Jury Finds California Gun Owner Not Guilty in Federal Conspiracy Trial

SACRAMENTO, CA – A federal jury in Sacramento has found gun owner Ulysses S. Grant Early IV not guilty of conspiracy to make a false statement on a federal a firearm record known as an ATF Form 4473. The lengthy criminal trial, which lasted four weeks, successfully concluded for Early after more than two days of jury deliberations and two years of legal wrangling.

Early was represented by civil rights attorney Donald Kilmer of San Jose. The Calguns Foundation, a gun rights group based in Roseville, provided resources and support for his legal defense.

According to evidence presented during the trial, Early purchased a Sturm, Ruger & Co. model LCP handgun from a Roseville, California police officer in May of 2010. Under state law, a Ruger LCP can only be purchased new directly from a gun dealer by an exempted person, such as a law enforcement officer, since the gun is not included in the Roster of Handguns Certified for Sale maintained by the California Department of Justice. But the state’s handgun restrictions allow individuals to sell or transfer their “off-Roster” handguns to others, as long as the seller and buyer follow all other laws. The Calguns Foundation maintains that California’s handgun roster and microstamping regulations are unconstitutional in an unrelated civil lawsuit.

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Jury Finds California Gun Owner Not Guilty in Federal Conspiracy Trial

SACRAMENTO, CA – A federal jury in Sacramento has found gun owner Ulysses S. Grant Early IV not guilty of conspiracy to make a false statement on a federal a firearm record known as an ATF Form 4473. The lengthy criminal trial, which lasted four weeks, successfully concluded for Early after more than two days of jury deliberations and two years of legal wrangling.

Early was represented by civil rights attorney Donald Kilmer of San Jose. The Calguns Foundation, a gun rights group based in Roseville, provided resources and support for his legal defense.

According to evidence presented during the trial, Early purchased a Sturm, Ruger & Co. model LCP handgun from a Roseville, California police officer in May of 2010. Under state law, a Ruger LCP can only be purchased new directly from a gun dealer by an exempted person, such as a law enforcement officer, since the gun is not included in the Roster of Handguns Certified for Sale maintained by the California Department of Justice. But the state’s handgun restrictions allow individuals to sell or transfer their “off-Roster” handguns to others, as long as the seller and buyer follow all other laws. The Calguns Foundation maintains that California’s handgun roster and microstamping regulations are unconstitutional in an unrelated civil lawsuit. Read more

SAF Files Suit Challenging Illinois’ CCW Residency Requirements

BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation today filed a lawsuit in federal district court in Illinois, challenging that state’s concealed carry statute that restricts otherwise qualified non-residents the rights and privileges of carrying concealed firearms based solely on their state of residence.

Joining SAF in this legal action are the Illinois State Rifle Association, Illinois Carry, Inc., and ten individual plaintiffs, all residing in other states and who are licensed to carry in those states. Under the restrictive Illinois statute, only residents from states with “substantially similar” requirements to obtain a carry license are allowed to apply for non-resident licenses.

Only four states currently qualify under that provision. They are Hawaii, New Mexico, South Carolina and Virginia. None of the individual plaintiffs resides in those states. Read more

New UK Gun Policy “Should Be A Warning to American Gun Owners”Wednesday, October 22, 2014

BELLEVUE, WA – A new policy announced by the British Home Office recently to allow unannounced searches of the homes of registered British gun owners should raise alarms among Americans who are threatened with increasingly restrictive gun laws pushed by wealthy anti-gunners including billionaire Michael Bloomberg, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

“This is an alarming development in Great Britain,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, “and it ought to serve as a warning to American gun owners and Constitutional activists concerned not only with their Second Amendment rights but also their Fourth Amendment rights. In Washington state, where CCRKBA is headquartered, there have already been attempts to include such language in so-called ‘assault weapons’ ban legislation.

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Documents Reveal Additional Victims of Fast and Furious in the U.S., Continued DOJ Cover-Up

Eric Holder may have announced his resignation as U.S. attorney general, but his legacy of mismanagement, incompetence, and the politicization of federal law enforcement will continue to plague Americans for some time to come.  That became even more evident this week with further revelations about Operation Fast and Furious based on information of which the Justice Department was presumably aware but withheld from the American people.

GunrunnerAccording to records obtained by Judicial Watch through a public records lawsuit against the City of Phoenix, Ariz., an AK 47-type rifle involved in Operation Fast and Furious was used in a gang-style shooting in the city that left two people injured with multiple gunshot wounds.  The incident could have been far worse, moreover, as the assailants had also shot up the front of an occupied apartment building where the victims were found.  The findings are detailed in a letter sent to a Justice Department official by Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government reform.

According to the letter, an AK-type rifle recovered from a vehicle fleeing the scene of the crime was determined to have been purchased by Christopher Steward – one of 40 he bought in a single day –  while he was under the surveillance of the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosive (BATFE).  Steward was later charged with purchasing some 289 firearms with funds provided by the leader of a firearms trafficking organization.  Despite the suspicious circumstances under which Steward purchased the rifles and distributed them between different vehicles, agents did not immediately attempt to seize and recover the firearms but allowed them to “walk,” apparently to further the investigation.  At least two men paid the price for that decision on this side of the border (so far), while other firearms Steward purchased have also been recovered in Mexico, indicating the potential for more victims in that country.

The letter also chides DOJ for ignoring three prior requests for information on firearms associated with Fast and Furious and recovered in connection with violent crimes.  It notes that the rifle seized in the Phoenix shooting was traced by BATFE on July 31, 2013, but DOJ failed to notify the committees about it.  According the letter’s authors, “This lack of transparency about the consequences of Fast and Furious undermines public confidence in law enforcement and gives the impression that the Department is still seeking to suppress information and limit its exposure to public scrutiny.”

This latest revelation might not be the last in connection with Fast and Furious.  A federal court ruling in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit in September denied a request for an extension and ordered the White House to release to Judicial Watch by October 22 information it had previously withheld on documents related to Fast and Furious.  This was the second such order, as DOJ had failed to comply with an earlier one issued in July.  DOJ had sought to delay release of the information to Judicial Watch until the day before the November elections.  Meanwhile, another judge gave DOJ until November 3 to turn over additional documents related to Fast and Furious to Rep. Issa’s committee.

Whatever the contested documents may or may not ultimately prove, the fact remains that firearms sold to dangerous criminals with the knowledge and consent of BATFE officials undoubtedly remain in circulation with violent gangs and drug traffickers.  Thus, while Eric Holder’s disgraceful tenure will soon come to an end, the risks that he created to innocent people in America and countries to the south will continue.