Idaho Teens Tote Loaded Guns Around Town Legally

These two kids have the right idea. The very last line of the article makes it worth repeating...
Idaho Teens Tote Loaded Guns Around Town Legally
Sunday , May 20, 2007

POST FALLS, Idaho —
Two home-schooled teenagers in this northern Idaho town say they are carrying loaded guns to the library, grocery store and other public areas for self-defense, as a crime deterrent, and to educate others about their rights.
Zach Doty, 18, carries a loaded Glock handgun on his hip. His 15-year-old brother, Steven, carries a .22-caliber rifle in a sling on his back.
Police have been called on several occasions to question the teens but have not found the teens to be in violation of the law.
In Idaho, residents 18 and older can openly carry a firearm in public. And those ages 13 to 17 who have parental permission can carry a rifle in public.
"I certainly don't anticipate that I'll need to use it, but I'd rather have it and not need it than to not have it and need it," Zach told the Coeur d'Alene Press. "There's no reason for me to hide a weapon."
Zach was stopped April 17 on his way to Bible study. On Friday, police again responded when someone reported the brothers with guns in a park. But police left after confirming it was the Doty's.
Zach has also been approached by others.
"There have been good opportunities to speak to people," he said. "I make sure they know that open carrying is legal, why I carry and I encourage them to consider doing so themselves."
The brothers carry their weapons to parks, the library, grocery stores and other places. They can't have their guns with them on school property, courthouses or jails.
Not everyone is comfortable with armed teenagers in the neighborhood.
"I turned back so that my wife could verify what I saw," said James Rebal, who called police after seeing Zach with his gun. "He was very nicely dressed and I saw nothing to be concerned about other than the weapon. It's not something you see in Idaho. Virginia Tech was fresh in my mind, and I thought it was better to err on the side of concern."
A lone gunman killed 32 people and himself last month at Virginia Tech University.
John Dunlap, commander of the American Legion Post 143, said he asked Zach to leave the Legion at a recent lunch because Zach was carrying his gun.
"He left and came back the next day (without the gun) for soup," said Dunlap, who described the brothers as "well-mannered."
Ed Santos owns Center Target Sports in Post Falls and is a gun safety instructor. He said the Dotys came to his shop but he doesn't sell handgun ammunition to people under 21.
He said that just because the Dotys are carrying guns in public doesn't mean they're not responsible with them, but questioned the need to carry them in town even though it was legal.
"My advice for them is the same as it is with adults — yes it's your right and yes it's legal, but why draw unnecessary attention to yourself just because you can?" Santos said. "I believe the intent (of the law) was to allow it more for hunting and recreation."
Zach said he's not paranoid or a radical.
"If I was an extremist, our founding fathers would all be extremists," he said. "Without them, we wouldn't have our independence. We'd be a disarmed British system of feudal subjectivity."

News Two lets it bias slip

The local ABC station here in Nashville ran a story claiming that we wanted to be able to carry guns on bars now. That's NOT what the law is intended to do. Its to allow lawful carry into places that serve beer and alcohol (in TN they are different)
the way they presented the story made no mention of restaurants , just bars. They made it look like bubba wants to pony up to the bar with his hogleg and toss back a few. Nothing could be further from the truth. These are the proposed laws:

SB 0023*
Jackson
HB 0702
McCord CRIMINAL LAW: Possession of firearm where alcohol is served. Permits a person who has a permit to carry a handgun to carry gun in place where alcohol is served for consumption on premises if person not consuming alcohol or is not otherwise prohibited by posting provisions.
TCA Secs. 39-17-1300; 39-17-1305
SB 1651
Jackson
HB 1118*
Buck CRIMINAL LAW: Possession of handguns where alcohol is served. Allows a person holding a handgun permit to possess a handgun on premises where alcoholic beverages are served, so long as said person is not consuming alcohol and so long as the owner of the premises had not posted a notice prohibiting such possession.
TCA Secs. 39-17-1300; 39-17-1305
Senate Status: Set for Senate Judiciary Committee 05/15/2007.
House Status: Referred to House Judiciary Criminal Practice Subcommittee.
SB 1885
Jackson
HB 1143*
Buck CRIMINAL LAW: Firearms allowed in restaurants. Allows any person with handgun permit who is not consuming alcoholic beverages and is not under the influence of alcohol or controlled substances to carry a handgun in a restaurant where alcoholic beverages are served.
TCA Secs. 39-17-1300; 39-17-1305
Senate Status: Set for Senate Judiciary Committee 05/15/2007.
House Status: Referred to House Judiciary Criminal Practice Subcommittee.

Notice the parts I highlighted in red. Why would you want to carry into a bar when you CAN'T LEGALLY DRINK WHILE CARRYING. The way the law is currently written, there is some discussion on the point that is doesn't allow uniformed police officers to carry unless they are performing official duties. How many times have you been in a local bar and grill and there sits a cop in full uniform laving lunch. That isn't what you'd call "official duties" if anything, he's off the clock. The way the law is currently written, he's breaking the law by not leaving his weapon in his car. The law needs to be changed...sooner rather than later. The owners can still post their property to stop people from carrying their guns...at least then I'll have a choice of where to have dinner.

***UPDATE***
From the anchor, Allison Hatcher:

Danny,

I apologize if my deliver on the “guns in bars” story was offensive. I certainly did not mean for it to come across that way. In fact, it is my goal to remain neutral on most stories (with the exception of stories where showing opinion is appropriate).

What you might have sensed was my feeling about the lawmaker opposed to the idea. I’m sure you remember hearing about the lawmaker who felt “the only reason a person would need to carry a gun… is if that person were looking for a trouble.”
Personally, I find that idea little unfair! It’s quite obvious the reason gun owners want to be able to carry a weapon is to be able to ***protect** themselves from trouble. But it’s my job to make sure my opinion – whether “for” or “against” an idea – does not come through at the wrong time. I obviously missed the mark last night and for that I apologize.

Truly,

Allison Hatcher

I'm famous...but not in a way I want

I jumped on the Tennesseans web site this morning only to find a link to a searchable database of ALL CCW holders in Tennessee. Great...a shopped list provided by the local liberal rag once again showing their true colors. I don't understand what the HELL they thought they were going to accomplish with this little stunt. I don't really hide the fact that I carry a gun. I don't go around telling everyone within earshot HI!!!! I HAVE A GUN. My family and friends know I carry. I'm discrete about it for the most part. Regardless it's a rather private issue to have thrown about willy nilly like that. Evidently the database didn't exist very long due to outrage and hundreds of phone calls their front desk deceived. Now...there are two schools of thought. It can be argued that it's a "don't go to that house to rob" list or a "lookie..that house has guns" list for the local scumbags. I want to know what that list is public record? I can't look up who just bought a car, a ton of jewelry, or someone who made a large cash withdrawal. The simple fact that any asshole can find a record of which houses have guns in them is rather stupid. Can I pull prescription records to find out who just refilled their pain killer prescription?

Again and again...the lack of forethought and planning by our elected officials surprises me.

Why do they keep electing these idiots?

Evidently the smallest amendment to the US Constitution is too complicated for these morons to understand. ANYONE who lives in Chicago should be on the horn to their representatives, the mayors office, hell...standing on their rooftops screaming their lungs out over this crap. ANYONE who thinks this will do anything but INCREASE crime against law abiding citizens of the Peoples Republic of Chicago is either living in their own little fantasy world...or a complete drooling on themselves utter dumbass. Why someone doesn't take these buffoons to court is beyond me. Daley should be thrown from office, impeached, recalled, fired, sued, laughed at, mocked openly in public...whatever it takes to get the point across. I'd bet his bodyguards are still armed. He's one of the elitist scum who believe that THEIR personal protection is needed...you...a lowly VOTING peon can't be trusted to defend yourself so the nice police..who are taking away YOUR GOD GIVEN RIGHTS are good enough to protect you. Only problem is...they CAN'T. What are you going to do once you're beaten and robbed blind Chicago? Go crying to Daley and his goons? It's too late then. NOW is the time to demand a stop to the abuse of power.

Confiscation of Registered Guns Begins in Illinois
Chicago Anti Gun Enforcement (CAGE) unit. This elite squad, operated jointly by the Illinois State Police, the Chicago Police Department, and the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, supposedly exists to identify illegal gunrunners. However, information gained by the ISRA makes it clear that the CAGE unit is targeting law-abiding citizens, not criminal gunrunners.

The Chicago Police Department and the Illinois State Police have teamed up to make good on Mayor Daley's pledge that, if it were up to him, nobody would have a gun. Daley and his elite "CAGE" unit are apparently taking advantage of gun privacy loopholes to pinpoint certain individuals for inclusion in the confiscation program.

The ISRA is following up on leads in one case that has disturbing implications. An elderly first-generation Chicago resident was recently paid a visit by an Illinois State Police trooper. After asking to come inside the man's home, the trooper asked if the man owned a gun - to which he replied yes. The trooper then directed the individual to surrender the firearm. The man complied with the officer's demand and the trooper left with the gun. And the story gets better...

The gun in question was purchased legally by the man in the 1970s shortly after he became a U.S. citizen. When Chicago's infamous gun registration scheme went into effect in the early 1980s, the man registered the firearm as per the requirement. However, over the years, the fellow apparently forgot to re-register the firearm, and forgot to renew his Illinois FOID Card.

So...what does this all mean?

In the last edition of The Illinois Shooter, we reported on the activities of a shady taskforce known as the Chicago Anti Gun Enforcement (CAGE) unit. This elite squad, operated jointly by the Illinois State Police, the Chicago Police Department, and the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, supposedly exists to identify illegal gunrunners. However, information gained by the ISRA makes it clear that the CAGE unit is targeting law-abiding citizens, not criminal gunrunners.

Thanks to a ruling by a liberal federal judge, the CAGE unit now has the name of every single person in the United States who, since 1992, lawfully purchased more than one handgun in the period of a week. The CAGE unit also has all the makes, models and serial numbers of those guns. In essence, the Chicago Police Department is now registering guns and gun owners nationwide.

The ISRA has also learned that the CAGE unit has compiled a list of families where more than one person in that family holds a FOID card. Acting on that information, the CAGE unit is now contacting gun shops where those families have shopped, and is illegally registering all guns purchased by those families.

Now, it appears that the CAGE unit is scrubbing Chicago's gun registration list against the list of FOID card holders. Indications are that folks who have let their registrations and FOIDs lapse will have their guns confiscated. We have to wonder how long it will be until state troopers show up at the doors to confiscate the guns of non-Chicago residents who have let their FOIDs expire.

More later as this story develops.