GW: Reference my post a few days ago, “The Excitement…

Facing a budget crisis, why would anyone burn money?

That’s a question worth asking the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which recently destroyed 8,300 firearms allegedly confiscated from criminals; guns that could and should have been sold to licensed firearms dealers, or utilized by the agency as a means of raising money or saving it. Click on the title line for the rest of the piece.

BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation and a Baltimore County, Maryland man have sued Maryland authorities in federal court because the man’s handgun permit renewal was turned down on the grounds that he could not demonstrate “a reasonable precaution against apprehended danger.”

The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.

Joining SAF in the lawsuit is Raymond Woollard, who was originally issued a carry permit after a man broke into his home during a family gathering in 2002. Woollard’s permit was renewed in 2005, after the man was released from prison. That man now lives about three miles from Woollard. Defendants in the case are Terrence B. Sheridan is the Secretary and Superintendent of the Maryland State Police, and three members of the Maryland Handgun Permit Review Board, Denis Gallagher, Seymour Goldstein and Charles M. Thomas, Jr.

SAF and Woollard are represented by attorneys Alan Gura of Virginia and Cary J. Hansel of Joseph, Greenwald & Laake of Greenbelt, MD.

The lawsuit alleges that “Individuals cannot be required to demonstrate that carrying a handgun is necessary as a reasonable precaution against apprehended danger’ as a prerequisite for exercising their Second Amendment rights.” Plaintiffs are seeking a permanent injunction against enforcement of the Maryland provision that requires permit applicants to “demonstrate cause” for the issuance of a carry permit.

“Laws that empower bureaucrats to deny the exercise of a fundamental civil right because they cannot show good cause to exercise that right can’t possibly stand up under constitutional scrutiny,” said SAF Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “We are supporting Mr. Woollard in this action because constitutional rights trump bureaucratic whims.”

The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nation’s oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control. SAF has previously funded successful firearms-related suits against the cities of Los Angeles; New Haven, CT; and San Francisco on behalf of American gun owners, a lawsuit against the cities suing gun makers and an amicus brief and fund for the Emerson case holding the Second Amendment as an individual right.

SOUTHPORT, CONNECTICUT–Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE-RGR), announced today that for the second quarter of 2010, the Company reported net sales of $64.4 million and earnings per share of 43¢, compared with sales of $72.4 million and earnings per share of 46¢ in the second quarter of 2009.

For the six months ended July 3, 2010, net sales were $132.7 million and earnings were 86¢ per share. For the corresponding period in 2009, net sales were $135.9 million and earnings were 76¢ per share.

The Company also announced today that its Board of Directors declared a dividend of 10.0¢ per share for the second quarter, for shareholders of record as of August 13, 2010, payable on August 27, 2010. The amount of the dividend was based on a percentage of Operating Profit after adjustment for certain items, the same approach used by the Company since 2009. Under this approach, the amount of the quarterly dividend fluctuates directly with certain operating results of the Company.

Chief Executive Officer Michael O. Fifer made the following comments related to the Company’s results of 2010:

* New product introductions remain a strong driver of demand and represented $42 million, or 32% of sales, in the first six months of 2010.

* The estimated sell-through of the Company’s products from distributors to retailers in the first half of 2010 increased 1% from the first half of 2009, despite a reduction in National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) background checks of 2% during this period.

* Cash generated from operations during the first half of 2010 was $17.8 million. At the end of the second quarter of 2010, our cash and equivalents totaled $58.7 million. Our current ratio is 4.0 to 1 and we have no debt.

* During the first half of 2010, capital expenditures totaled $12.6 million, much of it related to tooling and equipment for new products. We expect to invest approximately $18 to $20 million for capital expenditures during 2010.

* At the end of the second quarter of 2010, stockholders’ equity was $109 million, which equates to a book value of $5.68 per share, of which $3.05 per share was cash and equivalents.

* For the third consecutive year, a Ruger handgun has been named the Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence “Handgun of the Year”. The Ruger SR9c is the compact version of the SR9 striker-fired pistol, one of the slimmest and most ergonomic 9mm pistols on the market today.

The Company filed its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the second quarter of 2010. The financial statements included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are attached to this press release.

The Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q is available on the SEC website at www.sec.gov and the Ruger website at www.ruger.com/corporate/. Investors are urged to read the complete Form 10-Q to ensure that they have adequate information to make informed investment judgments.

About Sturm, Ruger
Sturm, Ruger was founded in 1949 and is one of the nation’s leading manufacturers of high-quality firearms for the commercial sporting market. Sturm, Ruger is headquartered in Southport, CT, with manufacturing facilities located in Newport, NH and Prescott, AZ.

Saint Paul, Minnesota – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today that the new Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general sign-up will run Monday, August 2nd through Friday, August 27th. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever Farm Bill Biologists are prepared to work with landowners through the entire sign-up period.

The new general CRP signup will be the first since 2006, and landowner demand is expected to be strong, especially considering the USDA has updated soil rental rates since that last general signup. “CRP continues to be a good option for producers to ensure income on the tough-to-farm and lowest producing acres,” said Dave Nomsen, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Vice President of Government Affairs, “This general signup’s 4 million-plus acre nationwide allotment is likely to fill up quickly, so it’s critical that landowners get into their local USDA service centers immediately to examine CRP options on their land.” Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever have more than 60 Farm Bill Biologists working at USDA service centers to provide one-on-one assistance to farmers and ranchers during the 2010 general sign-up.

The new CRP general sign-up arrives in time to address the 4.4 million acres of CRP expiring on September 30, 2010. It is also representative of USDA’s ongoing action to maximize the wildlife habitat and environmental benefits created via the program’s 25-year history. This February at Pheasants Forever’s National Pheasant Fest, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced his pledge to keep CRP fully enrolled at the federally mandated (via the 2008 Farm Bill) maximum level of 32 million acres. With an additional 14.2 million acres of CRP slated to expire between 2011 and 2013, the new general sign-up is the critical first step, said Nomsen.

Today’s announcement also resonates with pheasant hunters, as CRP acres provide the top nationwide habitat component in producing pheasants. Just three years removed from record-setting pheasant harvests (Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota); hunters have been disappointed in the 6.5 million acres that left the Conservation Reserve Program without a general signup. America’s quail populations continue their rapid decline because of habitat losses. “This new general signup is critical to prevent us from losing more acres and for preventing continued population decline of the birds many of us love to pursue each autumn,” Nomsen added.

Nomsen also points out how understated CRP is to the rural environment and the rural economy. “For 25 years, CRP has been the nation’s single most important and successful conservation program, protecting water quality and soils, and creating habitat for a diverse mix of wildlife,” he said, “It’s a program critically important to the economy of rural America and our nation’s outdoor traditions. CRP in the next 25 years will continue all of these benefits, while also producing the habitat critical to pollinators and the $19 billion dollars honey bee pollination means to America’s agricultural economy.”

Since its formation in 1985, Pheasants Forever has been one of the nation’s strongest supporters of CRP. A voluntary program for agricultural landowners, CRP provides annual rental payments and cost-share assistance for the establishment of long-term, resource conserving covers on eligible farmland. The millions of acres of CRP lands in the United States protect topsoil erosion, improve water and air quality and is a major contributor to increasing wildlife populations – including pheasants and quail – in many parts of the country.

Pheasants Forever is dedicated to the conservation of pheasants, quail and other wildlife through habitat improvements, public awareness, education and land management policies and programs.
Contact:
Anthony Hauck (651) 209-4972 or AHauck@pheasantsforever.org

By Glen Wunderlich
Outdoor Columnist
Member Professional Outdoor Media Association

Last week’s column covered the first session with my new Horton Vision crossbow, which was little more than an introduction to some basics. When the chronograph indicated arrow speed at 290 feet-per-second (fps), I was somewhat surprised how much slower it was than the advertised speed of “up to” 325 fps. However, since its kinetic energy was still ample for whitetail hunting, this week’s focus is on accuracy and other considerations.

For an added measure of enjoyment, my friend and hunting partner, Joe Reynolds, brought along his new Parker Hurricane crossbow. The Hurricane model is about a year old, so Joe was able to get a good deal on it at the Deer Spectacular in Lansing this past spring. However, it uses the same mechanism as Parker’s newest model; only the stock has been changed. The salesman told Joe that it was rated at 350 fps – the fastest legal speed permitted by law in Michigan – and that Parker didn’t exaggerate its claims. It was time to find out.

The first arrow was clocked at 352 fps and so was the second! (Understand that even though Joe’s arrows exceeded the speed limit, they would still be considered legal, because advertised speed of the manufacturer is how legal is defined in Michigan.) Penetration was beyond good; the arrow almost went completely through the bag target.

We set the bag at 20 yards and I shot one arrow, which was a little off the mark. But, when sighting in, there is no concern about being on target right away; the object is to shoot tight groups. Without a scope adjustment, I released my second arrow, which promptly struck the first arrow and drilled a hole clean through one of the vanes. We quickly wised up and placed several targets on the bag and never fired more than one arrow at each target.

Joe’s laser-like shots at 20 yards could not be seen and were close enough to center that we then moved the target to 30 yards. I made some scope adjustments after two initial shots and finished the 30-yard target experiment by placing the next two shots in the middle of two separate 1-inch squares! However, I was already holding over some two inches to get on center, making me question the calibration of the various horizontal lines on the Mult-A-Range scope. Joe then smoked a few more shots close enough to center that we moved the target to 40 yards.

My groups were still only a couple of inches but well below the center of the target, when using the second horizontal line on the scope for the 40-yard shots. The calibration of the reticle may be on the mark, however, from an elevated stand. Joe’s Parker was thumping the bag impressively but the wind was becoming a factor and we called off the session.

I resumed shooting the next morning and found that group sizes never exceeded a few inches out to 45 yards! When one considers the kill zone of a deer, which is approximately nine inches, the Horton Vision is well within acceptable standards – even for an accuracy freak like me. But another factor – one of noise relative to downrange arrow speed – began to creep into my mind. Even though the Horton Vision is probably the quietest crossbow on the market, it still makes enough noise to spook game before the arrow arrives at the longer ranges. At least that’s my theory. With that in mind, it may be a moot point, if an archer can hit a target beyond 50 yards with the Horton, if a deer will “jump the string.”

So, if you are looking for a narrower and lighter crossbow for field use, the Horton Vision may be for you. It’s obviously accurate enough. But, if you’d like to stretch the limit of the law, and be able to make longer shots, the Parker is as good as it gets in the velocity department.

Understand, however, that I wouldn’t attempt these longer shots without designing a stand with a solid rest similar to one used with a firearm. Otherwise, accuracy is not going to be any better than anything else. But, being able to use a rest is a decided advantage over vertical bows, not to mention that the crossbow remains cocked and ready to rock without all the extraneous movement associated with vertical bows. And, as demonstrated, it doesn’t take long to get dialed in.

The NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action wrapped up its lobbying efforts at the first session of the UN committee drafting an “arms trade treaty.” The “Preparatory Committee for the UN Arms Trade Treaty Conference” (called the “Prep Com”) has been meeting in New York from July 12 to today, July 23. The meeting is one in a series to prepare for a major conference to finalize an arms trade treaty in 2012.

NRA-ILA was one of few pro-gun groups at the meeting. Anti-gun groups had a strong presence led by the International Action Network on Small Arms.

The Chairman of the meeting, Ambassador Roberto Garcia Moritan, released a 14-point outline of a possible arms trade treaty. Several other supporting position papers were also published. The inclusion of civilian firearms remains one of the controversial aspects of the proposed treaty. Countries such as Mexico and the Netherlands want civilian firearms included in the treaty. Other countries, such as New Zealand, want those types of arms excluded from the treaty. In a move that disappointed anti-gun groups, Moritan’s treaty outline includes a category for “Exclusions,” and the supporting position paper lists an exclusion covering civilian firearms. Still, we must remain vigilant on this and series of other threatening issues.

The Prep Com will meet again in New York the week of February 28, 2011. It will meet a second time in July 2011. There are also an extensive series of workshops scheduled for 2011 to “support” the Arms Trade Treaty.

Below, you may view video coverage of these meetings by NRA News correspondent Ginny Simone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FulGZGJnmhs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8Hbddd7LL4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ-RqSWsKP0

We will report on further developments as they occur.

MISSOULA, Mont.– With their latest petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, animal rights activists are preparing to sue for federally mandated release of wolves in every state, warn officials with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

David Allen, RMEF president and CEO, says animal rights groups have learned that introducing wolves translates to major fundraising, and activists have found a way to exploit the Endangered Species Act “as well as taxpayer-funded programs that cover lawyer fees” to push their agenda and build revenue through the courts.

“There are now about 100,000 gray wolves in the U.S. and Canada, and over the past few years in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, activists discovered that every wolf is also a cash cow,” said Allen. “If we don’t get some reform in federal laws very soon, we’re all going to be living in Jurassic Park. This is not about saving a lost species. It’s about money and special interest agendas.”

“Americans need to wake up,” he added, ‘because when you respond to those fundraising letters with photos of cute little wolf pups, you’re writing a check that our country’s rural and traditional lifestyles can’t cash. You’re eroding the fundamentals of America’s model for wildlife conservation.”

Allen said undermanaged wolf populations in the northern Rockies are compromising the health of other wildlife species — especially elk and other prey. In areas of Montana and Idaho where wolves share habitat with elk, calf survival rates now are too low to sustain herds for the future.

‘How do animal rights groups who claim to defend wildlife justify elk calf survival rates below 10 percent? Clearly they have another agenda,” said Allen.

Participation in hunting and the funding it generates for conservation also are being negatively affected, as are local economies, livestock production and potentially even human safety.

Continuous lawsuits by activists have setback wolf control and management efforts, compounding problems and costs for states.

“Now imagine bringing these kinds of impacts to more populated states elsewhere in the U.S., and I think we’re looking at an unprecedented wildlife management disaster,” said Allen.

RMEF has helped to successfully restore elk populations in Kentucky, Tennessee, Wisconsin and other states where habitat is suitable and citizens support the effort. Elk restoration is being considered currently in Virginia and Missouri using these same criteria.

“There are two proven ways to restore a species,” said Allen. ‘Our way is offering to help with funding and expertise so long as the local public wants the species and the state can manage them. The other way is using lawsuits and loopholes to shove a project down people’s throats.”

Animal rights groups filed a petition July 20 complaining that wolves now inhabit just 5 percent of their former range in the U.S., and that wolf populations should be recovered in all significant portions of that range. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) responded by saying that it is reviewing “what is realistic and where the suitable habitat would be.” The agency’s review could be complete by late 2010 or early 2011.

‘We urge USFWS to be very cautious in this evaluation and reject the rhetoric of the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, Earth Justice, Humane Society of the U.S. and other animal rights groups. Wolf re-introduction in the greater Yellowstone region was a classic example of “let’s get our foot in the door and then move the goal line,” and should be warning enough. This is a fundraising strategy with anti-hunting, anti-ranching, anti-gun impacts, and the public needs to understand and see it for it is,” added Allen.

About the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation:

Snowy peaks, dark timber basins and grassy meadows. RMEF is leading an elk country initiative that has conserved or enhanced habitat on over 5.8 million acres — a land area equivalent to a swath three miles wide and stretching along the entire Continental Divide from Canada to Mexico. RMEF also works to open, secure and improve public access for hunting, fishing and other recreation. Get involved at www.rmef.org or 800-CALL ELK.

Contact: Steve Wagner, Blue Heron Communications, 800-654-3766 or steve@blueheroncomm.com

GW: Good advice in any state.

WATERBURY, VT – Wild animals do not make good pets. Some are dangerous when they reach maturity, almost all do not adjust well to captivity, and many populations of reptiles and amphibians, including turtles, are being threatened by people illegally collecting them in the wild.

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department says a recent newspaper advertisement promoting turtles as pets and showing a photo of a wood turtle could mislead people to think it is OK to keep a wood turtle. It is illegal in Vermont to catch or possess a wood turtle as well as other native turtles.

Vermont is home to seven species of turtles: spotted turtle (small with distinct yellow spots; endangered and known from just a handful of locations), spiny softshell (large, threatened, confined to Lake Champlain and lower portions of rivers that flow into Lake Champlain), map turtle (up to 10″ and confined mainly to Lake Champlain), musk turtle (rarely seen lake or stream bottom walker), snapping turtle (large, prehistoric looking giant that can have a 18″ shell and be 36″ nose to tail tip; can live up to 100 years and lay up to 100 eggs per year), painted turtle (perhaps our most plentiful turtle, relatively small, smooth dark shell, and likely a mix of midland and eastern subspecies in Vermont), and last but certainly not least, the wood turtle.

The wood turtle averages about 7.5 inches in shell length, and it has reddish-orange skin on its neck and legs and a roughly textured shell. It is dependent on streams and small rivers where it spends the winter on the bottom. In warmer months it may travel 1000 or more feet from the stream to forage on land.

Adult wood turtles may live 60 years, but egg and hatchling survival is extremely low. Survival of older juveniles and adult breeders is key to maintaining this species. The wood turtle is rare throughout its range which includes Vermont.

Taking a turtle home removes it from its breeding population and reduces that population’s chances of replacing turtles that die. It takes many years for a turtle to mature and we need the older breeders to maintain populations. Only 2 percent of hatchling turtles may survive to become breeding adults, and wood turtles only lay an average of seven eggs each year.

Wood turtles have not fared well in the face of human development of the landscape. Habitat loss and alteration, isolation of populations from each other, road mortality, impacts from mowers, increase in turtle predators such as raccoons and skunks, and collection of wild turtles as pets have contributed to a region-wide decline in this species.

It is illegal to collect and possess native wildlife, including turtles, as pets. Yet, an illegal pet-trade still exists. Even animals reported to be “captive bred” are a problem because breeding stock comes out of the wild.

Don’t be part of the problem. Remember that wildlife are not pets. They belong in the wild. Enjoy Vermont’s natural heritage where it belongs — in the wild. To learn more about wood turtles and other wildlife in Vermont, visit the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s website “Critter Curriculum” at www.vtfishandwildlife.com/vtcritters.

Indiana Adds County to Emerald Ash Borer/Wood Quarantine
Emerald ash borer (EAB), an invasive forest insect that kills ash trees, has been detected in Hendricks County.

As a result, Robert E. Carter Jr., director of the DNR, declared the county quarantined for EAB after state entomologist Phil Marshall recommended that movement of regulated ash material and hardwood firewood within the county be limited to reduce spread of the insect. To view quarantined areas and EAB sightings in Indiana go to the DNR’s interactive EAB Map at http://www.in.gov/dnr/entomolo/5349.htm.

An EAB quarantine restricts the movement of regulated ash materials, including whole ash trees, limbs, branches or debris of ash trees at least 1 inch in diameter, ash logs or untreated ash lumber with bark attached, or cut firewood of any hardwood species, outside of the affected county. Regulated ash material and hardwood firewood may be moved within the county, but special permission in the form of a signed compliance agreement must be obtained from the Indiana DNR to move it outside the county borders. In general, the DNR recommends that movement remain limited within each county when possible to reduce spread of the insect within the county. A compliance agreement can be applied for by contacting the Indiana DNR’s Division of Entomology and Plant Pathology at (317) 232-4120.

EAB, first found in Indiana in 2004, has now been identified in 35 Indiana counties: Adams, Allen, Blackford, Brown, Carroll, Cass, DeKalb, Delaware, Dubois, Elkhart, Floyd, Grant, Hamilton, Harrison, Hendricks, Huntington, Jay, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Lawrence, Marion, Miami, Monroe, Noble, Orange, Porter, Randolph, Ripley, St. Joseph, Steuben, Tippecanoe, Wabash, Wells, White and Whitley.

In addition to the state-level quarantine, all of Indiana is under a federal quarantine that prohibits moving regulated ash material out of Indiana without a compliance agreement or permit from the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). For a federal compliance agreement application, contact USDA, APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) at (765) 497-2859.

Ephrata, Washington – An 18-year-old Mattawa man has been charged with attempted first-degree murder, after shooting at a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) police captain Saturday in Grant County.

The man is being held in Grant County Jail on $1 million bail, along with his 60-year-old father, who drew a knife on another WDFW police officer. The father has been charged with second-degree assault, and is being held on $100,000 bail. The men, who made a preliminary appearance today in Grant County Superior Court, are to be formally arraigned next Monday. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement has also placed holds on both men.

The two were arrested Saturday evening, following a vehicle pursuit by WDFW and the State Patrol on State Route 28 near Ephrata.

The incident began about 8:30 p.m. Saturday, when WDFW Officer Chad McGary was checking anglers at Crab Creek, a popular fishing area near Beverly in Grant County. McGary contacted the 18 year old, who had been fishing but did not possess a fishing license. As McGary was escorting the suspect back to his vehicle, to confirm whether he had purchased a license, the man drew a gun and pointed it at the officer. The man’s father also approached the officer, brandishing a knife.

The young man then escaped to a car and was pursued by WDFW Capt. Chris Anderson. During the pursuit, the suspect turned his vehicle around and drove toward Anderson’s marked police vehicle, firing shots and penetrating the driver’s side door with one round. Anderson returned fire after the suspect attempted to shoot at him a second time.

After a pursuit of several miles, the suspect was apprehended after his car stalled on State Route 28 near Ephrata.

The young man was booked into Grant County Jail for alleged attempted murder in the first degree. The suspect’s father was booked for alleged assault and for an outstanding felony warrant on an unrelated charge.

The incident is being investigated by the Columbia Basin Investigative Team, a regional law-enforcement consortium. Investigations are routinely conducted following police use of force involving firearms.

WDFW police are general-authority law enforcement officers who provide a range of police services focused on natural-resource protection and public safety.