----------------------------------------------------------------------
Not yet a VCDL member? Join VCDL at: http://www.vcdl.org/join
----------------------------------------------------------------------
VCDL's meeting schedule: http://www.vcdl.org/meetings
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Abbreviations used in VA-ALERT: http://www.vcdl.org/help/abbr.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1. VCDL to have membership meeting in Virginia Beach on Monday, Dec. 30
2. VCDL President to speak at Rivanna Rifle and Pistol Club meeting in Charlottesville on Jan. 9
3. Supper meeting in Christiansburg on Monday, December 16
4. Action item: Herring/Obenshain Attorney General election recount needs help
5. Lobby Day - Monday, January 20, 8:30 AM, Richmond
6. Reminder: Delaware no longer honors Virginia CHPs
7. Reminder: VCDL to have tables at Salem gun show on Dec. 21 and 22 and Roanoke Gun show Jan. 4 and 5
8. Virginia Supreme Court overturns verdict in wrongful death suit against Virginia Tech
9. VA homeowners association bans weapons on common ground
10. Antis are satisfied with police arriving after a crime?
11. Man navigates maze in hunt for concealed carry record
12. Dems push expanded gun control, confiscation
13. Michael Bloomberg wants to be mayor of the world
14. Politico reveals White House's Newtown strategy
15. Left-wing activists try to use Fast & Furious to push gun control
16. Practical discussion of ways to carry when you're expecting
17. Gallup: Self defense number one reason for gun ownership
18. Terrible tally: 500 children dead from gunshots every year, 7,500 hurt, analysis finds
19. [NY] Multiple people stabbed in Brooklyn [VIDEO]
20. [NY] Man arrested, guns seized for carrying more than 7 rounds
21. [CT] Mob picks on 'The Wrong Guy'
22. [MO] Last remaining lead smelter in the USA closing after 120 years
23. [MO] Sierra Bullets on the shutdown of the Herculaneum MO lead smelter
24. HELP NEEDED for VCDL booth this weekend in Fredericksburg!
**************************************************
1. VCDL to have membership meeting in Virginia Beach on Monday, Dec. 30
**************************************************
VCDL has two new volunteers in the Virginia Beach area to arrange for VCDL to have regular, quarterly, membership meetings there - Peter J. Louie and Carl Bare II.
Peter has arranged for VCDL to have a membership meeting on Monday, December 30. It is going to be held at:
Meyera E. Oberndorf Central Library
Auditorium
4100 Virginia Beach Boulevard
Virginia Beach, VA 23452
Fellowship starts at 6:30 PM and the meeting will be called to order at 7 PM. The meeting will adjourn at 8:30 PM.
This meeting is open to the public, so please bring friends, family, and coworkers!
We are going to be discussing Lobby Day, as well as the gun legislation that is being introduced for the General Assembly session starting in early January.
**************************************************
2. VCDL President to speak at Rivanna Rifle and Pistol Club meeting in Charlottesville on Jan. 9
**************************************************
I have been asked to talk at the regular membership meeting of the Rivanna Rifle and Pistol Club (RRPC) in Charlottesville on Thursday, January 9. The meeting starts at 7:30 PM and I will talk about Lobby Day and about the future VCDL membership meetings to be held at their clubhouse at around 8 PM.
The meeting is open to the public and this would be a good chance for those of you who are not members of the RRPC to see their incredible facilities and to meet some of their members.
Directions to RRPC can be found here:
http://tinyurl.com/cq4aa3e
**************************************************
3. Supper meeting in Christiansburg on Monday, December 16
**************************************************
SW Virginia's will have a VCDL SUPPER MEETING on MONDAY, 16 December 2103 at:
AMELIA'S PIZZORIA & RESTAURANT
1130 CAMBRA ST NE
CHRISTIANSBURG, VA 24073
Fellowship starts at 6:30 PM and buffet meal will be served at 7 PM. Cost will be $12.00 per person, to include drinks and tips. Speaker to be announced. We will draw a winner for our Glock 19 raffle at this event!
PLEASE RSVP with numbers attending to: al@vcdl.org so proper seating and food will be prepared.
The meeting is open to the public, so bring someone with you! There will be door prizes, too!
A short talk and discussion on VCDL plans for 2014 will be made.
**************************************************
4. Action item: Herring/Obenshain Attorney General election recount needs help
**************************************************
Attorney General Recount
The date for the recount in the Attorney General race has been set. The stakes are high for gun owners and the difference between the two candidates on our right to keep and bear arms could not be more stark.
To make sure that the recount is done fairly and legally, monitors are needed!
If you are available to monitor the recount on December 17th, and for training on December 14th, please contact Bob Sadtler at:
chairman.vcdlpac@vcdl.org
PLEASE participate if you can.
**************************************************
5. Lobby Day - Monday, January 20, 8:30 AM, Richmond
**************************************************
VCDL wishes to thank the Rivanna Rifle and Pistol Club for their support. They host VCDL meetings on a regular basis, giving us a comfortable place to meet in the Charlottesville area. We encourage you to visit their web site and participate in their many activities. Membership is affordable and participation in many of their events does not require joining the range.
Here is a piece from their monthly newsletter, The Sight & Action, about Lobby Day. The S&A can be found on the RRPC web site athttp://rrpc.org/newsletters/currentsa.pdf and is available for download by all.
What's the Big Deal About Lobby Day?
Every year on the Third Monday in January the Virginia Citizens Defense League holds their annual Lobby Day. This day is also Martin Luther King Day so a lot of people are off work and most schools are closed. However, the General Assembly is in session and therefore many groups lobby on this day. Since it is a holiday street parking is free...you don't have to feed the meters.
This year in particular we have a new administration coming into office. Both the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor are admittedly in favor of placing what they call "common sense" restrictions on your right to keep and bear arms. So this year it is vitally important that we, as a community of responsible gun owners, show up in force to send a very clear message that we will not tolerate the passage of bills that only punish good people for the actions of the criminal.
Lobby day is the perfect opportunity for you to meet your Delegate face to face. It is an exceptional learning opportunity for your children as they can see first hand how our government works and how they can be a part of the legislative process. From what the representatives in the GA have told us, your emails are good and a phone call is better. But what carries the most weight in their eyes is a personal visit. In fact we have been told that if just six people contact a representative on any given issue, that is considered a high volume and gets their attention! Imagine the response when hundreds, even thousands, of gun owners show up in a single day!
Our government is "Of the People, By the People and For the People." YOU are those people. If you don't exercise that right you WILL lose it. So mark your calendar for January 20th and make plans now to travel to Richmond. There will be car pools so watch the VCDL Facebook page and sign up for the VA-ALERT at www.vcdl.org. See you in Richmond!
**************************************************
6. Reminder: Delaware no longer honors Virginia CHPs
**************************************************
Delaware does honor both Utah and Florida non-resident permits, however. Both of those permits have non-resident options that are available to Virginians.
More on Utah non-resident permits:
http://publicsafety.utah.gov/bci/concealedfirearms.html
And Florida non-resident permits:
http://tinyurl.com/kfomzls
**************************************************
7. Reminder: VCDL to have tables at Salem gun show on Dec. 21 and 22 and Roanoke Gun show Jan. 4 and 5
**************************************************
A reminder that VCDL will have tables at the SALEM GUN SHOW on December 21 and 22. Anyone wishing to assist at this event please reply to al@vcdl.org
Helpers get FREE admission to the gun show for some last minute shopping! We will have a limit of FOUR helpers per shift at this show.
--
The ROANOKE GUN SHOW will be on January 4 and 5 at the Roanoke Civic Center.
IF you are planning on assisting at this show, please advise by sending an email to: al@vcdl.org
We will have a limit of THREE helpers per shift at this show. Helpers get FREE admission to the show and get some shopping done for those items that you did NOT get for Christmas. ;-)
**************************************************
8. Virginia Supreme Court overturns verdict in wrongful death suit against Virginia Tech
**************************************************
Once again Virginia Tech reminds students, faculty, staff and visitors that they CANNOT and are not REQUIRED to protect any individual. You are on your own. They aren't even required to warn you of a potentially dangerous situation.
The State claims that, "Cho was the lone person responsible for this tragedy." While we agree with that, why is the University allowed to infringe on the rights of all innocent gun owners by banning campus carry for self-defense, then? Is there personal responsibility or isn't there?
How do gun-banners and those that collude with them sleep at night?
Member Mark Shinn emailed me this:
--
From WashingtonPost.com: http://tinyurl.com/n6datul
Virginia Supreme Court overturns verdict in wrongful death suit against Virginia Tech
By J. Freedom du Lac
October 31, 2013
The Virginia Supreme Court overturned a jury verdict in a wrongful-death suit brought by the parents of two students who were killed in the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre, delivering fresh pain to the victims' families and a sense of relief to school and state officials.
In a unanimous decision released Thursday, the justices wrote that "there was no duty for the commonwealth to warn students about the potential for criminal acts" by student-gunman Seung Hui Cho after he shot two students in a dormitory. Nearly two and a half hours later, Cho chained the doors at Norris Hall and shot at least 47 people in 11 minutes before killing himself.
Jurors in Montgomery County Circuit Court ruled last year that the state was negligent in the deaths of Julia Pryde and Erin Peterson, two of the 32 people killed by Cho on the Blacksburg campus. The jury panel awarded the parents of Pryde and Peterson $4 million each, although the court later reduced the amount to $100,000 per family.
Harry Pryde, whose daughter Julia was killed in her advanced hydrology class on the second floor of Norris Hall, said the families were "deeply saddened that the court was so dismissive of assigning responsibility and was so protective of the commonwealth."
The lawsuit was about accountability, not money, Pryde said in a telephone interview, "and we still take a good measure of satisfaction that the jury listened to all of the evidence and decided as it did. We don't feel at all that the Supreme Court can take that away from us."
Virginia Tech and the state maintained all along that campus officials and police had acted appropriately, given what they knew at the time.
While expressing sympathy for the victims of the massacre, "the Virginia Supreme Court has found what we have said all along to be true: The commonwealth and its officials at Virginia Tech were not negligent on April 16, 2007," said Brian Gottstein, a spokesman for Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II, in a written statement. "Cho was the lone person responsible for this tragedy."
After Cho's rampage - one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history - most of the victims' families accepted a settlement that prohibited them from suing the university or the state. The Petersons and Prydes refused, instead pursuing a lawsuit because, they said, they wanted to get to truths they suspected officials were withholding.
Several people, including Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger, were originally named as defendants in the lawsuit. But by the time the case went to trial, all of the individual defendants had been dismissed, leaving the state as the lone defendant.
The question at the heart of the lawsuit was one the families had been asking since 2007: Why hadn't Virginia Tech officials informed the campus community that a gunman might be on the loose after the double murder in the dorm?
The Prydes and Petersons maintained that a proper warning would have helped their daughters avoid Cho's bullets.
The jury agreed, but the state appealed, arguing that it was not required, by law, "to warn of third party criminal acts."
**************************************************
9. VA homeowners association bans weapons on common ground
**************************************************
Member John Hacker forwarded this notice of an amendment to the Dominion Valley Owners' Association's Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions. The Dominion Valley Owners Association (DVOA) is a homeowners association in Northern Virginia, where HOA's are very common. In the name of "safety," the DVOA's Board of Directors amended the Association's rules of conduct to disarm owners and their guests while on the HOA's common ground.
The notice specifically states that "The primary reason for the change is that Virginia is an open carry state, and it is not illegal to carry a gun." In addition to the explicit ban on the carry or use of any type of gun, the amendment goes on to forbid carrying of "any type of sword, knife, club, crossbow or any other type of weapon."
John encourages every gun owner to get involved in his/her own homeowner's association and work to prevent their community from becoming another target-rich environment.
--
From: Dominion Valley Owners' Association
Sent: Tuesday, October 8, 2013 1:59 PM
Subject: Revision to Policy Resolution No. 8
DVOA's Policy Resolution No. 8 relates to general rules of conduct and use of lots, living units and common areas. The revision discussed herein relates to the common areas.
In a ongoing effort to ensure the safety and well-being of all residents and guests within Dominion Valley Owners Association, the Board of Directors recently reviewed Policy Resolution No. 8 and added a clause regarding the use of the common areas. The primary reason for the change is that Virginia is an open carry state, and it is not illegal to carry a gun.
The revised resolution included a reference to Article 8, Section 8.3 of the Declaration which states:
"The Board of Directors shall have the power to adopt, amend and
repeal Rules and Regulations restricting and regulating the use
and enjoyment of the Property or any portion thereof, which may
supplement, but may not be inconsistent with the provision of the
Association Documents."
The added clause can be found on Section III, Clause D, and reads as follows:
"Except for immediate transportation to or from ones vehicle,
carrying or discharging of guns of any sort, including BB guns,
paintball guns, and pellet guns on Association property is strictly
forbidden. In addition, the carrying of any type of sword, knife,
club, crossbow or any other type of weapon is strictly forbidden.
A first offense may result in a violation charge of up to $50.00
in accordance with the Association's enforcement procedures.
Subsequent offenses may result in additional charges of $50.00 per
occurrence. These restrictions do not apply to any legal items kept
within an owner's private property."
The resolution became effective August 29, 2013.
**************************************************
10. Antis are satisfied with police arriving after a crime?
**************************************************
In his response to the VCDL Update 10/26/2013, Item 5, "One stabbed overnight near VCU campus," member Rick Evans expresses the frustration experienced by many self defense advocates. Rick points out that antis are happy within things that are done AFTER a crime. (Rick does not consider the police to be the problem, but neither does he consider them to be the solution.)
--
I find it interesting that the anti's are always satisfied with "after."
They're perfectly fine with:
Police arriving AFTER the event.
Police increasing patrols in the area AFTER the event.
Police investigating the crime AFTER the event.
Police (occasionally) arresting the perp(s) AFTER the event.
Why is it so hard for the anti's to understand that the whole point of citizens carrying is so that harm can be avoided when it counts the most - AT THE TIME of the event?
Maybe I should just start referring to myself as a "private first responder," and to the anti's as the "after's?"
**************************************************
11. Man navigates maze in hunt for concealed carry record
**************************************************
VCDL is having a bill introduced to clarify that a person can see THEIR OWN CHP records at the Circuit Court Clerk's office. Currently the records are completely sealed, except for a bonafide law enforcement investigation.
Member Dave Briggman emailed me this:
--
From The News & Advance, NewsAdvance.com: http://tinyurl.com/pe3fs69
Man navigates maze in hunt for concealed carry record
By Alicia Petska
October 31, 2013
Questions about gun rights led to questions about government transparency this month when a handgun owner set out to learn what type of police files are maintained on him.
Lynchburg resident Christopher Moore filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking the information compiled by city police when he applied for a concealed handgun permit. The police conduct background investigations on all applicants, and advise the courts on whether permits should be granted or not.
Moore, a local business owner, said he's been a permit holder for about eight years.
"The main purpose of me filing a FOIA request was to see what type of information they're gathering on law-abiding citizens," he said. "... I'm just a liberty-minded individual, and something smells off to me."
The Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, protects the right of Virginia residents to access public records. The files assembled on concealed carry applicants are not open records, but Moore requested only his personal information.
Moore said his request was prompted by City Council's recent debate over the local concealed carry permit fee and the costs factored into it.
Local governments are allowed to charge up to $35 to recoup the cost of conducting background investigations. Lynchburg charges the maximum, and said on average it takes an hour to process each application. There are fees for court services and the state police, making the total cost $50.
Moore, who supports lowering the fee, requested his file to see how much information is gathered and assess whether the city's stance is reasonable.
The response he received was a generic checklist of the type of information gathered and a copy of the relevant state code, he said.
He also received redacted copies of police training requirements he requested "to dispel the myth that LPD officers are more well trained and more professional than the legally armed, law abiding citizens that reside in Lynchburg."
He did not receive information specific to his individual permit application. He was billed $50 for the response.
In an Oct. 13 email to council, Moore called the bill "absolutely preposterous" and said he was concerned the police department was trying to intimidate him to deter further questions about department practices.
The department said it followed standard procedure and did not bill the full amount allowed by state law. FOIA allows agencies to charge reasonable fees to recoup the direct costs incurred to fulfill a request, including staff time.
In this case, officials said, it took an officer four hours to fulfill the request. Moore said he found that questionable given the limited information provided.
Upon further discussion with Moore and the city administration, the police department decided to waive the fee. It also gave him additional information about its training policies and advised him that his concealed carry permit file could be viewed at the circuit court clerk's office.
The department said it had not understood from Moore's first request that he was asking to see his file.
"From the initial request he made, we thought we had answered his question," said Capt. Ken Edwards, who oversees the division that handles FOIA requests.
When Moore clarified his request, the department helped him get the information he sought, Edwards said.
Chief Parks Snead decided to waive the $50 fee, because it appeared Moore had not realized he might be charged, officials said.
Those filing FOIA requests can ask for an advance estimate of associated charges, but absent that, government agencies generally aren't required to give prior notice before charging.
In an Oct. 17 letter to Moore, Chief Snead said it took about $92 worth of staff time to respond to the initial inquiry filed. The $50 was settled on by a supervisor as an "appropriate and reasonable melding" of those costs, he said.
Snead cautioned the costs associated with a FOIA response are not necessarily comparable to that of a concealed carry permit investigation.
"[I] must point out that these are distinct processes carried out to achieve distinctly different purposes - although I agree that various factors can make either process significantly more time and labor/resource intensive to complete," he wrote.
The police department said it's satisfied the request was handled appropriately and considers the matter resolved.
Edwards said the department doesn't automatically charge for every FOIA response, but ends up charging in most cases.
Routine requests for things like accident reports carry a standardized $10 fee, he said. More extensive requests are assessed on a case-by-case basis.
"Many times we will actually reduce the cost when we charge in an effort to inform the citizenry without giving them a large bill," Edwards said.
Most requests come from law firms, he added, but it's not unusual to get requests from private citizens.
City Manager Kimball Payne, whom council referred the matter to, said his philosophy is agencies generally should not charge for FOIA requests from individual citizens.
"It's not our normal practice to charge people," he said. "... Normally, it's just routine. If someone asks for information, we give it. If someone asks a question, we answer it. It's not always technically required to do it, but it's just good customer service."
The requests made should be reasonable, he added, and some may be so extensive a fee is merited. In addition, charging businesses like law firms generally would be appropriate, he said.
Payne said he reiterated these points to the police chief, and supported the chief's decision to waive the fee in Moore's case.
"We shouldn't make things more difficult either for ourselves or for the person requesting information," he said. "... We don't need to be fighting about these things."
Moore said some progress has been made, but he remains frustrated with the department's level of responsiveness.
He said he had to reiterate his request several times before it was correctly understood.
"One of our biggest concerns is: are they doing this to everybody?" he said.
Moore added he continues to question the city's claims about how much time and expense is involved in processing a concealed carry permit and may try to pursue the matter further.
In separate interviews, Mayor Michael Gillette and Councilman Turner Perrow said they were satisfied with how the FOIA issue was addressed.
**************************************************
12. Dems push expanded gun control, confiscation
**************************************************
Member Bill Albritton emailed me this:
--
From Breitbart.com: http://tinyurl.com/n7xkoqx
Dems push expanded gun control, confiscation
By Awr Hawkins
October 31, 2013
At an October 30th press briefing, Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Reps. Gwen Moore (D-WI) and Elizabeth Etsy (D-CT) called for more gun control laws, including those that would take guns from certain Americans.
The briefing was hosted by NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg's "Mayors Against Illegal Guns" (MAIG), and the calls for new laws were backed by appeals to the same poll numbers Democrats used when they failed to pass gun control on April 17.
According to RedAlertPolitics.com, Sen. Murphy suggested the American public wants more gun control but Congress will not comply. Said Murphy: "There is a huge disconnect between what the American public wants and what Congress is willing to give them."
Contrary to Murphy's intimation, Gallup shows support for gun control has not only declined since January 2013, but with few exceptions has been in a decline since 2000.
Rep. Moore said guns should be "taken away" from certain Americans--including those who have restraining orders placed upon them. Although restraining orders are not always justly issued and certainly had nothing to do with the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting that united gun control proponents earlier this year, Sen. Blumenthal is proposing legislation to take guns away from owners when a restraining order is issued.
California led the way with this type of legislation, using all the data they have compiled via expanded background checks to track down and confiscate guns from owners with a restraining order.
**************************************************
13. Michael Bloomberg wants to be mayor of the world
**************************************************
From Time Magazine, Time.com: http://tinyurl.com/m8w2tgn
Michael Bloomberg wants to be mayor of the world
By Michael Scherer
October 21, 2013
Michael Bloomberg makes no secret of his ambition. "I want to do things that nobody else is doing," he told TIME on a two-day swing through Europe in late September, where he met with the mayors of London and Paris and chatted with British Prime Minister David Cameron between visits to art galleries and an antique-furniture dealer. Officially Bloomberg was still acting as a political office-holder, but in practice the outgoing three-term mayor of New York City had already begun his next life, a jet-setting blur of wealth, power and international recognition.
In 2013, Bloomberg plans to spend about $400 million on pet causes, which at 1.3% of his fortune is barely a rounding error. His money flows out through a complex web of nonprofit foundation work and private entities, often in chunks so small or anonymous that they are difficult to track. He has spent more than $100 million to genetically engineer a better mosquito, in the hopes of eliminating malaria, while closer to home, he's involved in setting fracking policy, supporting Planned Parenthood and passing gay-marriage referendums. In local, state and federal elections around the country, he is spending millions more to back candidates who would further gun control and education reform and defeat those who oppose them.
"A lot of elected officials are afraid to back controversial things. I'm not afraid of that," he said. "You're not going to hurt my business, and if you are, I don't care. I take great pride in being willing to stand up."
**************************************************
14. Politico reveals White House's Newtown strategy
**************************************************
Member Walter Jackson emailed me this:
--
From GunNews.com: http://tinyurl.com/mxs5z4n
Politico reveals White House's Newtown strategy
Posted by GunNews.com Editor
October 30, 2013
In a story ostensibly about Vice President Joe Biden being put on the sidelines in ongoing gun-control talks, Politico.com recently revealed details much more worrisome to gun owners - high-level plotting by the White House to capitalize on last year's Newtown tragedy.
In an Oct. 28 post entitled "Joe Biden on sidelines in gun control talks," the publication said officials from the White House Office of Public Engagement, which reports to senior Obama aide Valerie Jarrett, are now carrying the administration's gun control efforts. OPE officials hold a regular meeting with the major gun control groups known as the Gun Violence Table.
Politico said the weekly sessions often include OPE Director Paulette Aniskoff or official Paul Monteiro along with representatives from Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Moms Demand Action, the Center for American Progress, Organizing for Action and Americans for Responsible Solutions.
The groups are coordinating a November lobbying effort and planning events to commemorate the first anniversary of the Newtown, Conn., massacre last December, Politico reported.
Officials from the groups said they hope to follow the example set by gay marriage advocates - turning victories in a handful of local battles into something that resembles a national movement, according to Politico.
The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms today said gun ban groups and the Obama administration are engaged in "world-class hypocrisy" for criticizing gun rights organizations over "Guns Save Lives Day" - on the day after the first anniversary of the Sandy Hook tragedy - while planning their own lobbying effort and activities to exploit the event.
"When we launched 'Guns Save Lives Day,' we were condemned for 'poor taste' by the same groups that are now reportedly planning a November lobbying effort, and media events coinciding with the Sandy Hook anniversary," noted CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb.
"According to Politico, the leading gun prohibition groups are coordinating with the Obama administration to fully exploit the Newtown anniversary to further their own political agenda," he said, "exactly as we predicted when we announced the Guns Save Lives Day project. We're emphasizing the need to protect a fundamental civil right, while the gun ban lobby is capitalizing on a horrible tragedy to destroy that right, and they know it."
**************************************************
15. Left-wing activists try to use Fast & Furious to push gun control
**************************************************
The "in-your-face" lies and twists are breathtaking. If there is gun control needed after Fast & Furious, it would be to disarm the government, except for the military and the U.S. Marshals.
Member Bill Albritton emailed me this:
--
From Breitbart.com: http://tinyurl.com/mtqx2ab
Left-wing activists try to use Fast & Furious to push gun control
By Matthew Boyle
November 2, 2013
Left-wing activists and officials within President Barack Obama's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), part of Attorney General Eric Holder's Department of Justice (DOJ), attempted this week to reframe Operation Fast and Furious as a problem with America's gun laws.
"Stricter U.S. gun measures are needed to stem the flow of guns to Mexico, where the weapons are fueling violence and leaving people 'under siege' with little hope of help from their government, activists said Thursday," according to Chad Garland of Cronkite News. "In addition to tougher laws, they called for tougher enforcement by federal officials, who they say have been reluctant to act since the fallout from Operation Fast and Furious, the failed 'gun-walking' operation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives."
Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and a leader of the ongoing congressional investigation into Operation Fast and Furious, told Breitbart News on Friday that such an argument is ludicrous. "Restricting the constitutional rights of law abiding citizens will never serve as a deterrent for criminals intent on committing future crimes," Gosar said in an email.
In Operation Fast and Furious, several "straw purchasers"-people who work for the Mexican drug cartels' American-based weapons smugglers-bought guns in the U.S. which were then smuggled into Mexico. ATF agents, at the direction of supervisors within the agency, allowed this to happen and directed gun store owners to allow it to continue-a practice known as letting the guns "walk."
As a result of Fast and Furious, Border Patrol agent Brian Terry and about 300 Mexican nationals have been murdered with the weapons the ATF allowed to "walk" into Mexico. Many of the weapons have still not been recovered years later. The congressional investigation that Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has shown that ATF willingly allowed-and helped facilitate-cartel-affiliated smugglers in their efforts to purchase firearms in the United States and then traffic them into Mexico.
Despite having enough evidence and laws already on the books to arrest and prosecute those so-called "straw purchasers," documents and congressional testimony shows that ATF agents were ordered to allow the straw purchases to continue without making arrests. Even Holder, who has since been held in both criminal and civil contempt of Congress on a bipartisan basis for his failure to comply with Issa's subpoenas for more documents, has admitted that the tactics employed in Fast and Furious were wrong.
"That was a fundamentally flawed program, fundamentally flawed," Holder said in a February 2012 budget hearing when responding to a question about Fast and Furious. "And, I think that I can agree with some of my harshest critics that there are legitimate issues that need to be explored with regard in which the way Fast and Furious was carried out."
Holder still denies having known about the tactics at the time but will not share all the requested documents with Congress.
Garland quoted an official from ATF, Phoenix-based Special Agent Thomas Mangan: "By no means are we turning our back or turning a blind eye... Trying to stem that flood of guns and that iron river of guns... and trying to keep ahead of the techniques and tactics that these criminal organizations are using in obtaining guns is ever-evolving."
Mangan's comments were in a response to a forum that the far-left Center for American Progress (CAP) hosted at George Washington University (GWU) on Thursday. CAP's Associate Director of Crime and Firearms Policy, Chelsea Parsons, reportedly said that part of the reason why things like Operation Fast and Furious happened and the reason why U.S. guns are found at Mexican crime scenes is because it is "easy and legal to buy [guns] without a background check."
"Parsons called for universal background checks and tougher sanctions on straw purchasers to 'make it worthwhile' for law enforcement to prosecute the 'little fish' in gun-trafficking operations," Garland explained. "She also pointed to the cartels' creativity in evading customs inspections to smuggle guns into Mexico."
In response to left-wing groups now trying to use Fast and Furious to promote gun control efforts, Gosar ripped CAP for not attempting to hold Holder accountable for his actions in Fast and Furious and the subsequent congressional investigation. "It sounds like the agenda of this forum, and the personal agenda of some of its organizers, was to talk about the need for stricter gun laws," Gosar told Breitbart News. "Where has the Center for American Progress been in the fight to hold Attorney General Holder responsible for his role in Fast and Furious and the deaths of hundreds of Mexicans and U.S. Border Patrol Agent Terry?"
"These groups want to have it both ways; call for tougher penalties for gun crimes then turn a blind eye to the gun crimes committed under Holder's watch," Gosar added. "Justice is blind to the partisan agenda of these gun grabbing groups. The victims' families deserve better."
Garland also quoted a Jesuit priest from Mexico, Rev. Javier Avila, who serves as the president of the Commission of Solidarity and Defense of Human Rights in Chihuahua, Mexico. Avila said violence resulting from ATF's gun walking and other cartel activity is brutal in Mexico. "You lose someone in a terrible way and nothing happens," Avila said. "Young people massacred, mothers disappeared, children disappeared, husbands, wives disappeared."
Gosar told Breitbart News that he wants "Rev. Avila and the people of Mexico to know our nation joins theirs to mourn the innocent lives lost through gun crimes. This is why it is so important we seek justice and accountability for those responsible for Fast and Furious," he explained. "Our government armed the violent criminals responsible for these deaths and no one wants to take responsibility. This is why I continue to push for Attorney General Holder's resignation."
Gosar has a resolution in the House of Representatives calling for Holder to resign his position over Operation Fast and Furious. Holder remains in both criminal and civil contempt of Congress, but Holder's subordinate, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Ron Machen, refuses to prosecute Holder on the criminal contempt resolution. As a result, House Republicans, led by Issa's committee, have fought against the Obama administration in court for the release of the documents it is continuing to withhold from Congress and the American people.
President Obama asserted executive privilege over the documents last year. Obama is asserting the lower of two executive privilege forms, deliberative process privilege rather than presidential communications privilege. If Obama asserted the higher form, it would have meant that either he or his senior White House staff was aware of the gun walking tactics employed in Operation Fast and Furious, something that both Obama and Holder have denied.
A federal judge recently allowed the House oversight committee's lawsuit against the administration and the president's claim of executive privilege to proceed, despite calls for dismissal from Holder's DOJ. Traditionally, deliberative process executive privilege claims are considered invalid with even the suspicion of any government wrongdoing. In this case, the administration has admitted wrongdoing with regards to the tactics employed during Operation Fast and Furious and in how the Justice Department misled Congress with a false statement when first confronted about the scandal in early 2011.
The administration has since withdrawn that false statement and admitted it provided inaccurate information to Congress.
Sen. Grassley told this reporter last year that if the federal judge in the case does not overturn the privilege claim, it would be "the most sweeping abuse of executive privilege in the history of executive privilege."
The Obama administration has also been reportedly holding up the publication of ATF Special Agent John Dodson's tell-all book on Fast and Furious. Dodson was the original whistleblower who brought this scandal to the attention of Congress.
**************************************************
16. Practical discussion of ways to carry when you're expecting
**************************************************
For moms-to-be: a practical discussion of the best ways to carry concealed when pregnant.
From BabyCenter.com: http://tinyurl.com/k3n9oot
**************************************************
17. Gallup: Self defense number one reason for gun ownership
**************************************************
Member Walter Jackson emailed me this:
--
From Breitbart.com: http://tinyurl.com/mvrd4s7
Gallup: Self defense number one reason for gun ownership
By Awr Hawkins
October 28, 2013
A recent Gallup poll shows that self-defense is the number one reason for gun ownership.
Among poll respondents, 60 percent cited "personal safety/protection" as the reason they own guns. 36 percent said they own guns for hunting, 13 percent for "recreation/sport," and 8 percent for "target shooting."
Other reasons Gallup respondents provided for gun ownership included "Antique/Family Heirloom/Passed Down" (5 percent) and "related to line of work--police, military" (3 percent).
Those who owned guns just because they can--citing their "2nd Amendment right" as a reason--only came in at 5 percent.
This poll indicates Americans of all political stripes understand that private gun ownership allows them to defend their lives and the lives of their families. And as Art Swift observes, "This...may explain why moving toward greater gun control as Obama and Democrats have sought to do, is so difficult."
**************************************************
18. Terrible tally: 500 children dead from gunshots every year, 7,500 hurt, analysis finds
**************************************************
Notice how the push in by one of the author's of the study is to take away handguns from households and not to get the word out on how to store guns safely. "'Policies designed to reduce the number of household firearms, especially handguns, may more effectively reduce the number of gunshot injuries in children,' Madenci said."
And the study on "children" includes adults 18, 19 and 20 years old, too. The authors have doctorates and don't know what the definition of a child is?
Hmmm. Perhaps reducing the number of anti-gun quack doctors doing "studies" might help us focus on real solutions to America's problems.
Member James D. Durso emailed me this:
--
From NBCNews.com: http://tinyurl.com/mlggk23
Terrible tally: 500 children dead from gunshots every year, 7,500 hurt, analysis finds
By Bill Briggs
October 27, 2013
About 500 American children and teenagers die in hospitals every year after sustaining gunshot wounds - a rate that climbed by nearly 60 percent in a decade, according to the first-ever accounting of such fatalities, released Sunday.
In addition, an estimated 7,500 kids are hospitalized annually after being wounded by gunfire, a figure that spiked by more than 80 percent from 1997 to 2009, according two Boston doctors presenting their findings at a conference of the American Academy of Pediatrics, held in Orlando, Fla.
Eight of every 10 firearm wounds were inflicted by handguns, according to hospital records reviewed by the doctors. They say the national conversation about guns should shift toward the danger posed by smaller weapons, not the recent fights over limiting the availability of military-style, semi-automatic rifles.
"Handguns account for the majority of childhood gunshot wounds and this number appears to be increasing over the last decade," said Dr. Arin L. Madenci, a surgical resident at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital and one of the study's two authors. "Furthermore, states with higher percentages of household firearm ownership also tended to have higher proportions of childhood gunshot wounds, especially those occurring in the home."
Among homes with children, rates of gun possession ranged from 10 percent in New Jersey, for instance, to 62 percent in Montana, the researchers found.
Madenci, and his colleague, Dr. Christopher Weldon, a surgeon at Boston Children's Hospital, tallied the new statistics by culling a national database of 36 million pediatric hospitalizations from 1997 to 2009, the most recent year for which figures are available.
During that period, hospitalizations of kids and teens aged 20 and younger from gunshot wounds jumped from 4,270 to 7,730. Firearm deaths of children logged by hospitals rose from 317 in 1997 to 503 in 2009, records showed.
A woman visits the grave of Will McAnaul, a 4-year-old boy who died after a gun incident in 2009.
Among those victims may have been 3-year-old Will McAnaul, who died on July 21, 2009 in Dayton, Ohio. The preschooler discovered his father's loaded handgun under his parents' bed and accidentally shot himself.
His mother, Patcine McAnaul, found her son, who was helicoptered to Dayton Children's Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead from a single gunshot wound to the face.
Four years later, his family is still struggling with the loss of the little boy who loved the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Wars and bouncing on his trampoline. He marched through the house singing his favorite church song, "Soldier in the Lord's Army," whose lyrics are now etched on his gravestone.
"From the moment he could talk and walk, his main goal was to make everyone smile," recalls McAnaul, 31. "He wanted everyone to be happy."
Their grief has been compounded by outside blame in a society deeply divided over gun rights issues.
"That's what I think is the hardest about this situation," McAnaul said. "It's not like your child died of cancer, or they died because of a drunk driver. This is a situation where people can point their finger at you. Part of you can't blame them. And another part of you is like, 'That's not fair. We're amazing parents.'"
Will's death was a tragic accident, his mother said. After a burglary at a neighbor's home that occurred shortly before the accident, Will's father, Ryan McAnaul, had placed the gun "in reach," Patcine said, adding that it wasn't in sight when Will found it.
"I always just try to think of my husband because I feel like he gets the brunt of this," she said. "There have been people who have said, 'I can't believe you guys are still married.' And I'm like, 'What?' You can't blame someone for something like that. I know how great of a dad he is. When people say that, it just breaks my heart ... And I know he's dealt with it, and still to this day he deals with the guilt of it."
Today, the family, which includes four children, relies on their deep faith and their memory of the little boy who wanted to someday be a pilot. Patcine McAnaul started a blog, where she writes about her deepest struggles and fondest memories.
In time, she says, she grasped onto the notion that her life and her pain aren't "my permanent sentence." That allows her to be present for her remaining children and her husband and to move forward instead of dwelling on "the negative."
"We have joy in our lives today," she said. "That surprises people when they meet us."
McAnaul said she occasionally has warned friends about leaving guns unattended in their homes where children can get to them, advising others to safely store and lock the weapons.
McAnaul leaves discussion of the larger gun debate to others, remaining meticulous in choosing her words.
"I don't usually discuss firearms, typically because my focus is that of an Eternal perspective rather than a political debate or temporary circumstance," she wrote in an email to NBC News.
Gun-ownership advocates don't dispute the new statistics, but they say they should be considered within a larger context. One calculation that's mentioned too rarely involves the deaths and injuries that are prevented by legally armed citizens, said Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
"When you look at the number of people who are alive today or who didn't have to be hospitalized because they weren't a victim - and the money saved on that - you have to look at that side of the equation to get good public policy," Gottlieb said.
The Boston researchers are correct in pointing to the problem of handguns, which are used far more often in accidents and crimes than military-style assault weapons, he added.
"So where the doctors are saying the debate should be more in that direction, I wouldn't disagree with that," Gottlieb said.
For their part, the researchers say the equation for cutting child deaths and injuries is clear.
"Policies designed to reduce the number of household firearms, especially handguns, may more effectively reduce the number of gunshot injuries in children," Madenci said.
**************************************************
19. [NY] Multiple people stabbed in Brooklyn [VIDEO]
**************************************************
A mass stabbing in gun-free New York City. It must have been committed using one of those high-capacity "AR-15" knives. I wonder if Bloomberg or the Mainstream Media is going to try to find out what kind of knife was used? I'll bet not.
EM Kennith Modica emailed me this:
--
From Yahoo.com: http://tinyurl.com/lj7wz9q
Multiple people stabbed in Brooklyn
By Dray Clark
October 27, 2013
(video) Dray Clark has the latest from Sunset Park.
**************************************************
20. [NY] Man arrested, guns seized for carrying more than 7 rounds
**************************************************
Forget going after violent criminals - that's way too dangerous. Go after good guys who have too many cartridges in their lawfully owned and carried handgun instead.
Member Bill Watkins emailed me this:
--
From AmericanThinker.com: http://tinyurl.com/krvzhf4
Man arrested, guns seized for carrying more than 7 rounds
By Michael Filozof
October 30, 2013
The Buffalo News is reporting that law enforcement agents seized all of the registered handguns from the home of a man who had been arrested earlier this month. His "crime"? Carrying ten rounds of 9mm ammunition in his legally registered handgun instead of seven rounds.
Paul Wojdan of Lockport, NY became the latest victim of New York State's anti-gun fascism when a car driven by his wife was pulled over for speeding. Cops searched the car and discovered that Wojdan had ten rounds of ammunition in his handgun. Under Andrew Cuomo's ultra-draconian "NY SAFE" Act passed in January, it is a crime to load more than seven rounds of ammunition into any firearm unless at an approved shooting range, where ten rounds are permitted. (Thus, under New York State law, one is permitted to shoot ten rounds at a paper target, but if a gang of rapists or murderers invades your home, you will be charged if you shoot more than seven rounds at them. Of course, Cuomo's State Police security detail may carry as many rounds as they wish.)
Unlike most other states, in New York a handgun permit is not merely a permit to carry, but a permit to possess a handgun -- even in one's own home. Permits in New York are extremely difficult to obtain; they must be approved by a judge, and an applicant often must spend hundreds of dollars and wait a year or more for approval. Permits may be revoked at any time for any reason. Subsequent to Wojdan's arrest, his permit was revoked, and armed sheriff's deputies came to his home to seize all of his registered handguns.
Moral of the story: any firearm registration or permitting scheme will result in confiscation and seizure of firearms by law enforcement for arbitrary and picayune reasons entirely unconnected to public safety.
The Wojdan story is yet another sorry anecdote in the now-daily barrage of stories in which the constitutional rights of Americans are violated by imperious government officials who treat the Bill of Rights with utter contempt.
Link to original story below:
http://tinyurl.com/olgsnf5
**************************************************
21. [CT] Mob picks on 'The Wrong Guy'
**************************************************
Knives save lives, too. (Guns are better, of course.)
Two adorable "little angels," who had just severely beaten up two girls, breaking one girl's arm, picked the wrong victim this time. The "Knockdown Game" became the "Oh, Crap - I Just Got Stabbed! Game."
Member Chet Szymecki emailed me this:
--
From WND.com: http://tinyurl.com/kosq3uy
Black mob picks on 'The Wrong Guy'
'Knockout Game' results backfire when 'victim' is armed
By Colin Flaherty
October 15, 2013
DeAndre Felton and his crew had a problem: The mall was closed. The curfew in effect. But they were still high on drugs and wanted to have more fun. So they decided to beat someone up.
Turns out they chose The Wrong Guy.
They had just come from a local park where DeAndre and 15 others beat up two girls, sending one to the hospital with a broken arm.
So DeAndre came up with an increasingly popular idea: In St. Louis they call it the Knockout Game. In Illinois, Polar Bear Hunting.
Regardless of what DeAndre in Meriden, Conn., called it, the rules are the same all over: Find a person who looks defenseless. Then punch him. Or kick him until you get tired or he is knocked out. Or worse. Game over.
DeAndre was part of a pattern of hundreds of examples of black mob violence documented in more than 80 cities revealed in "White Girl Bleed a Lot: The return of racial violence and how the media ignore it."
DeAndre knew The Knockout Game was usually pretty safe. For the attacker, that is. In Meriden, victims aren't likely to carry concealed weapons. Nor do they fight back: As one player said in Philadelphia as his victim begged for mercy: "It's not our fault you can't fight."
So when DeAndre and his gang of eight to 10 left the parking lot in a Meriden mall just a few weeks ago - soon after the park beat-down - he was confident little could go wrong when he told his friends he wanted to "beat someone up."
They found their victim a few minutes later. Soon DeAndre and his confederate, Deshaun Jones, were peeling off from the group, heading for a guy walking home from work. Alone.
We don't know his name or race or much else about him other than this: He was The Wrong Guy.
With their friends lurking less than 100 yards away, DeAndre and Deshaun attacked The Wrong Guy. Then came the surprise: The Wrong Guy fought back. He pulled a knife. Soon DeAndre was dead, and Deshaun was on his way to the emergency room.
It took the police a few days to piece it together. And while they did, Facebook pages, Twitter streams and a televised candlelight vigil were full of praise and happy memories for the fallen DeAndre. Full of promises to catch the person responsible. Full of rumors about what happened - including some who thought DeAndre could be the next Trayvon Martin, the Florida teenager who was killed by a neighborhood watch commander.
Two weeks after the killing, police released the results of their investigation. They said they delayed release of the findings out of respect for the family of DeAndre and on the advice of community leaders. Curiously, the police report did not mention the earlier mob attack involving DeAndre. Nor did the police mention what, if anything, they did out of respect for the two female victims of the earlier assault.
But the report left little doubt about what happened that night.
They talked to other members of Andre's mob, plus a dozen more people, and they all said the same thing: DeAndre and Deshaun attacked The Wrong Guy, who then stabbed them in self-defense.
The families didn't want to hear that explanation.
Deshaun's mother said the police had it wrong: The Wrong Guy was the real attacker.
"This is a monster, this is a monster after children," Alexis Jones said. "This man is still on the streets, and my son is sitting home trying to recover. My son has two stab wounds in his back, one on his side, and he has a slice on his neck."
DeAndre's mother joined in.
"I just don't believe it. My son was not raised to be a troublemaker," said Valda Felton. "I don't want them or anyone else to make my child out to be a villain."
Family friend and minister Rev. Dante Moss, who officiated at DeAndre's funeral, held a press conference and called the police findings a "comic book." Moss compared DeAndre to Trayvon.
The minister and the family said the police had it wrong: The Wrong Guy attacked DeAndre and DeShaun, not the other way around.
Police say not one of the people present corroborated Moss' claim. But Moss just kept on keeping on.
He posted the following almost a dozen times on DeAndre's Facebook page, now a memorial site: "The Funeral is over but Deandre is still screaming for Justice! Get Ready to Rock The Earth! Don't let him Die Twice!!!! Stand Ready to Rock the Earth!"
Posters to local news sites pitched in, including his aunt.
"Deandre was trying to help his friend after he got stabbed," said Talitha Frazier "Then deandre got stabbed in his back. I have one question? In the state of Ct. at what point are you allowed to take someones life. Some one please answer that for me. I am his aunt."
Katie Lynn posted this after the funeral: "deandre lost his life..sticking up for his friend. he's a hero. people just need to stop pointing fingers and realize the grief that family is going through."
Lots of people joined with Moss to say they had no faith in the police investigation. And they believed the crime against DeAndre and Deshaun was racially motivated.
"Why should another one of Gods black angels die without no type of justice again from the meriden police dept," Edwina Lebby posted on Facebook. "If it were a white kid justice would of been served!!!!"
"He was stabbed last night on kensington ave by a coward who didn't stop to think that this was someone's baby ughhh," said Annette Rosado "God i hope they catch this person:("
Celines Matias Rodriguez said: "justice for deandre!! And for his friend who was stabbed while he was turned away!!!! An arrest needs to be made!!!! An adult using a knife on small children needs to be punished!!!! I pray to God that charges are brought about soon..."
"Where's the video? Show it to us," said another Facebook poster. "Hmmmm. I want to know why they had to go find this guy 22 hours later if he was attacked. I want to know. Doesn't sound right to me at all. He's so innocent? Really? Then why did he run and hide? Just someone answer that."
But catching The Wrong Guy was not a problem. Hospital video and witness accounts led the police to his door less than one day after the attack. He handed over the knife and expressed surprise one of his attackers died. His name was not released.
Others in Meriden point to several other examples of black mob violence say this was not an isolated incident. Said MeridenMom: "Where was justice when my 40 year old brother was innocently 'jumped' last summer by a group of teens/young boys and when the neighborhood churchman was 'jumped' this past summer walking home from a nightly service by a group of boys. My kids knew and went to school wit[h] both teens and knew exactly what happened before news reported it. Kids was high looking for trouble and jumped somebody."
Despite the best efforts of Moss to the contrary, the earth did not rock.
No charges have been filed in the stabbing or the assault. DeAndre was 15 years old. DeShaun is 13.
Four days later and 1,300 miles away in St. Cloud, Jesse Smithers was getting ready for another round of the Knockout Game.
Smithers was riding with a car-full of friends when he spotted The Right Guy: a 20-year old student named Colton Gleason.
Smithers told the driver to stop the car. He got out and punched Gleason in the face.
They did not have to worry about Gleason carrying weapons. That's not what college students do in Minnesota. Soon Smithers was back in the car, bragging about his knockout punch.
Gleason died that night. And Smithers was charged with murder soon after. None of the friends was charged. Though a judge did have to issue a no-contact order because many of the witnesses were being threatened - another tradition of the Knockout Game.
**************************************************
22. [MO] Last remaining lead smelter in the USA closing after 120 years
**************************************************
Don't panic yet, read the next article (#23).
EM Leyla Meyers emailed me this:
--
From TheFirearmBlog.com: http://tinyurl.com/k8g8wgw
Last remaining lead smelter in the USA closing after 120 years
By Steve Johnson
October 20, 2013
Suddenly the US Army's obsession with lead-free ammunition makes perfect sense, it was about security not the environment. A reader writes ...
"The last remaining lead smelter, in Herculaneum MO, is closing down.
This will undoubtedly affect the price of lead, since the lead that is
mined in Viburnum MO will now be sent out of the US for smelting.
Missouri's Lead Belt has been the primary source of lead for the US since
1700. A lead smelter has been in operation in Herculaneum since 1892.
This is why Lake City, Federal, and other ammunition companies have been
located in the region. The recent articles on shot towers don't really
apply to the ammunition industry that existed on the bluffs of the
Mississippi river, since no tower was needed. The top of the 'shot tower'
was simply an overhang by the river.
The EPA's new clean air rules would require a $100 million dollar
investment in new equipment. As such, the Doe Run Company has decided
to close the site."
According to STL Today reports that the 145 jobs will be lost and the company will terminate 73 contractors. My understanding is that most, if not all, mines that produce lead ore in the USA also produce a number of other minerals, so this does not necessarily mean job losses in the mining sector.
With the USA no longer producing lead, almost all of the worlds lead will come from China, Australia and Peru.
**************************************************
23. [MO] Sierra Bullets on the shutdown of the Herculaneum MO lead smelter
**************************************************
It's not the end of the world for ammunition. But it's not great news either. There will be more on this issue in a future update.
Member Bill Albritton emailed me this:
--
From OnlyGunsAndMoney.blogspot.com: http://tinyurl.com/k7vvvnl
Sierra Bullets on the shutdown of the Herculaneum MO lead smelter
By John Richardson
November 1, 2013
As has been reported in many places, the Doe Run Company will be closing their lead smelting plant in Herculaneum, Missouri. The closure of the only primary lead smelter or a smelting plant that produces lead from lead ore is due to the EPA's ten-fold increase in air standards for lead.
The NRA-ILA provided a quick summary:
"In December, the final primary lead smelter in the United
States will close. The lead smelter, located in Herculaneum,
Missouri, and owned and operated by the Doe Run Company, has
existed in the same location since 1892.
The Herculaneum smelter is currently the only smelter in the
United States which can produce lead bullion from raw lead ore
that is mined nearby in Missouri's extensive lead deposits,
giving the smelter its 'primary' designation. The lead bullion
produced in Herculaneum is then sold to lead product producers,
including ammunition manufactures for use in conventional
ammunition components such as projectiles, projectile cores, and
primers. Several 'secondary' smelters, where lead is recycled
from products such as lead acid batteries or spent ammunition
components, still operate in the United States.
Doe Run made significant efforts to reduce lead emissions from
the smelter, but in 2008 the federal Environmental Protection
Agency issued new National Ambient Air Quality Standards for
lead that were 10 times tighter than the previous standard. Given
the new lead air quality standard, Doe Run made the decision to
close the Herculaneum smelter."
Most ammunition uses lead as one of its primary components whether in bullets or lead shot. The question is whether they use recycled lead or lead that comes directly from ore.
Sierra Bullets of Sedalia, Missouri is the first bullet manufacturer that I know of that has addressed the question of whether the plant closure will shut down their supply of lead. The answer is a qualified no.
"The main question asked is 'Will this shut down your supply
of lead.' The answer to that is no. First, Sierra buys lead
from several different vendors to maintain constant supply.
Second, this facility only smelts primary lead or lead ore.
This is lead ore that has just been brought out of the earth.
Sierra uses no primary lead at all and never has, so we use
nothing directly from this facility. The lead we buy from Doe
Run comes from their recycling facility in Boss, MO that is
about 90 miles away from the smelter that is closing.
"The facility we buy from is still going strong and delivering
to us as scheduled. The lead from this facility is from recycled
lead, mostly coming from car batteries. This is a continuing 'in
and out' cycle for them and the smelter closing will not affect
this facility.
"Our supply should not be in jeopardy and we do not anticipate
any changes in our supply chain at this time. Could the lack of
primary lead create a little more demand for recycled lead? Sure,
but how much is unknown. Could this increase in demand also create
an increase in price? Sure, but again, by how much is unknown at
this time.
"There are many other primary lead smelters in the world and so
the flow of primary lead will not be shut off. Where there is a
need for primary lead, I am sure there will be a salesman more
than happy to pick up the business."
If you read their answer closely, they are saying their source of lead seems to be secure. However, the demand for recycled lead will undoubtedly begin to rise as battery manufacturers may increase their consumption of recycled lead. The increase in hybrid and electric cars will also increase the demand for lead-acid batteries.
Ammo prices have risen with demand and I expect they will continue to rise from both ammo demand and demand for the raw materials such as lead. Where it will end, I just don't know.
**************************************************
24. HELP NEEDED for VCDL booth this weekend in Fredericksburg!
**************************************************
FREDERICKSBURG - http://www.guns-knives.com, Dec. 14-15
SGK Gun Show
Expo and Convention Center
Commonwealth Court
Fredericksburg, VA
Saturday, Dec. 14 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 15 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Please contact Robert Herron at Fredericksburggunshows@vcdl.org to
help in Fredericksburg.
-------------------------------------------
***************************************************************************
VA-ALERT is a project of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc.
(VCDL). VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization
dedicated to defending the human rights of all Virginians. The Right to
Keep and Bear Arms is a fundamental human right.
VCDL web page: http://www.vcdl.org [http://www.vcdl.org/]
***************************************************************************
IMPORTANT: It is our intention to honor all "remove" requests promptly.
To unsubscribe from this list, or change the email address where you
receive messages, please go to:
https://www.listbox.com/member/?member_id=15843530&id_secret=15843530-842dc303 [https://www.listbox.com/member/?member_id=15843530&id_secret=15843530-842dc303]
Modify Your Subscription: https://www.listbox.com/member/?member_id=15843530&id_secret=15843530-842dc303
Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com
No comments:
Post a Comment