Minuteman Monthly Newsletter Issue 46 May 2005 I apologize for this month's newsletter being late. I was busy fighting a semi-automatic and .50 caliber rifle ban in my own home state of Maine. I was bantering back and forth with legislators and co-sponsors of the bill and radio talk show hosts. I was very busy protecting the rights of Maine's lawful gun owners and I got sidetracked. I was asked what I was afraid of. I said "I'm not afraid of anything that walks the face of the Earth. What I fear is that my descendents will have to wear the dreadful chains of tyranny, oppression and possible dictatorship in a future America, because I did not stand up to you and defend our federal and state Constitutions concerning this ill-conceived, useless and illegal firearms ban legislation." In addition, I had several children ask me for help concerning their school papers and 4H projects on gun safety and the Second Amendment. Again, I'm sorry for the newsletter being late, but here it is... ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Among the top sources of guns actually used in crime are, the friends and family of the felon and home burglaries. I have advocated for many sound strategies that would work to diminish the number of crimes committed with guns. Some of my ideas are long prison terms added to a violent crime if a gun was used to commit it, as well as imposing additional prison time for a robbery or burglary where a gun is taken. In addition, I have advocated for new legislation that would severely punish someone for knowingly providing a gun to a known felon and increasing penalties for a felon who attempts to fraudulently purchase a gun at retail. These measures will affect both the criminal's decision to carry and use a gun, as well as diminish the available sources of guns that are actually getting used to commit a violent crime. The information I have obtained from the United States Department of Justice indicates that 39.2% of firearms used during the commission of a violent crime come from the illegal drug trade, street corner sales and robberies of both homes and sporting goods outlets. This month's issue is concerning something we law abiding gun owners should seriously consider to help diminish a source of guns used during the commission of a violent crime, namely home burglaries... I believe that lawful and honest firearm owners have a responsibility to reduce the possibility that our guns might get stolen and used in a criminal act. Please read on. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ SAVETHEGUNS.COM QUOTES OF THE MONTH "[T]he Atlanta courthouse attack that left four murdered; the Wisconsin church shooting, where seven were murdered, and Monday's high-school shooting in Minnesota, where nine were murdered.... All three attacks took place in areas where gun possession by those who did the attack as well as civilians generally was already banned -- so-called 'gun-free safe zones.' ... Would you feel safer putting a sign in front of your home saying 'This Home is a Gun-Free Zone'? ... As with many other gun laws, law-abiding citizens, not would-be criminals, would obey the sign. Instead of creating a safe zone for victims, it leaves victims defenseless and creates a safe zone for those intent on causing harm." --John Lott Amos 8:11-13 NIV The Bible 11. "The days are coming," declares the Sovereign LORD, "when I will send a famine through the land-- not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. 12. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it. 13. "In that day" the lovely young women and strong young men will faint because of thirst. "These things I believe: That government should butt out. That freedom is our most precious commodity and if we are not eternally vigilant, government will take it all away. That individual freedom demands individual responsibility. That government is not a necessary good but an unavoidable evil. That the executive branch has grown too strong, the judicial branch too arrogant and the legislative branch too stupid. That political parties have become close to meaningless. That government should work to insure the rights of the individual, not plot to take them away. That government should provide for the national defense and work to insure domestic tranquility. That foreign trade should be fair rather than free. That America should be wary of foreign entanglements. That the tree of liberty needs to be watered from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. That guns do more than protect us from criminals; more importantly, they protect us from the ongoing threat of government. That states are the bulwark of our freedom. That states should have the right to secede from the Union. That once a year we should hang someone in government as an example to his fellows." --Lyn Nofziger "The moral principles and precepts contained in the Scriptures ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws. All the miseries and evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery, and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible." Noah Webster 1758-1843 Violent crime is feasible only if its victims are cowards. A victim who fights back makes the whole business impractical. It is true that the victim who fights back may suffer for it, but one who does not almost certainly will suffer for it. -- Jeff Cooper, Principles of Personal Defense ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ SAVETHEGUNS.COM GUN SAFETY TIP OF THE MONTH Never smoke cigars, pipes or cigarettes when using a muzzle loader or when reloading centerfire ammunition. You may lose your beard, mustache, eyebrows and eyelashes, which is very unattractive. :-) Quadruple F (4F) black powder, mostly used in flint lock flash pans is highly volatile. A single match flicked on a pile of this stuff will envelope you in flame. It is not to be fooled around with under any circumstances. The same thing goes for any grade of black powder, pyrodex or smokeless powder. I enjoy a pipe or a cigar once in a while, but never while shooting black powder firearms or while reloading centerfire ammunition. Please believe me on this. I won't tell you the story, but I lost a good portion of my beard, eyelashes and eyebrows once when fooling around and I quickly learned my lesson. Please learn from me on this one and don't find it out for yourself. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BOOKS I have placed a few books that I highly recommend in the left hand border of every page on www.SaveTheGuns.com. There are three books that I feel every single gun owner in America should have. They are all written by Massad Ayoob. He is a former police officer and currently runs a training facility called the Lethal Force Institute. He is an established gun writer and has written many books. The three books written by him that I highly recommend for you are: **The Truth About Self Protection **In The Gravest Extreme **Stressfire (They are all linked to Amazon.com on every page in the left hand border.) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ JOIN THE NRA TODAY!!! Learn more about the benefits of NRA Membership on my "NRA Membership" page. There are more benefits to becoming an NRA Member than you might imagine. If you've let your membership run out, or are put off or frustrated by the NRA, please read this page first. http://www.savetheguns.com/nra_membership.htm Or get out your credit card and join or renew your membership right now. http://membership.nrahq.org/default.asp?campaignid=XR017807 PLEASE CONSIDER A JUNIOR NRA MEMBERSHIP AS A GIFT TO ALL THE YOUNG PEOPLE IN YOUR FAMILY. SIMPLY USE THE ABOVE LINK AND GET OUT A CREDIT CARD, YOU WON'T REGRET IT. WE MUST INVOLVE TODAY'S CHILDREN, OR TOMORROW OUR FIGHT TO PRESERVE THE CONSTITUTION WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE. GIVE A JUNIOR NRA MEMBERSHIP TO A CHILD IN YOUR FAMILY AS A GIFT TODAY!!! ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ MINUTEMAN MONTHLY NEWSLETTER AIMING POINT Whether you agree with me or not, the truth is that a major source of guns used to commit a violent crime are home robberies. I think honest, lawful and concerned firearm owners have a degree of responsibility to help reduce the possibility that our guns will be stolen from our homes and used during the commission of a violent crime. One thing I have done is to advocate for legislation that would add five (5) years of prison onto a home burglary for each and every firearm stolen. A focus in that direction will result in fewer guns being removed from homes during a home robbery. We must harden the exterior of our homes. We should make it harder to get into our homes while we're away. Once inside, the home breaker will be looking for things that they can turn into cash quickly or trade quickly for drugs. If your firearms are in a glass case in your living room or den, kiss them goodbye each time you leave your home for the day. If someone breaks in your home while you're gone, so are they. Once inside, the burglar will almost immediately head for the bedrooms. Do you have a firearm in your bedroom closet, in your top bureau draw, hanging on your bedroom wall, or are they under your bed? If so, there as good as gone during a burglary. (Did I find your guns already?) Home burglars want to get valuables out of your home quickly and easily. Keeping your guns in a readily available glass case, or simply hanging them on your wall in a wooden rack, is like saying, "here they are guys!!!". Home burglars know your hiding places. Most of us tend to hide our valuables and our firearms in the same places. The home break-in artists are experts at finding your most cherished possessions pretty quickly. How would you feel, if your .357 magnum revolver was stolen from your bedroom nightstand and three days later was used to kill an elderly couple in a car jacking? Really, how would you deal with that? I have always taught that most of the firearms in the home should be locked away in a quality security cabinet or safe. I'm not for any type of mandatory safe storage law however. Each gun owner should determine for themselves what level of security is comfortable for them. Of course locking up every gun in your home, means that they won't be available to you in an emergency. The level of security that you have for your guns should be very carefully and thoughtfully weighed, with one eye on preventing them from being stolen in a home burglary and the other eye on immediate accessibility during an emergency. Tens of thousands of people would be dead and buried today if it wasn't for immediate access to a self defense firearm. However, it is my belief and opinion that access to a self defense firearm and reducing the possibility of your guns getting stolen, should be considered much more carefully and thoughtfully by the general public. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ WHAT CAN WE DO? There are many things you can do to prevent your privately owned firearms from getting stolen and used to commit a violent crime by some idiot thug. You must take a hard look at hardening the exterior of your home. Scout the perimeter of your own home. If you needed to get into your locked home without a key, could you do it? If so, how easy do you think it would be for someone who does it for a living? What are your likely points of entry? Are your windows and doors virtually impenetrable? Do you have small glass windows within reach of any doorknobs? If you have windows in your door, do you have single cylinder or double cylinder dead bolts? Those who break into homes really enjoy getting into your home from behind large bushes or shrubs. They also like to get in without any bright lights shining on them. You should try to illuminate your likely points of entry and keep those shrubs below window level if possible. For many more tips from a professional in the industry, I suggest you get Massad Ayoob's book entitled The Truth About Self Protection. I have it linked in the left hand border of almost any page on www.SaveTheGuns.com. You can easily find it below the Navigation Bar. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I have two suggestions for you on this subject: 1.) Take a look at my Gun Safes section of my "Safety Rules" page and consider getting yourself a pick-proof security cabinet and get rid of that easily accessible glass case or wooden gun rack that your using. http://www.savetheguns.com/safety_rules.htm#Gun%20Safes. Some of the cabinets available here are less than $200. 2.) Take a look in the left hand border of any page on www.SaveTheGuns.com and order a book called "The Truth About Self Protection" by renowned author and expert Massad Ayoob. In my opinion, Massad Ayoob's book on this subject is one of the best ever written. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ As usual, you may pass on, forward, print, post, quote or otherwise use this newsletter, as long as you mention www.SaveTheGuns.com somewhere in your work, presentation or posting. Thank you for registering as a Minuteman Monthly Newsletter Recipient. If you don't want this newsletter or the legislative alerts anymore, just send me an e-mail with "Unsubscribe MMM" in the subject line to: info@savetheguns.com