Open letter to Richard Ward, Mayor of Hurst

BACKGROUND: Richard Ward has served as Mayor of the city of Hurst, Texas, since May 2004. Mayor Ward is a US Army veteran with a background in medical technology, human resources, and youth activities. He is also a current member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns and has written an editorial for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram dated September 27, 2009 to explain his involvement in MAIG:

Mayors group wants to make it harder for criminals to get guns

I sent Mayor Ward the following response on September 30:

Good morning, Mayor Ward:

In my current role as Chair of the Gun Owners Caucus of the Texas Democratic Party, one of my duties is to keep abreast of gun politics in Texas to the best of my ability with a view towards serving my fellow Texas Democrats. It is therefore within said capacity that I respectfully submit this open response to your Fort Worth Star-Telegram editorial published on September 27, 2009.

I know that serving as Mayor can wear on you at times. You have a lot of pressing issues to juggle - municipal services, public education, law enforcement, utilities, and the constant battle to reconcile all of the above with your annual budget. The same goes for any Mayor worth his or her salt, and I appreciate your efforts.

While discussing your membership in Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG), I read where you "fully support the rights of law-abiding citizens under the Second Amendment," and I appreciate those sentiments greatly. There are, however, ongoing concerns that I have with the policies and long-term objectives of MAIG that must be addressed.

By their own admission, MAIG supports using a secretive "watch list" to deny sales of firearms to law-abiding citizens if their names somehow wind up on this list:

http://mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/federal/closing_gun_gap.shtml

I have seen numerous reports of innocent civilians being denied the ability to fly on commercial airliners because their names have been placed on a "no-fly list" by some faceless bureaucrat. Even the late Senator Ted Kennedy fell victim to this list, which is by design secretive, unreviewable, and virtually unimpeachable. I do not want terrorists obtaining firearms or explosives, either - and I am glad that the FBI did their job in keeping that kid from blowing up the Fountain Place skyscraper in downtown Dallas - but curtailing the rights of innocent Americans without notification, without review, and without due process is not the way to do it.

In addition, MAIG's opposition to the Thune Amendment also touches on the notion of right-to-carry reciprocity between states, including Texas that issue concealed handgun licenses (CHLs):

http://mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/7_14_09_maig_letter.pdf

Although I acknowledge your own concerns about the Thune Amendment, I still hold out hope for a workable CHL reciprocity system between the several states. One of the reasons our nation scrapped the Articles of Confederation in favor of the Constitution was because the Articles denied Congress the ability to regulate interstate commerce, as evidenced in the ill-fated Jay-Gardoqui Treaty and the runaway inflation in Massachusetts that brought about Shay's Rebellion in the absence of any state or Federal intervention.

National CHL reciprocity could never have been enacted (let alone enforced) under the Articles, but it can work under the Constitution, and should be given diligent study on Capitol Hill in view of the Constitution bestowing upon Congress some ability to regulate firearm sales as interstate commerce (Article I, Section 8, as reflected in the National Firearms Act of 1934). The issue of minimum standards is a valid one, but it should not be used to derail all discussion of CHL reciprocity.

As for the "closing the gun show loophole," while I am confident that mandatory background checks for all sales at gun shows will not have any significant financial impact on these shows, I am concerned that the push for universal background checks could lead to criminal charges against any parent who bequeaths a firearm to a child of sufficient age and maturity to take possession of the gun, nor am I confident that legislation such as Senator Frank Lautenberg's S. 843 will have any appreciable effect on illegal trafficking or smuggling of firearms.

In addition, MAIG has voiced support as recently as December 27, 2007 for a new Federal ban on civilian ownership of semi-automatic firearms:

http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/media-center/pr015-07.shtml

Obviously, I cannot and will not lend my support to such a wholesale assault on our Constitutional rights. If I legally own a semi-automatic M1 carbine, a Kalashnikov, an AR-type rifle, or even a Smith & Wesson pistol that holds 11 rounds instead of 10, I have a responsibility to do everything I could to keep my gun safe from theft, but I need reassurance that my elected officials, even if they disagree with my choice of firearm, will continue to defend my Second Amendment right to own it.

I recognize that you consider the safety of Hurst residents your top priority, which is commendable. I also recognize your statement that you do not wish to be associated with any organization that is considered anti-Second Amendment. And I'm not going to suggest that you resign from MAIG if you truly feel that your respect for our Constitutional rights is in harmony with the goals and objectives of MAIG. Nevertheless, I feel that the concerns I stated above are still valid, legitimate, and of great interest to my fellow Texas Democrats, especially those who own guns.

On the other hand, your own voice within MAIG could do much to temper some of the more far-reaching proposals of your coalition partners and renew the focus on combatting illegal gun trafficking and violent crime without threatening the rights of innocent, law-abiding Americans. This, I believe, would be a laudable objective.

Thank you for taking time out of your admittedly busy schedule to reflect upon my concerns.

Sincerely,

Daniel Barnett
Gun Owners Caucus of the Texas Democratic Party

NOTE: Mayor Ward has kindly informed me that he is interested in composing a response. I will keep you posted on any further details.

Update on Mayor Bill White

I apologize for not catching this until today, but it appears that Houston Mayor Bill White, a Democratic primary candidate for the US Senate, resigned from Mayors Against Illegal Guns back in July, parting company with MAIG over its opposition to a proposal for concealed-carry reciprocity between participating states. White's campaign has stated that MAIG's focus has grown from the original effort to curb trafficking in stolen firearms.

Very interesting news, indeed. I'll try to keep a closer eye on this one.

I got this fundraising letter from Jerry Patterson...

If you don't know who Jerry Patterson is, he's a Republican who current serves as Texas Land Commissioner. This Marine veteran wrote our state CHL law during his tenure in the state Senate.

Now that Patterson is being challenged by Democrat Bill Burton for his job, his campaign sent out a letter dated September 8, 2009 warning of the dangers posed to the Second Amendment by liberal on Capitol Hill, including the newest Superme Court Justice:

Sonia Sotomayor ruled that the 2nd Amendment, as written by the founders of our great nation, only applies to the federal government and states do not have to respect the rights of law-abiding gun owners.

Eric Holder:

And Barack Obama's Attorney General has said that new gun control measures are on the way. Does that mean they'll try to interfere with Texas' right to carry law - the law that I wrote when I was in the Texas Senate?

and "Washington liberals" in general:

...who would dishonor our heritage and take away our guns...

Zakariah Johnson of American Hunters and Shooters Associaton provides a counterpoint to Patterson's assertions, making the argument that Sotomayor's ruling in Maloney v. Rice gives the Supreme Court an opportunity to reevaluate the case, which could result in Heller being explicitly applied to the states (as argued by Nordyke v. King in the Ninth Circuit).

As for AG Holder, he's already under pressure from no less than 65 House Democrats as well as the AHSA and the NRA to hold off on any new federal gun laws.

If Patterson wants to duke it out with Burton over the Second Amendment, that's fine, but maybe Patterson should cool his heels until Burton makes his own position on gun rights known.

As for Burton, his campaign is more than welcome to contact the Gun Owners Caucus of the Texas Democratic Party regarding his views on the Second Amendment. Don't be shy; I'd love to hear from you.

A tragedy that could have been much, much worse

From News 8 Austin:

According to a press release Friday, San Marcos police do not anticipate filing charges against a resident who shot three Luling teenagers, killing two, after they broke into his home in Western San Marcos early Friday morning.

"At this time, we do not anticipate filing charges against the resident for firing the shots," San Marcos Police Chief, Howard Williams, said.

Instead, San Marcos police will be turning the case over to the Hays County District Attorney's office for review after San Marcos PD completes their investigation.

One of the teens involved in the home invasion was carrying a handgun as opposed to the pellet guns carried by two of his accomplices.

It is sad that two teenagers were killed, but at least the San Marcos resident had the means to defend himself against what was obviously deadly force in the hands of those with ill intent.

Time to gear up for 2010

It's been a bit quiet lately, but it's time to start preparing for the 2010 elections as well as the state convention in Corpus Christi.

I'm currently serving as a precinct chair in Dallas County, and I know of at least one other precinct chair who's part of the Gun Owners Caucus, but we could use a lot more pro-RKBA Democrats in this role.

Precinct chairs are the backbone of every countywide Democratic Party organization in Texas. The primary job of a precinct chair is to identify Democrats living in their precinct and help get them out to vote in the Democratic Primary and General Election. Another thing to remember is that precinct chairs also have the option of serving as an election judge - the individual who runs the voting booths on Election Day. However, the primary goal of every precinct chair is to increase the number of people voting Democratic in their precinct.

Check with your county party headquarters to see if your precinct has an active chair - if not, please consider throwing your hat into the ring. Your county party HQ should have all the details.

I'll discuss a few more ideas for 2010 as time goes by. Feel free to share any thoughts you might have.

Observations on August 15 gun buyback in Dallas

I dropped by Dallas City Hall for a while yesterday to see how their recent gun buyback was going. Those who surrendered a gun to the Dallas Police Department received a $50 grocery card in return. The DPD claims they received 175 guns from the Saturday buyback.

Most of the guns I saw, however, looked like they've seen better days. I saw a lot of old hunting rifles and shotguns with worn-off finishes and scuffed wooden stocks. I also saw a couple of pistols that looked like they still worked, but barely. I talked with another observer who told me he saw a lot of cheap .25-caliber "Saturday night special" pistols being turned in. He did inform me that he saw a TEC-9 being surrendered. I used to own one for a very brief period in the 90s, but never fired it - the sights don't adjust, the gun is prone to jamming, and unless your model has a ventilated barrel shroud (as mine did), a firm two-handed grip is almost impossible.

The two of us did see this one 12-gauge pump shotgun being turned in that still had a great finish and lovely woodwork. Had the owner tried to sell it at a pawn shop, I reckon he could have made a little more than $50 from the sale. It was a shame to realize this shotgun, instead of being put to good use during hunting season, now has a date with the smelter. My companion told me he'd love to install an optics rail and a laser on that particular shotgun. Me, I think I'd leave it exactly as it is. Some firearms are simply elegant in their simplicity.

This was the second gun buyback in Dallas this year. A similar event in February netted another 147 guns.

Obese inmate uses belly fat to sneak gun into Houston jail

It's hard to find any words to respond to this, so here's the link without further comment:

Obese Inmate Sneaks Gun Into Jail in Belly Fat