ThinkingAfield.org

On three occasions in the past two weeks, Phil, a groundhog famous for his annual Groundhog Day appearance in February, has escaped his man-made home at the Punxsutawney Library, according to an Associated Press report.

Former Navy Seal, Marcus Luttrell, investigated a gun shot near his home and found that his young yellow lab had been shot to death. The Author of Lone Survivor then chased a carload of men at high speed…(more)

Click on the title for the pitiful story.

Most states issue permits to carry a concealed handgun for lawful protection to an applicant who is over 21 years of age, and who passes a fingerprint-based background check and a safety class. These permits allow the person to carry a concealed defensive handgun almost everywhere in the state. Should professors, school teachers, or adult college and graduate students who have such permits be allowed to carry firearms on campus?

Click on the title for David Kopel’s research on the subject.

For anything turkey, click on the title for Realtree’s comprehensive site.

With little support in Congress, some Democrats are still pushing to shove the Second Amendment aside.

BELLEVUE, WA – Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on April 7 acknowledged that gun registration is on her agenda, days after Attorney General Eric Holder told reporters in Mexico that the Second Amendment would not “stand in the way” of administration plans to crack down on alleged gun trafficking to Mexico.

“These are alarming remarks from Speaker Pelosi and Attorney General Holder,” said Second Amendment Foundation founder Alan Gottlieb. “It appears that the Obama administration and Capitol Hill anti-gunners have dropped all pretences about their plans for gun owners’ rights, and it looks like the gloves are coming off.”

Pelosi’s revelation came during an interview on ABC’s Good Morning, America. While insisting that Congress “never denied” the gun rights of American Citizens, Pelosi told Roberts, “We want them registered. We don’t want them crossing state lines…” Gottlieb noted that citizens’ rights do not stop at state lines.

“But that doesn’t really matter,” he observed. “History has shown that around the world, registration has always led to confiscation.”

In Mexico, according to the Wall Street Journal, Holder was asked if the administration might encounter constitutional issues as it tries to crack down on alleged gun trafficking. His response: “I don’t think our Second Amendment will stand in the way of efforts we have begun and will expand upon.”

“These comments belie administration promises and Democrat rhetoric that party leaders respect the rights of law-abiding Americans to own the firearm of their choice,” Gottlieb said. “They imposed registration of semi-autos in Pelosi’s California and it led to a ban, but it certainly didn’t disarm criminals, like the convicted felon who killed four Oakland police officers last month. We know from Holder that the Obama administration wants to renew the nationwide ban on such firearms, but that won’t prevent crime, either.

“The administration and Congressional anti-gunners have declared war on gun rights,” Gottlieb said. “The press seems deliberately blind to the statements from Pelosi and Holder, who blame our gun rights for their incompetence in dealing with crime. More than 90 million gun owners haven’t hurt anybody, and they are tired of being treated like criminals.”

In Gallup polling conducted prior to last week’s gun massacre at an immigrant center in Binghamton, N.Y., only 29% of Americans said the possession of handguns by private citizens should be banned in the United States. While similar to the 30% recorded in 2007, the latest reading is the smallest percentage favoring a handgun ban since Gallup first polled on this nearly 50 years ago.

The title has the complete polling results.

Contact Mike Bailey 517-373-1263 or Mary Dettloff 517-335-3014

In the wake of chronic wasting disease (CWD), the Natural Resources
Commission has approved new bio-security regulations for Michigan
taxidermists.

There is evidence from other states to suggest that carcasses from
CWD-infected animals have led to new CWD infections. A case of CWD in New
York was linked to a business that had both captive cervids and taxidermy
operations.

The new regulations prohibit taxidermists with captive cervids on their
premises from allowing live animals to have contact with any taxidermy
materials or waste. All animal waste must be disposed of in a type II
landfill, which accepts general household waste. And taxidermists may not
provide any parts of deer, elk, or moose to be used for the purposes of
attracting animals for hunting, trapping, or other recreational pursuits.
The new regulations include increased fees and reporting requirements.

It is already illegal for hunters to bring into Michigan any parts of deer,
elk or moose other than boned meat, antlers, hides, and cleaned skull caps
from animals taken in any state or province where CWD is known to exist. It
is illegal to possess such a carcass that has been illegally imported into
Michigan. It is also illegal to possess a carcass from the CWD surveillance
zone in Kent County, unless it has tested negative for CWD.

The new regulations were adopted after many months of meetings involving
state wildlife officials, members of the Michigan Taxidermy Association and
the public.

Another mass murder in a Gun-Free Zone.

Maybe it’s time we start educating people better. I mean look at how many graduate from high school without being able to read. In Detroit alone, 47 percent are functionally illiterate when graduating.

If they can’t read the signs posted at Gun-Free Zones, how can we expect them to comply?

John Lott hits the nail on the head in his post at Fox News. See it by clicking on the title.

“Coon Man” Glemie Beasley of Detroit sells racoon meat to supplement his income. And, just so his customers don’t confuse the table fare with other meat, he leaves the paws on.

Click on the title for the Detroit News story.

NEWTOWN, Conn. — Firearm sales continued to surge across the country for the fifth straight month, extending a trend that began after the November elections. The increase also follows recent comments by several high-profile members of the Obama administration about re-imposing permanently and expanding the ban on modern sporting rifles.

Data from the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) show background checks on the sale of firearms jumped 29.2 percent in March when compared to March 2008 and were up 27.1 percent for the first quarter of 2009 over the same quarter last year.

The increase follows a 23 percent rise in February, a 28 percent rise in January, a 24 percent rise in December and a 42 percent jump in November, when a record 1,529,635 background checks were performed.

FBI background checks are required under federal law for all individuals purchasing firearms from federally licensed retailers. These checks serve as a strong indicator of actual sales.

Correspondingly, ammunition manufacturers are reporting record sales across the country as demand continues to outpace supply.

“Americans concerned about their ability to purchase many types of home defense, hunting and target shooting firearms in the future are continuing to purchase these products in record numbers today,” said NSSF President Steve Sanetti. “Along with this strong sales showing, we’ve also seen increased participation in firearm safety and education programs such as NSSF First Shots.”

NICS reported 1,345,096 checks in March, up from 1,040,863 in the same month a year ago.