigative reporter, required two police reports regarding threats against her life to have a permit “preliminarily approved.” Clearly, in a city rife with crime, people will be hard pressed to protect themselves out of their homes.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is moving to infringe upon the rights of gun-owners by banning so called “armor-piercing” ammunition based on a poor interpretation of a 30-year-old law. This new ban would prohibit the manufacture, importation, and sale of M855 ball ammunition, a very common round for the AR-15. Since they couldn’t ban the actual gun, the Federal government has tried to ban the ammo for the gun. The NRA will be submitting comments to the Bureau to fight this ban. Details about how to support opposition to this ban can be found at www.nraila.org.
We reported last week that a New Jersey man, Gordon VanGilder, had been charged with illegal possession of a firearm for having a 300-year-old antique pistol in his car. We are happy to report that the NJ prosecutor is exercising discretion in this case. The County Prosecutor’s office issued a statement that said “the public should be forewarned about the prescriptions against possessing a firearm…in a vehicle,” but did dismiss the case after making public example of Mr. VanGilder.
A Vermont state bill seeking to expand federal oversight and background checks for all private gun sales is dead in committee. The bill would have required almost all private gun sales to go through a federally licensed firearms dealer, and background checks would be mandatory. Instead, the Judiciary Committee may be considering prohibitions of gun ownership for people with certain types of criminal history, similar to a current federal law.
Finally this week, we have a defensive…something. This is not a traditional report from us regarding a defensive shooting. This is simply a great story that proves that guns can save lives and the real gun crimes aren’t being handled by our “gun control” movement. A Tampa, Florida woman and her boyfriend were attacked by five men in their home. Several of these men were armed, but the couple had a dog on their side. Legend, a bull-mastiff mix, tore into the attackers, literally, biting them while being shot twice. The dog sustained several wounds, but is expected to recover completely. One suspect was arrested and charged with battery with a deadly weapon, robbery home invasion, and aggravated cruelty to animals.