They Carry Guns

Here is a real Rara Avis: a liberal newspaper from San Diego publishing an impartial , unbiased and well researched article on California UOC (Unloaded Open Carry) movement.
Kudos to every participant in the interview and kudos to Miss Rosa Jurjevic, she proved herself to be is a great gal and an honest journalist.

Now, why don't we have the same honest and impartial type of journalism practiced at LA/NY Times, CNN, CBS and the rest of the major media outlets?
Is it that hard for the big name newspaper editorialists and TV anchors to do a little research on this issue, leave their fears and personal bias aside and write objective articles based on real information, not anti-gun propaganda?

Here an except of the article, please follow the link at the bottom to read it in its entirety:

They carry guns
By Rosa Jurjevics | Published Wednesday, July 15, 2009

It’s a beautiful day in Pacific Beach as Nate approaches the bronze pelican statue on the boardwalk. He’s slight and blond, spectacled and clad in jeans and an army-green T-shirt. He squints. The sun’s so bright overhead that he is prompted to spray a fine mist of sunblock over his fair skin to stave off a burn.

I’ve never met Nate before, but I know it’s him (a) because I’ve seen his picture and (b) due to the handgun that sits on a holster against his hip. I’m about to get up from where I’m sitting and introduce myself when someone else beats me to the punch. A scraggly-looking beachgoer, a man of indeterminable age because he is so weather-beaten, approaches.

“What’s that for, bro?” he asks, pointing in the direction of Nate’s gun, a Taurus Tracker .44 Magnum revolver.

Before Nate can answer, the man continues.

“There are surfers at the beach looking to party, and you show up with that? That’s not right. Love life! Be mellow!”

This is when I walk up and introduce myself. The beachgoer looks at me for a moment with wild blue eyes, then looks back at Nate, as Nate is beginning to explain what he will have to reiterate time and time again to concerned and/or interested parties: he is open carrying.

The term “open carrying” refers to one who is in possession of a holstered, unloaded firearm on his or her person, displayed in plain view. Nate begins to explain the legalities of this to the beachgoer when Sean approaches, video camera in tow. In shades, a green shirt with double-breast pockets, green cargo pants, and a Sig Sauer P229 holstered on his hip, Sean looks not unlike a police officer.

The beachgoer does a double take.

“Another one!” he exclaims, as Sean greets us warmly.

The beachgoer, incredulous, excuses himself — with one final stare — to go “get baked.”

To read the rest of the article go here: They Carry Guns

UPDATE!
Nate, the UOC guy featured in the Reader article will be interviewed tomorrow 07/21 on the local talk radio station starting around 8AM Pacific Time on AM 600 KOGO. This radio station is the home of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity in San Diego. You can listen to the interview on the Internet live or podcast here

California "Shall Issue" Concealed Carry Weapon Permits, Here We Come!

About time that the corrupt, discretionary and idiotic issuing system for Concealed Carry Weapon (CCW) permits we have here in California to be challenged and struck down in a court of law.

With the help of the Calguns Foundation and The Second Amendment Foundation, a lawsuit was filled on behalf o several California citizens that were arbitrarily denied the right of self defense. In the light of the Heller and Nordyke rulings, the prospects of a big win for the Second Amendment supporters in California are better than ever.

So how can you help win this fight? It's simple: open your wallet and DONATE TO CALGUNS FOUNDATION. No matter how much you can or cannot afford, just do it.
And as they say: "as California goes, so the rest of the country goes", the impact on the Second Amendment rights of the ruling in this lawsuit will not only be felt in the Golden State, but in the rest of country as well.

Lawsuit Seeks Stronger Gun Rights For California Citizens

(AP) In theory, law-abiding Californians who undergo a criminal background check and pass a government training course can receive a permit from their local sheriff to carry a concealed firearm.

But in practice, many California counties flatly deny permits to residents who meet the requirements for a concealed carry permit -- a situation that a lawsuit filed in federal court in Sacramento on Tuesday hopes to remedy.

The lawsuit filed by the Second Amendment Foundation and the Calguns Foundation says the routine denials of concealed carry permits violate the right to bear arms protected by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

One of the plaintiffs is Deanna Sykes, a lesbian and a firearms instructor who says she believes her sexual orientation and small stature make her a target for criminals. Another is Andrew Witham, a private investigator and campus public safety officer, whose local sheriff denied his request to carry a handgun while away from work.

The case "presents a very simple legal issue: people have the right to bear arms," Alan Gura, a Virginia attorney representing the plaintiffs, told CBSNews.com on Wednesday. "The state is able to regulate that right, but it cannot arbitrarily deny the right to bear arms based on the whims of local officials. The current law has absolutely no standards to it, and some local officials regrettably abuse their discretion. They decide self-defense is not a valid reason to deny the gun carry permit."

Section 12050 of California law says that "the sheriff of a county, upon proof that the person applying is of good moral character" may issue a concealed carry permit. Californians who carry a concealed weapon without a license are subject to criminal penalties including fines and a one-year jail term. (Nearly every state has some form of concealed carry laws, with 36 states saying that sheriffs must issue them by default, and two states -- Alaska and Vermont -- require no advance permission.)

What the pro-gun rights groups that filed this lawsuit hope to do is apply the U.S. Supreme Court's reasoning in the landmark D.C. v. Heller case decided last year. Even though Heller focused on the firearm restrictions of the nation's capital, by recognizing a constitutional right protecting individual possession of firearms, the justices expressed a dim view of sweeping prohibitions on Americans' Second Amendment rights.

Gura said that he knew of no case filed since the Supreme Court's decision that has led to a definitive ruling about how Heller applies to concealed carry permits.

A map prepared by the CalCCW.com site shows that the more liberal counties around San Francisco and Los Angeles tend to be the ones that deny permits to regular citizens. A 2007 report from the state of California shows that the county of San Francisco, for instance, issued only six permits that year -- while the rural, wooded, and far less populous county of Shasta issued 2,306 permits.

A bill titled AB 357 introduced in the California legislature in February would remove some discretion from local officials if the applicant for a permit qualified for one. (The city of Davis, for instance, tells applicants: "An evaluation and comparison of our current services to available resources has forced us to discontinue processing and issuing CCW [Carry Concealed Weapon] licenses. I apologize for the inconvenience this action will cause you.")

Last month, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Fourteenth Amendment -- which required states to offer freedoms found in the Bill of Rights such as a jury trial -- protects an individual right to keep and bear arms. That decision is important because it means extreme state laws violate the Second Amendment as much as extreme federal laws would, and it is binding on the Sacramento court where the lawsuit was filed this week.

Representatives of the defendants in this case, Sacramento county and Yolo county, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
Source

Vigilant Citizens In Action: O. C. Gun Grabbing Sheriff And Her Deputies Caught Red Handed

For the first 26 years of my life I lived under one of Eastern Europe darkest, most deranged and authoritarian communist dictatorships. What you will read on this page happened in America, supposedly the freest country in the world; however from the behavior manifested by the law enforcement officers attending a recent Board of Supervisors meeting you would think their employer is Nicolae Ceausescu not the citizens of Orange County, California.

Sheriff officials' texts show disdain, combative view toward gun activists

A series of messages detail sheriffs' officials disparaging activists and county supervisors protesting new gun policies.
By NORBERTO SANTANA Jr. and TONY SAAVEDRA
The Orange County Register


Transcripts of text messages sent by Orange County sheriff's officials during a November 2008 Board of Supervisors meeting shows the law enforcement leaders used their cell phones to ridicule activists and even supervisors during a public hearing on gun permit policies.

The messages, obtained under a public records request by a group named Ordinary California Citizens Concerned With Safety, reveal a combative tone by sheriff's command staff toward the activists. Some county supervisors questioned whether that defensiveness triggered the large security presence that met activists when they returned to a January meeting seeking to again criticize Sheriff Sandra Hutchens' gun policies.

"We are locked in mortal battle…It is ugly. We will survive however," wrote Assistant Sheriff Mike Hillmann as he sat in the audience at 1:17 pm during the November 18 board meeting.

Hillmann, a former LAPD deputy chief recruited by Hutchens to help reform Orange County's troubled department, made fun of County Supervisor Janet Nguyen – a vocal critic of Hutchen's CCW policies. Hillmann texted: "I hope Janet has a pet she can call a friend."

Click picture to enlarge email scan to readable size
Scan 1 Redacted: An OCSD Employee calls those speaking at the 11-18-08 BOS meeting ‘idiots’. Does the OCSD LT. tell this person to ‘knock it off’? No. The temperature of their coffee is of more importance.

Nguyen said she was shocked by the tone of the texts and was having her staff review more than 300 pages of the messages.

"It clearly shows the attitude that's over at that department. It shows no respect," Nguyen said. "It shows clearly they have no respect for us as a governing body, much less the residents."

Sheriff Hutchens apologized for what she called the unprofessional conduct of staff members, but stressed the opinions revealed by the text messages had nothing to do with the increased security at the next CCW hearing. Hutchens added that she appreciated the input from those who disagree with her concealed weapons policies.

"Clearly, I do not condone comments that were made on the emails and I have admonished those that participated in that as being unprofessional conduct and I do not expect that to occur again," Hutchens said. She said the department policy is that agency-issued Blackberries are to be used for business only.

By the next meeting on gun permit issues on January 13, gun activists were confronted by a very different boardroom.

Large placards in the front lobby read, "No Firearms allowed." Responding to a series of unspecified threats, numerous plainclothes investigators and uniformed SWAT deputies were out in full force. Activists wearing green buttons that read CCW said they felt intimidated as they approached the dais to offer comments. Three people wearing green buttons were questioned but no one was detained and no firearms were confiscated.

Supervisor Chris Norby said the texts gave credence to accusations that sheriff's officials increased security at that meeting to stifle opposition.

"I think they were surprised, taken aback (by the Nov. 18 meeting) and when they thought it was going to be repeated, they treated that as a security issue," Norby said.

He also said the text messages raises questions about the command staff.

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Scan 11 Redacted: In an exchange with Assistant Sheriff Hillmann, an OCSD Employee ridicules a speaker at the 11-18-08 BOS meeting, calling him ‘CREEPY!!’ Does Sheriff Hillmann tell the employee to knock it off? No. He joins in and adds to the ridicule of a law abiding citizen.

"It sounds like there is a serious control issue there," Norby said. "These are her top deputies that advise her and (they are texting) at county expense and on county equipment and they are belittling the public."

During the Nov. 18 meeting, hundreds of concealed weapons activists showed up to let supervisors know they opposed the new policies adopted by Hutchens. After taking office, Hutchens announced she would tighten the permit policies relaxed during the tenure of former Sheriff Mike Carona.

That has triggered a fierce backlash by activists, the National Rifle Association and even the board of supervisors.

During the November hearing, one by one, a row of activists took to the microphone at the board of supervisors and told Hutchens that her policies were unfair and a bad fit for a county known as Republican and pro-second Amendment. The meeting lasted hours and by the end, most county supervisors had joined in criticizing Hutchens' approach to the gun permits.

The emails released to the activist group highlight how uncomfortable Sheriff's officials were at the hearing.

Click picture to enlarge email scan to readable size
Scan 12 Redacted: An OCSD Employee ridicules a speaker at the 11-18-08 BOS meeting.

Shortly after 2 pm, at the November meeting, R.J. Morris, a CCW activist who had applied for a gun permit, got up to offer his critique.

Sheriff's officials immediately cyber-insulted Morris, who wears a bow tie and tinted glasses, through a series of text messages.

"Is that Elton John?" wrote department spokesman Damon Micalizzi.

One secretary sent Hillmann a message, "That guy that is up speaking now is CREEPY!! Nice hair and nice bow tie."

Hillmann replied, "That is the new investigator and gang officer attire."

Morris, 56, who is a airline transport pilot, said he was "shocked" at the lack of professionalism in the email communications. The North Tustin resident was also deeply hurt given the fact that he has expressed interest in helping the department upgrade its air squadron.

"It makes me feel embarrassed that I've supported the sheriff," said Morris. "It makes me look like a fool."

Morris, who was among the most neutral of department critics on the gun policy issue, insists that "just because we're at odds with the administration, it in no means degrades our appreciation to the men and women who serve."

Nevertheless, assistant sheriff Hillmann, toward the end of a long hearing, texted an agent with the FBI: "This has been unbelievable. Am ready to stick a pencil in my eye."

Click picture to enlarge email scan to readable size
Scan 5 Redacted: Assistant Sheriff Hillmann comments, in regards to the day of citizens addressing their elected representatives, ‘Am ready to stick a pencil in my eye.’

Although the text messages showed a defensiveness among high-level sheriff's officials, Hutchens said she does not see the department as being engaged in combat with the CCW advocates.

"I don't see them as enemies. I see it as a healthy debate," Hutchens said. "If anybody needs to be listening it's me."

Yeah, sure. A healthy debate like in "I speak, you stupid peons shut up and listen, otherwise I'll sick my deputies on you"

Sheriff deputies are intimidating, then mocking and ridiculing concealed weapon permit supporters who happen to be the same law abiding people paying their salaries. Ordinary law-abiding citizens exercise their Constitutionally guaranteed first amendment rights and address their duly elected leaders. And the OCSD views this as “WE ARE LOCKED IN MORTAL COMBAT”?!? What third world dictatorship does OCSD think they are ruling?
Unbelievable.
Sickening.
Welcome to Socialist Republik Of Kalifornia

Email scans form OCCCW