Ammunition Accountability Act?

This is the first I've heard of this. And I can't believe this!

That's why the fact that the Assembly has bought into a national crusade known as the Ammunition Accountability Act is suddenly a legitimate threat. New York, Pennsylvania and 16 other states have already enacted legislation that would mandate the engraving of a unique serial number on the base of each handgun and “assault weapon” bullet, and an identical number on the cartridge's case. The act calls for dealers of this “encoded ammunition” to record the purchaser's name, birthdate, drivers license number, etc.

All non-encoded ammunition must be disposed of prior to Jan. 1, 2011. The database and other expenses involved would be paid for by a special tax of a half-cent per round of ammunition sold.

http://www.theithacajournal.com/article/20081204/SPORTS/812040369

Folks, we gotta get together and do something about this. I can't even begin to think of how this would affect us. I'm a shooter and a reloader. This is totally bullshit!

Buying a gun in a different state...

I'm just starting to research whether or not I can buy a handgun in a different state from the one my driver's license was issued.

I'm moving and I was hoping I could buy a new handgun before I went and got a new driver's license.

Any clues any one?

One Gun Too Few

Posted on 04/22/2007 7:01:18 AM PDT by Dick Bachert

What the Washington Times of Tuesday, 17 April, aptly headlined as the “Massacre at Virginia Tech” is a tragedy that should—that must—teach this country a number of serious lessons.

First, that all so-called “gun-free zones” are exceedingly dangerous places. For all “gun-free zones” amount to “self-defense prohibition zones” for honest citizens, and therefore “free-fire zones” for psychopaths, “terrorists,” and other homicidal criminals. If common sense did not, certainly the experiences documented by researchers such as John Lott confirm that the less “gun free” an area is (in terms of firearms in the immediate possession of honest citizens ready and willing to use them), the less violent crime occurs there.

Virginia Tech has long been a “gun-free zone” for the purposes of its students’ self-defense. In the name of preventing violence, the university has prohibited every student with a Virginia license to carry a concealed firearm from doing so on campus. Surely debatable is whether such a regulation is even legal—given that such a license is a Virginia statutory right of any individual who qualifies for it (and, I should argue, a constitutional right as well) that no mere administrative body has any authority to deny. Beyond dispute is that events have written in blood just how disastrously that idea worked on Monday, 16 April 2007: Apparently everyone among the student body obeyed the edict, except the killer. The regulation perhaps disarmed students who might otherwise have legally been carrying a firearm with which they could have stopped the killer in his tracks. And the police, who were armed and on the campus, proved ineffective, because they were not on the scene. (continued)

Lost quotes

I just found these in a pile of papers I was going to throw out. Unfortunately I have no idea where I found them. Did I write them? :-) Doubt it.

In America, the burden of proof lies with those restricting civil liberties, not those who enjoy and protect those freedoms.

and...

Liberals have just as many freedoms to protect as anyone else, perhaps even more.

Armed teachers

MADISON, Wis. - In the wake of school shootings in Wisconsin, Colorado and Pennsylvania during the last two weeks, a state legislator says he plans to introduce legislation that would allow teachers, principals, administrators and other school personnel to carry concealed weapons.

Rep. Frank Lasee, a Republican, said Wednesday that, while his idea may not be politically correct, it has worked effectively in other countries.

"To make our schools safe for our students to learn, all options should be on the table," he said. "Israel and Thailand have well-trained teachers carrying weapons and keeping their children safe from harm. It can work in Wisconsin."

I am a teacher and I don't think that it would be a bad idea to give people who are willing and properly trained the option to carry a weapon. It would definitely give those who are bent on taking innocent children's lives a second thought before entering a school.

However, what is proper training? It would have to be no less than what SWAT forces receive. To have a teacher fire a weapon and possibly endanger the life of a student is almost unthinkable. I don't see how a good educator has the time to go through that kind of training. I hardly have time for my wife and simple hobies as is.

Proper hardware? CCW for sure. Nobody could know that you were carrying. Ammunition would have be chosen very carefully - over penetration is totally unacceptable. What about tasers? Difficult if some one is using a child as a human shield.

As predictable and interesting as this concept is, I doubt the future of this kind of legislation. The newsgroups are massive flamewars, nobody seems open to a different opinion.

Akins Accelerator(TM)

This is an interesting accessory. 650+rpm without a class 3 license? I had to take a good look at the website to figure out what exactly do they mean by this proposition. It sure looks like they've pulled it off. The Ruger 10/22 becomes a rapid fire semiautomatic weapon.

I wonder if stuff like this, if it becomes popular across other weapon platforms, will help facilitate banning semiautomatics in the future? If nothing else they might redefine the term "machine gun". For example, "... more than one round discharged through a single 'motion' of the hand." Where a "motion" might be a flexing of a muscle or some other stupid legal definition.

Would you buy one? What do you think?

Handguns—reporting multiple sales

If you sell or dispose of more than one handgun to any non-licensee during a period of 5 consecutive business days, the sale must be reported on ATF Form 3310.4, Report of Multiple Sale or Other Disposition of Pistols and Revolvers, not later than the close of the business day on which you sold or disposed of the second handgun. The licensee must forward a copy of the Form 3310.4 to the ATF office specified thereon, and another copy must be forwarded to the State police or local law enforcement agency where the sale occurred. A copy of the Form 3310.4 also must be attached to the firearms transaction record, ATF Form 4473, documenting the sale or disposition of the second handgun.

A business day for purposes of re-porting multiple sales of pistols or revolvers is a day that a licensee conducts business pursuant to the license, regardless of whether State offices are open. The application of the term “business day” is, therefore, distinguishable from the term “business day” as used in the NICS con-text. Example: A licensee conducts business only on Saturdays and Sun-days, days on which State offices are not open. The licensee sells a pistol to an unlicensed person on a Saturday. If that same unlicensed person acquires another handgun the next day (Sunday), the following Saturday or Sunday, or the Saturday after the reporting requirement would be triggered, the subsequent acquisition of a handgun would have to be reported on a Form 3310.4 by the close of the day upon which the second or subsequent handgun was sold.

Legality of Eminent Domain

A friend was joking about Fenway Park in Boston and that "they" should envoke eminent domain and seize more land for the park.

She was totally joking, but it seemed odd to me that the thought would even cross her mind. The idea just seems wrong to me, but I don't know much about it.

In a case of first impression, a deeply divided panel of the Commonwealth Court ruled that the Redevelopment Authority of Philadelphia cannot take private property marked as blighted and give it to a private, religious organization.

“In short, nothing in the Constitution authorizes a taking of private property for a private use,” Smith-Ribner said.
Court: Future Developer Matters For Legality of Eminent Domain

Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Judge Beth A. Myers today ruled the City of Norwood, Ohio, abused its discretion in finding the Edwards Road neighborhood “blighted,” but went on to find that the area could be called “deteriorating.” Thus the judge ruled that the City was justified in using eminent domain...
Ohio Judge Upholds Use of Eminent Domain In Nice Neighborhood

Eminent Domain Abuse Nationwide
This map plots instances of eminent domain abuse across the United States. Because many condemnations for private gain go entirely unreported, this resource represents only a fraction of the actual number of private takings nationwide.

In a close ruling announced on June 23, 2005 the Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 that state and local governments could use eminent domain to take private property against the owners' will for use in private development. The decision is expected to have major ramifications for redevelopment and property rights cases around the country.
Kelo v. New London

Property rights purists contend that the words eminent domain appear nowhere in the U.S. Constitution. However, eminent domain law is based on the Fifth Amendment: [no person shall] be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

In 2004, the Pacific Legal Foundation and the Michigan branch of the ACLU asked the Michigan Supreme Court to "restore the constitutional protections which ensure that private property cannot be taken to benefit powerful interest groups at the expense of the less powerful." The Supreme Court voted unanimously to overturn the Poletown eminent domain ruling — over 20 years after the neighborhood was razed.
Eminent Domain History

After reading a few of these articles, I'm a little more cautious about the issue. The only experience I've had with eminent domain was that my Grandmother's property was resized to allow for a sidewalk to be built. She lived in a small but developing town at the time of the construction. The town has now stabilized into a more active destination for tourists interested in art. I don't how that's benefitted the residents there directly, but I don't see any negatives from that seizure.

Most of these areas have been designated as "blighted" and that can go a long way to justifying the redevelopment of those properties. I doubt wheter those citizens are actually being compensated correctly. Perhaps they should be given cash up front and a percentage of the profits from future real estate assessments.

Japanese Gun Laws

I was always under the impression that it was illegal to own guns in Japan. I found this interesting article that very clearly provides folks with information about the lengthy process of obtaining a license for gun and ammunition ownership. The article clearly states that gun ownership is for hunting and sports competitions only.

Alternate link.

Can I store an AR-15 in New Jersey?

I think I'm going to have to call a lawyer in New Jersey about the legality of storing an AR-15 at my folks place in NJ. I know there's a law against ownership of this kind of gun in the state of NJ, but technically my parents aren't the owners, users, or would even be aware of the firearm.

It is unlawful to knowingly possess any handgun, including any antique handgun, without first having obtained a Permit to Carry. It is unlawful to knowingly possess any rifle or shotgun without having first obtained a Firearms Purchaser Identification Card (FID).
Exceptions. No Permit to Carry or FID is required:
To keep or carry any firearm about a person's place of business, residence, premises, or other land owned or possessed by him; a place of business shall be deemed a fixed location.

New Jersey law restricts the ownership of certain semi-automatic and other firearms based upon their military appearance.

High Capacity Magazines or Feeding Devices.
New Jersey prohibits the manufacture, transport, shipment, sale or disposal of large capacity ammunition magazines, unless the magazine is intended to be used for authorized military or law enforcement purposes. N.J. Rev. Stat § 2C:39-9h. New Jersey law defines “large capacity ammunition magazine” as a box, drum, tube or other container which is capable of holding more than 15 rounds of ammunition to be fed continuously and directly into a semi-automatic firearm. Section 2C:39-1y.

My question is how can I own and M4 with hi-capacity magazines while I'm out of the country?