Would The NRA Approve?

Basra residents asked to give up weapons

Fri Mar 28, 6:03 AM ET

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's office says the Iraqi government has given residents of Basra until April 8 to turn over "heavy and medium-size weapons" in return for a reward.

Government adviser Sadiq al-Rikabi says the deadline is separate from a three-day ultimatum for gunmen in the southern town to surrender their arms and renounce violence or face harsher measures. That expires later Friday.

The move instead appears to be aimed at noncombatants who may have weapons like machine guns and grenade launchers, either for smuggling purposes or to sell to militants or criminal gangs.

The statement says Basra residents will get unspecified monetary compensation if the weapons are turned over before the expiry of the deadline.

Settlement Offered To VTech Families

Virginia Tech shooting victims' families offered $100,000 each

Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va.: Those close to the victims of the Virginia Tech mass shootings offered mixed reactions Tuesday to a proposed multimillion-dollar state settlement and whether it will properly honor their loved ones.

Families of the victims have until Monday to say whether they'll accept the settlement, which would give $100,000 to representatives of each of the 32 killed and ensures that families will have the chance to talk to the governor and university officials about the shootings.

Under the proposal, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, $800,000 would be available to injured victims. They and the families of those killed could seek additional money from a $1.75 million hardship fund.

Roger O'Dell, whose son Derek was among two dozen wounded April 16, said while he considers the proposal a very reasonable offer, he is concerned about how the money would be split among the survivors. The proposal only states that the money would be distributed "based on a matrix acceptable to the commonwealth, with a maximum payment of $100,000 to any individual."

"I'm inclined to believe this will not be settled by April 15th," O'Dell said. "I think there are too many question marks in the proposed offer."

Seung-Hui Cho, a mentally disturbed student, killed two people in a dormitory just after 7 a.m. University officials did not send an e-mail alert until more than two hours later — just before Cho killed 30 others in a classroom building across campus and then committed suicide.

Twenty-two families have filed notice with the state that they may sue. They have until April 16 to file. Families of all deceased victims and the survivors would be eligible for a payout under the settlement.

By accepting the proposal, family members would give up the right to sue the state government; Virginia Tech; the town of Blacksburg, where Virginia Tech is located; Montgomery County; and the New River Valley Community Services Board, which provides mental-health services in the area.

Cho had been ruled a danger to himself during a court commitment hearing in 2005 and was ordered to receive outpatient mental health care. He never received the treatment.

Diane Strollo, whose daughter Hilary was shot three times but is back at Virginia Tech, said she believed the negotiations were ongoing.

"The families want accountability, justice and change," she said. "We have yet to see it."

O'Dell said there is no consensus among the families regarding the offer, though many feel it's "good in a number of respects."

"It's totally across the board as to how people feel. Some people feel that there is no wrongdoing and therefore there's no obligation by the state or the university to be paying anybody anything," O'Dell said. "At the other end, there's some who feel that this agreement — proposed settlement agreement — doesn't go nearly far enough and there needs to be much more money put into it."

The total cost of the proposed settlement, including attorneys' fees and a $1.75 million fund for charities, comes to about $8.5 million, plus the cost of reimbursing and paying for medical and psychological treatment for victims' families and survivors.

In October, the families and surviving victims received payments ranging from $11,500 to $208,000 from the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund, set up in the days after the shootings to handle donations that poured into the school.

In contrast to the Virginia Tech shootings, attorneys say there is little to indicate lawsuits might be pending against Northern Illinois University over its response to a Feb. 14 attack on campus. In that case, former student Steven Kazmierczak, 27, opened fire in a lecture hall, killing five people before killing himself.

Chicago attorney Kathleen Zellner, who has won several high-profile lawsuits, said the school might avoid being sued because there's no indication of glaring shortcomings in its security response.

Police entered the NIU lecture hall just minutes after the shooting began, and the school launched its emergency alert system — sending out e-mails and posting messages on Web sites to notify students a possible gunman was on campus — before authorities could confirm the gunman acted alone and was dead.

Attorney Michael Helfand, who monitors Chicago's legal scene for an online lawyers referral service, said attorneys would have been hotly pursing NIU lawsuits weeks ago if they thought they could win one.

There doesn't appear to be talk about a settlement in NIU's case similar to the one being offered in the Virginia Tech case.

Turning Grief Into Advocacy -Albany, New York

Albany Mother Takes a Stand Against Gun Violence

From time to time we point out how much we value and thank victims of gun violence who become activists to reduce firearm death and injury.

There are so many victims of gun violence: the person killed or injured, the families, the friends, the devastated communities, etc. A gunshot is like a ripple that spreads out over a wide area.

Allison Banks of Albany, New York, is still mourning the gun death of her 24-year-old son, Dushan. But that hasn’t kept her from advocating for gun control.

According to an Albany article, “After her son died, Banks joined Albany's Gun Violence Task Force and the Capital Region chapter of New Yorkers Against Violence. She said she'll keep fighting for justice.”

Turning grief into advocacy takes courage and perseverance. Those of us who are fortunate enough not to have personally known gun violence can emulate the strength and fortitude of those who have, people such as Allison Banks.

The Albany report notes:

Gun Violence Task Force Co-Chair Rev. Dr. Edward B. Smart said, "Our future is at stake. These young people who are getting killed. These families that are getting ripped apart because justice is not being served. We think that we all ought to be concerned about this."

They say getting community members to line up to take a stand against gun crimes is the first step to stopping them from seeing more police lines from hanging in the neighborhood.

That is something that we can all support by not being silent. Our voices need to be heard loud and strong.

The 'Bloomberg Collection'

Gun paint company taunts Mayor Bloomberg with paints named after him

March 21st 2008

Groll/AP

Bloomberg is the featured moniker of Lauer Custom Weaponry's gun-customization kit. Hizzoner is also an outspoken opponent of Lauer's gun paints - so much so he outlawed them in N.Y.C.

Lauer Custom Weaponry's 'Bloomberg Collection' features gun coatings with a color-by-borough paint set (Manhattan Red, Brooklyn Blue, Bronx Rose, Queens Green and Staten Island Orange).

...and a template to create a graffiti 'facade' for maximum gun pimping.

A Wisconsin company that disguises deadly firearms with bright paints and camouflage has a new target: Mayor Bloomberg.

Lauer Custom Weaponry, whose products were banned in the city in 2006 because they make dangerous guns look like innocent toys, is taunting the anti-gun mayor with a line of paints named "The Bloomberg Collection."

The company - which named its purple hue after Barney, the dinosaur beloved by toddlers - is peddling a rainbow of candy-colored paints for each of the five boroughs.

There's red for Manhattan, rose for the Bronx, blue for Brooklyn, green for Queens and orange for Staten Island.

And as an extra slap - a stencil of the mayor's face for the barrel of the gun.

Gun owners also can plunk down $129 for a "Bloomberg Collection EZ Camo Kit" to pimp out their semiautomatics and rifles with a brick wall and graffiti decoration.

It's no joke.

An outraged Bloomberg called gun-coloration kits "a tragedy in the making."

"Making a quick buck by coloring a handgun to look like a toy is craven and beneath any honest businessman," Bloomberg told the Daily News. "By coloring these guns, a real one looks like a toy, and a police officer won't be able to tell the difference."

"Imagine an officer who comes upon a teenager pointing a pink gun into a crowd. If the gun is a toy, an innocent teenager may be killed - and others, too.

"Our police officers have a hard enough job as it is, and that's why we passed a law to prevent these deadly tragedies from occurring."

It's just the latest time Bloomberg has come under fire from the weapons industry for his efforts to shut down New York's illegal gun trade.

Last year, a Virginia gun shop held a "Bloomberg raffle" - with the prize a brand-new gun - to protest the mayor's crackdown on stores he says are illegally peddling firearms that end up on New York streets.

Not to be left out, the National Rifle Association soon plastered a picture of Bloomberg as an octopus on the cover of its magazine.

This time, Bloomberg angered Steve Lauer, owner of Lauer Custom Weaponry, when he pushed through a law that punishes anyone who uses, buys or sells a gun-coloration kit in New York with a year in jail or a $1,000 fine.

"The mayor picked us out as being the pink-gun guys," said Toby Johnson, who described himself as Lauer's "right-hand man" at the Chippewa Falls company.

The bright paints were meant to help rescue workers and range masters locate guns more easily - not fool cops, Johnson said. They regularly sell the colors named after the boroughs and have even sold "five or six" Bloomberg camo kits, Johnson said.

Women also are big fans of the colors, he added.

"The ladies like it. They fashion their guns after their clothing," Johnson said.

But at least one woman was angered by the "shameful ploy" and "disgraceful marketing."

"In the hands of a child, a real gun made to look like a toy has deadly consequences," said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan).

Cheney says "SO?"

Cheney On Two-Thirds Of The American Public Opposing The Iraq War: ‘So?’»

This morning, on the fifth anniversary of the Iraq invasion, ABC’s Good Morning America aired an interview with Vice President Cheney on the war. During the segment, Cheney flatly told White House correspondent Martha Raddatz that he doesn’t care about the American public’s views on the war:

CHENEY: On the security front, I think there’s a general consensus that we’ve made major progress, that the surge has worked. That’s been a major success.

RADDATZ: Two-third of Americans say it’s not worth fighting.

CHENEY: So?

RADDATZ So? You don’t care what the American people think?

CHENEY: No. I think you cannot be blown off course by the fluctuations in the public opinion polls.

This opposition to the war is not a “fluctuation” in public opinion. The American public has steadily turned against the war since the 2003 invasion. According to a new CNN poll, just 36 percent of the American public believes that “the situation in Iraq was worth going to war over — down from 68 percent in March 2003, when the war began.”

Even though he doesn’t care what the American public wants, Cheney still thinks he is able — and entitled — to speak for the American public. Last month, Cheney declared, “The American people will not support a policy of retreat.” If Cheney were actually listening to the “American people,” he would know that 61 percent actually supports the redeployment of U.S. troops.

DC Handgun Ban Case...Both Sides

Official Transcript And Audio of Oral Arguments To the Supreme Court In D.C. Handgun Ban Case

Click here to see the official transcript of oral arguments to the Supreme Court in District of Columbia v. Heller.

To hear audio of the oral arguments click here.

Official - Subject to Final Review

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES:

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, : ET AL., Petitioners v. DICK ANTHONY HELLER.

No. 07-290

Washington, D.C. Tuesday, March 18, 2008

APPEARANCES:

WALTER DELLINGER, ESQ., Washington, D.C.; on behalf of the Petitioners.

GEN. PAUL D. CLEMENT, ESQ., Solicitor General, Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.; on behalf Of the United States, as amicus curiae, supporting the Petitioners.

ALAN GURA, ESQ., Alexandria, Va.; on behalf of the Respondent.

Read transcript here.

‘Colbert Report’ Video

A well-timed bit of comedy can sometimes completely destroy an insane idea.

Take for instance, the gun lobby's crazy and misguided agenda to allow hidden and loaded guns to be carried into bars. Well, instead of having a "reasoned" debate over the risks of drunk and armed gun owners in public, this hilarious video from the 'Colbert Report' demonstrates exactly why the gun lobby's plan is completely and utterly ridiculous.

You simply must watch this hilarious video about Tennessee State Senator Doug Jackson's (25th District) plan to allow armed citizens to carry weapons into bars and establishments that serve alcohol.

The best moment is the connection between "guns in bars" and terrorism. We're not kidding -- you have to see this.

Sen. Jackson has clearly failed at basic logic.

On one hand, Sen. Jackson said that although his legislation allowed armed citizens to enter a bar with a loaded and hidden firearm, patrons could not consume any alcohol.

Doug Jackson said that gun owners would obey the law and not drink. Isn't this a double standard?

Doug Jackson, like all the rest of his misguided fellow gun zealots, then turns right around and says that "gun laws" don't work.

Well which is it Senator? Do "gun laws" work, or don't they?

(Also, if you can't drink in a bar with your concealed weapon, then why go into a bar at all?)

Everyone knows that armed gun owners are going to drink if they visit a bar. This is just one more tactic to permit deadly weapons in every possible public space whether it's churches, daycare centers, hospitals, schools, and college campuses.

Second, maybe gun proponents really are this crazy that they actually think guns and alcohol are a good mix.

Let's hope that saner, cooler, and less ideologically motivated voices prevail.