Cdn-Firearms Digest Wednesday, December 28 2011 Volume 14 : Number 859 In this issue: TSA screenings aren't just for airports anymore CBSA uncovers hidden treasures Clerk Punches, Knocks Out Armed Robber Christmas is over Re: Christmas is over Guns, drugs get free rides across border Best Wishes for 2012 Definately gun related Why hasn't Rick Perry filled out his Second Amendment ... Year in Review for 2011; Gun Owners of America ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 27 Dec 2011 11:06:55 -0600 From: "Joe Gingrich" Subject: TSA screenings aren't just for airports anymore http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-terror-checkpoints-20111220,0,3213641.story TSA screenings aren't just for airports anymore Roving security teams increasingly visit train stations, subways and other mass transit sites to deter terrorism. Critics say it's largely political theater. By Brian Bennett, Washington Bureau December 20, 2011, 5:03 p.m. Reporting from Charlotte, N.C.- Rick Vetter was rushing to board the Amtrak train in Charlotte, N.C., on a recent Sunday afternoon when a canine officer suddenly blocked the way. Three federal air marshals in bulletproof vests and two officers trained to spot suspicious behavior watched closely as Seiko, a German shepherd, nosed Vetter's trousers for chemical traces of a bomb. Radiation detectors carried by the marshals scanned the 57-year-old lawyer for concealed nuclear materials. When Seiko indicated a scent, his handler, Julian Swaringen, asked Vetter whether he had pets at home in Garner, N.C. Two mutts, Vetter replied. "You can go ahead," Swaringen said. The Transportation Security Administration isn't just in airports anymore. TSA teams are increasingly conducting searches and screenings at train stations, subways, ferry terminals and other mass transit locations around the country. "We are not the Airport Security Administration," said Ray Dineen, the air marshal in charge of the TSA office in Charlotte. "We take that transportation part seriously." The TSA's 25 "viper" teams - for Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response - have run more than 9,300 unannounced checkpoints and other search operations in the last year. Department of Homeland Security officials have asked Congress for funding to add 12 more teams next year. According to budget documents, the department spent $110 million in fiscal 2011 for "surface transportation security," including the TSA's viper program, and is asking for an additional $24 million next year. That compares with more than $5 billion for aviation security. TSA officials say they have no proof that the roving viper teams have foiled any terrorist plots or thwarted any major threat to public safety. But they argue that the random nature of the searches and the presence of armed officers serve as a deterrent and bolster public confidence. "We have to keep them [terrorists] on edge," said Frank Cilluffo, director of the Homeland Security Policy Institute at George Washington University in Washington. "We're not going to have a permanent presence everywhere." U.S. officials note that digital files recovered from Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan after he was killed by U.S. Navy SEALs in May included evidence that the Al Qaeda leader had considered an attack on U.S. railways in February 2010. Over the last decade, deadly bombings have hit subways or trains in Moscow; Mumbai, India; Madrid; and London. But critics say that without a clear threat, the TSA checkpoints are merely political theater. Privacy advocates worry that the agency is stretching legal limits on the government's right to search U.S. citizens without probable cause - and with no proof that the scattershot checkpoints help prevent attacks. "It's a great way to make the public think you are doing something," said Fred H. Cate, a professor at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, who writes on privacy and security. "It's a little like saying, 'If we start throwing things up in the air, will they hit terrorists?' '' Such criticism is nothing new to the TSA. The agency came under fresh fire this month when three elderly women with medical devices complained that TSA agents had strip-searched them in separate incidents at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Lenore Zimmerman, 84, said she was ordered to pull down her pants after she refused to pass through a full body scanner because she was afraid the machine would interfere with her heart defibrillator. TSA officials denied the women were strip-searched, but they announced plans to create a toll-free telephone number for passengers with medical conditions who require assistance in airport screening lines. TSA officials said they also are considering a proposal by Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) to designate a passengers advocate at every airport. The TSA's viper program hasn't drawn that kind of attention, although it is increasingly active. In Tennessee in October, a viper team used radiation monitors and explosive-trace detectors to help state police inspect trucks at highway weigh stations throughout the state. Last month in Orlando, Fla., a team set up metal detectors at a Greyhound bus station and tested passengers' bags for explosive residue. In the Carolinas this year, TSA teams have checked people at the gangplanks of cruise ships, the entrance to NASCAR races, and at ferry terminals taking tourists to the Outer Banks. At the Charlotte train station on Dec. 11, Seiko, the bomb-sniffing dog, snuffled down a line of about 100 passengers waiting to board an eastbound train. Many were heading home after watching the Charlotte Panthers NFL team lose to the Atlanta Falcons after holding a 16-point lead. No one seemed especially perturbed by the TSA team. "It's probably overkill," said Karen Stone, 26, after a behavior-detection officer asked her about the Panthers game and her trip home to Raleigh. "It's cool," said Marcus Baldwin, 21, who was heading home to Mebane, near Burlington, where he waits tables to help pay for computer technology classes. "They're doing what our tax money is paying them to do." "I'm mostly curious," said Barbara Spencer, 75, who was heading home to Chapel Hill after watching her grandson perform in a Christmas play. She asked the officers whether a terrorist threat had required the extra security. No, they replied. Vetter, the lawyer, had attended the game with his son, Noah. They jogged for the train after Seiko had finished his sniff, but Vetter had bigger worries on his mind. "The Panthers blew it," he said. brian.bennett@latimes.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Dec 2011 11:24:20 -0600 From: "Joe Gingrich" Subject: CBSA uncovers hidden treasures http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/todays-paper/CBSA+uncovers+hidden+treasures/5913149/story.html CBSA uncovers hidden treasures Expert finds drugs in truck trailers By Kim Bolan, Postmedia News December 27, 2011 Just metres from the Canadian border in British Columbia, Paul Vogt pops the top on a secret compartment in the ceiling of a commercial truck's cab. "There were 50 kilos of cocaine in this," says Vogt, the Canada Border Services Agency's local expert on clandestine compartments. He notes the telltale signs: "The roof 's a bit low. This is plywood construction. That is all aftermarket." And he warns the compartment "reeks" of glue and other substances. "That is all lead-lined - You have a car alarm to release it." He points to upholstery in the upper part of the cab, explaining that it doesn't match up with the fabric used on the lower walls. "If you really look at it, it stands out like a sore thumb." Vogt is passionate about his work. Not only is he among the best at locating secret compartments in commercial vehicles used for cross-border cocaine and marijuana smuggling, he also works part-time with the Gang Task Force to find gun "traps" in gangster rides. Since he began his Gang Task Force stint, he has seen an increasing sophistication in the 40 or so compartments he has encountered. "From the first compartments I started seeing, they have definitely changed - And that is just in a two-year period," Vogt said. "They are getting better at secreting things for us to look for and find." Vogt is one of a handful of experts in Canada in detecting and decoding secret compartments. "I got an interest in this early on in my career. I found we were lacking any knowledge of these compartments. I had management supporting me in seeking out training and that's where I took off," he said. "And I took a real love to it and I find it a real challenge." The 47-year-old CBSA intelligence officer has received special training in the U.S. He has testified as an expert in court cases on both sides of the border - including the successful prosecution of gangster Jamie Bacon on firearms charges. And he has trained thousands of others in detection methods, as well as the latest technological tricks used by those working for gangs and organized crime in B.C. Vogt also helped write part of B.C.'s new Armoured Vehicle and Aftermarket Compartment Control Act, which allows for fines up to $10,000 and six months in jail for people convicted of driving an armoured vehicle or having a secret compartment in their vehicle. "Until now there has been no legislation that actually hindered anyone from doing this," Vogt said. He was specifically consulted about the wording of the secret compartment section of the law, which came into effect earlier this year. "That was really cool," Vogt said of the help he provided. "It does give some teeth to British Columbia now because they have recognized the safety issue." And that issue is simple - "police officers are rolling around and these guys have access to guns that are 10 seconds away," Vogt said. Last July, a judge said the existence of a secret compartment in the BMW of gangster Aleksandar Radjenovic was an aggravating factor in sentencing him for conspiracy to commit murder and possessing firearms while under a ban. "His BMW had a secret compartment in it to assist in the secreting and transportation of firearms," the judge said. "The hidden compartment was sophisticated and professionally installed. It would permit quick and immediate access to secreted contraband and avoid detection by law enforcement personnel." So far in 2011, the Gang Task Force has found 14 secret gun compartments in vehicles. Vogt believes there are "quite a few" builders in B.C. willing to take the risk and make the compartments simply because "it is good money." No one has yet faced charges under the new legislation, though Vogt believes that will come. He now knows the trademarks of some of the makers, who are often so proud of their craftsmanship they incorporate identifiers as if they want credit for their work. "I can look at them and say this is a similar build to the one that was there. It is almost identical. It uses the same components, the same wiring technique, the same looping of their tape, the same components." With the smaller gun compartments, there can be more than one in a vehicle and there are many more places to hide them, he said. Detectors like Vogt must know where every cavity is and then search section by section to eliminate locations that might house a compartment. "So, you are negating spaces," he said. "That's what you're doing." It doesn't take Vogt long to figure it out when a vehicle has a secret compartment. "On average within a 15-minute period, you will know if there is something there," he said. The more challenging part is figuring out the mechanism to open a compartment and then "defeating" that mechanism. It can take hours. Vogt said the components used in gangster vehicles are more complex than ever. They blend in "whereas before, a lot of things were obvious," he said. "And the builders are getting much better." That is one of the Catch-22s of being an expert. When Vogt testifies in court, compartment makers learn how he does his job and try to modify their practices accordingly. They are often one step ahead of law enforcement. "Those guys share that information," he said. "They have the funding and the money and the time." And the best equipment money can buy. "The electronics are getting better ... The weapons traps are smaller, more sophisticated. They are using electric drawer locks that are extremely strong and hard to defeat and easy to secret within the vehicle." A new programmable trigger switch is often used now to open the clandestine gun boxes in vehicles. "They can hook it up in any sequence, any form that they wish. So it could be hitting a button 33 times, turning down the window and having the car in park," Vogt said. The compartments used to smuggle contraband across the border are also increasingly sophisticated. Even the decks of pickup trucks have been found completely modified to stash drugs. "They go to great lengths to raise the boxes in pickups. We have had three hydraulically-lifted ones," Vogt said. He showed another semitrailer with 16 hidden compartments designed to hold up to 400 pounds of marijuana each or an equal volume of cocaine. "You see the true floor?" Vogt asks. "See how much they have raised it and brought it back? They did a great job mimicking everything to look normal." Vogt is spreading his knowledge as far afield as possible so more CBSA officers and police are trained to detect even the most sophisticated compartments. He has even been invited to Australia to teach. The work may be challenging, but it is also extremely rewarding knowing he is reducing the number of firearms and volume of drugs in B.C. communities. "I am proud every day I find some drugs or guns because I know I am taking them off the streets and protecting my family and your family," Vogt said. "That's what it's all about. It is good to get them off the streets." ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Dec 2011 12:54:25 -0500 From: Bill Subject: Clerk Punches, Knocks Out Armed Robber A very good job this clerk doesn't work in Toronto.. He would have been arrested for assault, and the thief would have not only been able to sue him for damages, but would have been coached by the Police to stand as a witness for the assault charge and had *his* charges reduced in gratitude.. Remember folks, the police advise when confronted with a thief/robber don't do anything to hurt the criminal, give him what he wants, then call 911 and the armed professionals will arrive in due time to further victimize you.. Remember, your a Canadian. As a Canadian Citizen, you are a Politically Groomed Victim, living in a Culture of Defencelessness.. Happy New Year.. Bill On 12/27/2011 12:17 PM, Cdn-Firearms Digest wrote: > Date: Tue, 27 Dec 2011 10:49:42 -0600 > From: "Joe Gingrich" > Subject: Clerk Punches, Knocks Out Armed Robber > > Caught On Tape: Clerk Punches, Knocks Out Armed Robber > > Clerk Then Makes Suspect Clean Up His Own Blood > > Mike McCormick, WYFF News 4 Reporter > December 27, 2011 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Dec 2011 13:44:15 -0500 From: JULES SOBRIAN Subject: Christmas is over Hi All, I have put up with recent rants about religion, because it was Christmas and I felt believers too should have their s(d)ay, but enough is enough; this is a gun digest, not a soapbox to extol your views on faith. Please, ladies, let's get back to guns. Regards, Jules ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Dec 2011 11:54:31 -0800 (PST) From: "bletchleypark@rogers.com" Subject: Re: Christmas is over I agree, Jules!   May Almighty God steady your rifle's aim and may Our Saviour, Jesus Christ keep your gunpowder dry.   Blessings, Peter   P.S. I'm no lady. ;-) Happy New Year. ________________________________ From: JULES SOBRIAN To: CFD Sent: Tuesday, December 27, 2011 1:44:15 PM Subject: Christmas is over Hi All, I have put up with recent rants about religion, because it was Christmas and I felt believers too should have their s(d)ay, but enough is enough; this is a gun digest, not a soapbox to extol your views on faith. Please, ladies, let's get back to guns. Regards, Jules ------------------------------ Date: Tue, December 27, 2011 7:04 pm From: "Dennis & Hazel Young" Subject: Guns, drugs get free rides across border VICTORIA TIMES COLONIST - DECEMBER 27, 2011 Guns, drugs get free rides across border Hidden-compartment expert exposes smugglers' ingenious tricks By Kim Bolan, Postmedia News http://www.timescolonist.com/Guns+drugs+free+rides+across+border/5914167/story.html Just metres from the Canadian border in British Columbia, Paul Vogt pops the top on a secret compartment in the ceiling of a commercial truck's cab. "There were 50 kilos of cocaine in this," says Vogt, the Canada Border Services Agency's local expert on clandestine compartments. He notes the telltale signs: "The roof's a bit low. This is plywood construction. That is all aftermarket." And he says the compartment "reeks" of glue and other substances. "That is all lead-lined - You have a car alarm to release it." He points to upholstery in the upper part of the cab, explaining that it doesn't match up with the fabric used on the lower walls. "If you really look at it, it stands out like a sore thumb." Vogt is passionate about his work. Not only is he among the best at locating secret compartments in commercial vehicles used for cross-border cocaine and marijuana smuggling, he also works part-time with the Gang Task Force to find gun "traps" in gangster rides. Since he began his Gang Task Force stint, he has seen an increasing sophistication in the 40 or so compartments he has encountered. "From the first compartments I started seeing, they have definitely changed - And that is just in a two-year period," Vogt said. "They are getting better at secreting things for us to look for and find." Vogt is one of a handful of experts in Canada in detecting and decoding secret compartments. The 47-year-old border services intelligence officer has received special training in the U.S. He has testified as an expert in court cases on both sides of the border, including the successful prosecution of gangster Jamie Bacon on firearms charges. And he has trained thousands of others in detection methods, as well as the latest technological tricks used by those working for gangs and organized crime in B.C. Vogt also helped write part of B.C.'s new Armoured Vehicle and Aftermarket Compartment Control Act, which allows for fines up to $10,000 and six months in jail for people convicted of driving an armoured vehicle or having a secret compartment in their vehicle. "Until now there has been no legislation that actually hindered anyone from doing this," Vogt said. "It does give some teeth to British Columbia now because they have recognized the safety issue." And that issue is simple - "police officers are rolling around and these guys have access to guns that are 10 sec-onds away," Vogt said. Last July, a judge said the existence of a secret compartment in the BMW of gangster Aleksandar Radjenovic was an aggravating factor in sentencing him for conspiracy to commit murder and possessing firearms while under a ban. So far in 2011, the Gang Task Force has found 14 secret gun compartments in vehicles. Vogt believes there are "quite a few" builders in B.C. willing to take the risk and make the compartments simply because "it is good money." No one has yet faced charges under the new legislation, though Vogt believes that will come. Vogt said the components used in gangster vehicles are more complex than ever. They blend in "whereas before, a lot of things were obvious," he said. "And the builders are getting much better." That is one of the Catch-22s of being an expert. When Vogt testifies in court, compartment makers learn how he does his job and try to modify their practices accordingly. They are often one step ahead of law enforcement. "Those guys share that information," he said. "They have - the money and the time." And the best equipment money can buy. "The electronics are getting better. - The weapons traps are smaller, more sophisticated. They are using electric drawer locks that are extremely strong and hard to defeat and easy to secret within the vehicle." A new programmable trigger switch is often used now to open the clandestine gun boxes in vehicles. "They can hook it up in any sequence, any form that they wish. So it could be hitting a button 33 times, turning down the window and having the car in park," Vogt said. The compartments used to smuggle contraband across the border are also increasingly sophisticated. Even the decks of pickup trucks have been found completely modified to stash drugs, he said. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Dec 2011 18:58:44 -0800 From: "Clive Edwards" <45clive@telus.net> Subject: Best Wishes for 2012 "All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom." - Albert Einstein ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:03:29 -0800 From: "Clive Edwards" <45clive@telus.net> Subject: Definately gun related A video: http://www.brasschecktv.com/videos/in-humor-truth/why-they-fought.html Clive ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Dec 2011 08:03:34 -0600 From: "Joe Gingrich" Subject: Why hasn't Rick Perry filled out his Second Amendment ... ... Questionnaire for GOA? http://gunowners.org/a12222011.htm Why hasn't Rick Perry filled out his Second Amendment Questionnaire for GOA? Gun Owners of America has sent a Second Amendment Questionnaire to every Presidential candidate for this election year. We've gotten them back from several of the candidates -- even Newt Gingrich, after I met with him earlier this month to ask why he hadn't sent his back. But we haven't received one from either Rick Perry or Mitt Romney. The fact that Romney is not getting his questionnaire back is understandable, since he has been all over the map on gun ownership. Recently he's sounding pro-gun, but his history is anything but that. Rick Perry, however, has a solid record on the Second Amendment as Governor of Texas, so why isn't he getting his questionnaire back to GOA? I have to believe this is a campaign staff decision, which is a bad decision at best. Perry already has a good record, so why not fill it out so we can know where he stands on issues specific to the presidency? Newt Gingrich was far from perfect on the Second Amendment when he was Speaker of the House, and he still falters on background checks, but at least he gave GOA his answers and signed our questionnaire. You have to respect him for that. I have personally had contact four times with Perry staff who all said they would get it done and back to GOA right away, but so far it's been lip service and no questionnaire. Bottom line -- come on Rick, send GOA a completed and signed questionnaire so gun owners across the country can get a more complete picture of your views. Please encourage Rick Perry to return the GOA questionnaire by calling 1-855-887-5627. Sincerely, Tim Macy Vice Chairman ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 28 Dec 2011 08:18:33 -0600 From: "Joe Gingrich" Subject: Year in Review for 2011; Gun Owners of America http://gunowners.org/2011yearinreview.htm Year in Review for 2011(Gun Owners of America) Monday, 19 December 2011 22:34 As we approach the Christmas holidays, we certainly have a lot to be thankful for. Here's a partial list of what we accomplished together this year. January * One of the first acts of the Congress in 2011 was to read the Constitution aloud, for the first time in history, on the floor of the United States House of Representatives. Virginia Rep. Bob Goodlatte led the effort in the House and credited GOA for helping make it happen. "I want to thank Gun Owners of America for early support of the idea to read the U.S. Constitution on the House floor and for taking the lead to rally the grassroots in support of the Read the Constitution effort," Goodlatte said. Of course, reading the Constitution is one thing, abiding by it is another. And that is a battle GOA brings to Capitol Hill on a daily basis. *GOA began a year-long effort to call attention to Fast and Furious. This operation that was run out of the Justice Department helped criminals buy guns "legally" from American gun stores -­ with the hopes that the ensuing violence would drive calls for more gun control. February - March * GOA began warning its activists that anti-gun Democrats might try to attach gun control restrictions on a bill to reauthorize funding the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration). These proposals included a ban on high capacity magazines; restrictions that would end gun shows; and, potentially, a provision stripping millions of gun owners of their rights by placing them on "watch lists" without any due process of law. GOA worked on the Hill by putting pro-gun amendments into the hands of certain Senators. Our efforts to counter these disastrous proposals with pro-gun initiatives backed the gun grabbers into a comer and stymied their plans. *GOA and its activists won temporary victories when the House voted to repeal the anti-gun ObamaCare law and to adopt the Boren-Rehberg amendment -- which would defund ATF's latest gun registry. Gun Owners of America contacted every member of the House of Representatives prior to winning the votes on ObamaCare and Boren-Rehberg. Sadly, both of these victories were temporary, as the Democrat Senate refused to go along. * GOA began a national campaign to defeat restrictive legislation introduced by New York Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D). Her bill, HR 308, would resurrect the ban on high capacity magazines which passed during the Clinton administration -- but later sunset in 2004. (GOA will spend the year mobilizing gun owners against this threat, and can thankfully report that, by year's end, her bill has remained bottled up in committee.) April-May * After President Obama nominated Goodwin Liu to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, GOA worked hard to alert Senators to his extreme, anti-gun record. Like many radical progressives, Liu believes that while our Second Amendment rights might have been necessary in the 1700s, they are no longer needed today. Thanks, in large part, to Liu's radical views on the Second Amendment, his nomination was narrowly defeated. * Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) tied the Senate in knots for more than a week fighting for a GOA­backed amendment which would have protected 4473's and other gun records from blanket searches by the ATF under the so-called PATRIOT Act. Because many leaders in his own party refused to back him, Sen. Paul was not successful this time, but he put a marker down that gun rights would not be violated without a fight from the pro-gun community. Sen. Paul thanked "Gun Owners of America for their strong support of my amendment to protect the privacy of gun owners." June - August * GOA activated its grassroots members in opposition to S. 679, the Cover-up Protection Act -- a bill that would exempt hundreds of federal appointees from Senate confirmation, thus allowing the President to stack his administration with flaming anti-gunners. This battle underscored the power of the grassroots -- and the effect that phone calls and emails can have upon their elected officials. After hearing from thousands upon thousands of GOA's activists, Capitol Hill staffers confided to GOA that key Senators reversed course and decided to add amendments which would require the most important Presidential appointments to still be approved by the Senate. * The crescendo over the Operation Fast and Furious debacle continued to build. Dubbed as Obama's Watergate, Fast and Furious highlights the extent that his corrupt administration will go to demonize gun owners. GOA has spent the first half of the year educating the media and the grassroots over Fast and Furious -- and for its part, CBS and Fox News lead the media in covering this fiasco. September * GOA began to energize its grassroots in favor of concealed carry reciprocity bill introduced by Georgia Rep. Paul Broun. His bill (HR 2900) will allow law-abiding gun owners to carry out­of-state without requiring them to possess a concealed carry permit in the state they are visiting. *Gun Owners of America briefed an important case before the U.S. Supreme Court earlier in the year -- and, in September, we won! The Court handed down its decision in Bond v. United States, where the U.S. government had made a "federal case" out of a domestic dispute involving a Pennsylvania woman who injured her neighbor. There was absolutely no reason why the federal government should have been prosecuting Carol Bond, as opposed to the local authorities. So GOA got involved with the intent to help drive the federal government back into the parameters as outlined in the Constitution -- a result which will, most definitely, benefit gun owners. October- November * In late October, GOA began pressing hard for congressmen to start petitioning for Eric Holder's resignation. Within a week, the number of Representatives calling for Holder's resignation rose to more than two dozen -- and the number has since doubled to more than four dozen. * The Obama Administration issued regulations earlier this year requiring agencies to lie to the public under certain circumstances. GOA alerted its grassroots in October to these regs and urged Congress to defund the administration's ability to enforce them. The Administration pulled the regulations within the week. * In November, Gun Owners Foundation won a Supreme Court case in defense of a gun owner in Virginia. Russell Ernest Smith had been wrongfully convicted of "willfully and intentionally" making a false statement on his 4473 form when purchasing a firearm. But GOF believed that the government's argument against Smith was specious. So Gun Owners Foundation prepared its amicus brief and submitted it on behalf of Mr. Smith. GOF was the only group making the case that Smith's conviction should be overturned. After waiting several months for the verdict, the Virginia Supreme Court announced its verdict ... and Smith emerged victorious. What's both interesting and exciting in this case is that, in overturning Smith's conviction, the judges used an argument that GOF had made -- an argument which his own lawyer did not even make. GOF is clearly making an impact upon the courts in defense of gun owners' rights! * Concealed carry reciprocity legislation passed on the floor of the House by a 272-154 vote. Representatives had two bills to choose from -- although the weaker bill passed. The battle now moves to the Senate, where GOA will work to amend the legislation with the provisions of HR 2900, the "constitutional carry" friendly bill. December * GOA worked hard this year to stall (or defeat) the nomination of anti-gun judges. One of Obama's picks who stalled out was Caitlin Halligan, a judicial nominee with a history of anti­gun activism. But with most of the nation focusing its attention on the upcoming holidays, GOA had to call the troops into battle after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid tried to ram through Halligan's confirmation in early December. * The response of Gun Owners of America members to the GOA alert was overwhelming and played an important role in defeating the confirmation of Halligan. On the Hill, Gun Owners of America briefed Senate offices right up to the time of the vote about the danger of confirming Halligan. Thankfully, in a procedural maneuver known as a "cloture vote," Reid fell six votes short of getting the needed votes to move the nomination forward for a final vote. "In the 35 years since its foundation, the GOA has maintained its staunch opposition to any form of gun control, often taking a harder stand than the NRA." -- Ben Garrett, award-winning journalist, newspaper editor and blogger With your help, Gun Owners of America was able to accomplish quite a bit in 2011. We thank you for your support, which makes this e-mail and web service possible. In order to continue serving you into the next year, we hope that you will please consider either: 1. Clicking here to update your membership; or 2. If you are already a GOA member, giving a gift membership to GOA to your family and friends during this holiday season. ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V14 #859 *********************************** Submissions: mailto:cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca Mailing List Commands: mailto:majordomo@scorpion.bogend.ca Moderator's email: mailto:owner-cdn-firearms@scorpion.bogend.ca List owner: mailto:owner-cdn-firearms@scorpion.bogend.ca FAQ list: http://www.canfirearms/Skeeter/Faq/cfd-faq1.html Web Site: http://www.canfirearms.ca CFDigest Archives: http://www.canfirearms.ca/archives To unsubscribe from _all_ the lists, put the next four lines in a message and mailto:majordomo@scorpion.bogend.ca unsubscribe cdn-firearms-digest unsubscribe cdn-firearms-chat unsubscribe cdn-firearms end (To subscribe, use "subscribe" instead of "unsubscribe".)