Sen. Coburn Standing Alone In Holding Up The Veterans Disarmament Act
-- Coburn needs your help right away!

Gun Owners of America E-Mail Alert
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Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
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Thursday, September 27, 2007


"When the NRA and Chuck Schumer agree, that tells you it's something worth doing," Schumer said.
-- The Associated Press, September 26, 2007


The quote above explains the problem we are facing. Both sides of the gun control debate -- with the exception of Gun Owners of America and many pro-gun groups at the state level -- are supporting the Veterans Disarmament Act (HR 2640).

"Propelled by a rare alliance between the National Rifle Association and majority Democrats," the AP explained, "the legislation was passed in similar form by the House and would be the first major gun control law in more than a decade." Both sides are screaming for passage of this bill!

But you should realize that Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) has been working with Gun Owners of America and, right now, is standing ALONE in the U.S. Senate to hold up this dangerous piece of legislation -- which is being pushed by the Queen of Gun Control in the House (Carolyn McCarthy of New York) and the King of Gun Control in the Senate (Chuck Schumer of New York).

Consider what the above news report had to say late last night:

"Majority Democrats in the Senate were poised as early as this past Monday to bring the bill to a vote until Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., objected," the AP stated.

Sen. Coburn understands that the bill is anathema to gun rights and will result in the disarmament of (potentially) millions of additional, law-abiding Americans. "Veterans, or any other American, should not lose their Second Amendment rights," he said, "if they have been unfairly tagged as having mental health concerns."

Coburn gets it. He is absolutely correct in regard to his concerns with the bill. But why aren't other pro-gun Senators standing with him?

Your help is desperately needed right now. Even if you have taken action against this bill in the past -- even the recent past -- we still need you to do so again. There are two important action items:

ACTION ITEM #1:

Please contact Senator Tom Coburn via his webform here to thank him for his defense of gun rights. He's willing to fight the fight, but it will help him know that he has millions of gun owners standing behind him. (A pre-written letter is provided below to guide your comments to Sen. Coburn.)

ACTION ITEM #2:

Please use the second pre-written message to contact one of the other Senators who need to join Sen. Coburn in actively working to defeat the Veterans Disarmament Act -- just choose the one nearest to you. The Senators who need to hear from you, and their contact info, are as follows:

By Jose L. Medina Sun-News reporter
Article Launched: 09/30/2007 12:00:00 AM MDT

LAS CRUCES — More and more Doña Ana County residents are packing heat since lawmakers approved a concealed handgun carry law in 2003. The first licenses were issued in January 2004.

According to the latest figures from the New Mexico Department of Public Safety, 455 people in Doña Ana County have a license to carry a concealed handgun — well over three times as many as 2004 when 121 permits were granted.

That's not a revelation to Clyde Johnson, a Las Cruces resident and concealed-carry instructor.

"It's not surprising at all; people worry about their personal protection," Johnson said.

"I generate anywhere between five to 10 calls a month," he said, referring to inquiries about the required minimum 15-hour training course. "I do training for about 10 to 12 percent of those because a lot of people, the time doesn't work out for them or my class may be full, just different things like that."

The course is a mix of classroom and shooting range instruction.

Doña Ana County statistics indicate 373 men and 82 women have a license to carry a concealed handgun. A further breakdown shows the county demographic with the most permits are men ages 61 to 70 with 107 permits. The smallest group totals five permits issued to men age 81 and over.

For women, 29 permits were issued to those ages 51 to 60. Women with the fewest permits were ages 21 to 30 and 31 to 40, each group with seven permits each.

Doñald Stephenson, another Las Cruces concealed-carry instructor, said a number of his students have been college students.

"I've had a lot of college students that have gone through my course and they put it on their r/sum/s," Stephenson said. "... A lot of them are going for criminal justice (degrees), you put on your r/sum/ that you've been through basic pistol and personal protection ..., they know you can handle a handgun."

In Grant County, 231 residents have permits — 178 men and 53 women.

In Otero County, 227 men and 60 women have permits. In Sierra County 42 men and six women can carry a concealed handgun. All six women are ages 21 to 30.

The county with the most permits in the state also is the most populous.

Residents in Bernalillo County have been issued 2,046 permits — a big jump from what it was three years ago. In 2004 the number was 247. Mora County in the northern part of the state currently has eight permits, the fewest of all counties.

In all, more than 7,000 New Mexicans have a concealed handgun license. In 2004 there were only 1,217 permits statewide.

Johnson said those that want a permit are looking to prevent becoming a first time or a repeat victim of crime.

"You get a balance of both," he said. "Most of the people I've taught have not talked about being victimized. A lot of them are preventing it, making sure they don't become one of the statistics."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Jose Medina can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

To view more information on New Mexico's concealed-carry law and statistics, click on the following links:
New Mexico Concealed Handgun Carry Act provisions
New Mexico Concealed Handgun Carry Act changes
Licenses by county
Licenses by gender, age and county 

Source: Las Cruces Sun  

Driver's gun charge tossed

Judge finds prosecution of delivery man unconstitutional

By DERRICK NUNNALLY

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Posted: Sept. 24, 2007

A Milwaukee County judge found the concealed-weapon prosecution of a pizza driver who shot two would-be robbers in seven months unconstitutional Monday.

The ruling by Circuit Judge Daniel A. Noonan means Andres Vegas won't face criminal charges in the non-fatal shootings. Prosecutors had filed a misdemeanor count of carrying a concealed weapon after the second shooting, in January, and said Vegas had been warned after a July 2006 shooting not to carry a concealed gun while driving for his job.

However, Noonan agreed with defense attorneys' contention that Vegas needed the gun to protect himself in his chosen work, citing state Supreme Court decisions that found justified exceptions to the state's concealed-carry ban.

"Given Vegas's experience, he has a need for a gun at a moment's notice," Noonan writes in his decision. "Enclosing and unloading the weapon is not a reasonable alternative to secure and protect his safety. Plus, Vegas while delivering pizzas enters and exits his car constantly; it would be unreasonable for him every time that he enters his car to require him to unload it and place it in a case and then reverse the process every time he exits. This defeats the purpose of having the gun for security and protection."

Craig Mastantuono, one of two attorneys who represented Vegas, said the weapons ban had presented Vegas, 46, with two untenable choices: either carry a gun illegally or else go unarmed on delivery runs in the same central-city neighborhoods where he has been robbed four times.

"Mr. Vegas's situation may seem unique," Mastantuono said, "but given the gap between the rights that are afforded Wisconsin citizens in the right to bear arms amendment and the prohibitions that restrict Wisconsin residents in the concealed-carry general ban that was never updated by the Legislature, I think it's going to be a recurring situation, quite frankly."

Deputy District Attorney Kent Lovern said the office has no plans to appeal the decision. An appeal could give a higher court an opportunity to hand down a precedent-setting decision on whether the concealed-carry prohibition is constitutional, whereas Noonan's decision applies only to Vegas's case.

Mastantuono said Vegas has moved on, career-wise. After the charge was filed, Vegas became a delivery driver in a Milwaukee suburb. He is now a cook.

"Mr. Vegas felt required by circumstances - not only of threats to his safety but being prosecuted for defending himself - he felt required to change careers," Mastantuono said.

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel