http://www.shootingwire.com/FEATURE
Shocked Jock
New yesterday that the amendment to the Department of Homeland Security's appropriations bill introduced in the U.S. House has been killed in committee. Knife Rights' Doug Ritter tells us it was a procedural matter that kept it from advancing.
Industry officials tell us they're now going to be focusing their efforts at preventing Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officials' changing the interpretation of "switchblade" to the United States Senate.
No word on legislative support there, but we're watching the story.
Meanwhile an internet radio talk show host, Hal Turner, has been arrested by FBI agents on a federal complaint alleging he made internet postings threatening to assault and murder three federal appeals court judges in Chicago. FBI officials say the threats were apparently in relation for the three-judge panel finding in favor of the handgun bans in Chicago and a suburb.
According to FBI reports, Turner posted blogs expressing "outrage" over the decision by Chief Judge Frank Esterbrook and Judges Richard Posner and William Bauer of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. He also wrote "Let me be the first to say this plainly: These Judges deserve to be killed." As if that wasn't enough, Turner also included photos, phone numbers, work addresses and room numbers for each of the judges, along with a ohoto of the building in which they work and a map of its location.
Turner was arrested at his home in North Bergen, New Jersey and charged with threatening to assault and murder three federal judges with intent to retaliate against them for performing official duties. He will
Internet postings on June 2 and 3 proclaimed "outrage" over the June 2, 2009, handgun decision by Chief Judge Frank Easterbrook and Judges Richard Posner and William Bauer, of the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, further stating, among other things: "Let me be the first to say this plainly: These Judges deserve to be killed." The postings included photographs, phone numbers, work address and room numbers of these judges, along with a photo of the building in which they work and a map of its location.
Turner, 47, of North Bergen, N.J., was arrested after FBI agents went to his residence to execute a search warrant. He was charged with threatening to assault and murder three federal judges with intent to retaliate against them for performing official duties in a criminal complaint filed today in U.S. District Court in Chicago.
"We take threats to federal judges very seriously. Period," said Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, who announced the charges with Robert D. Grant, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey and the FBI Office in Newark are providing local assistance.
According to the complaint affidavit, several lawsuits were filed challenging handgun bans in Chicago and suburban Oak Park after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2008 that the Second Amendment entitles handguns at home for self-protection. On June 2, 2009, the 7th Circuit issued an opinion in National Rifle Association v. Chicago, affirming a district court's decision to dismiss the cases challenging the local handgun bans. The unanimous decision was written by Chief Judge Easterbrook and joined by Judges Posner and Bauer.
On June 8, 2009, law enforcement agents were directed to postings on a web site. The front page of the site contained an entry dated June 2, 2009, that was titled: "OUTRAGE: Chicago Gun Ban UPHELD; Court says 'Heller' ruling by Supreme Court not applicable to states or municipalities!" After describing the decision, a lengthy entry followed, which is contained in the complaint affidavit. In addition to proclaiming "These judges deserve to be killed," the entry notes that it was the same 7th Circuit Court of Appeals that decided the case of Matt Hale, a white-supremacist who was imprisoned after being convicted of soliciting the murder of a U.S. District Court judge in Chicago. The entry further noted that the same judge's mother and husband were murdered by a gunman in her home. The posting then stated:
"Apparently, the 7th U.S. Circuit court didn't get the hint after those killings. It appears another lesson is needed."
The complaint charges that the posting was updated the next morning on June 3, 2009, with the following content:
"Judges official public work addresses and a map of the area are below. Their home addresses and maps will follow soon. Behold these devils."
Below this headline, the entry listed the names, photos, phone numbers, work addresses and room numbers of the three judges involved in the handgun decision, as well as a photo of the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in Chicago and a map. The photo of the building had been modified to include arrows and a label referencing "Anti-truck bomb barriers," according to the affidavit.
At that point, federal officials felt they not only had a case, but were justified in moving forward with their case against Turner.
If convicted, threatening to assault or murder a federal judge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The court, however, would determine the appropriate sentence to be imposed under the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
Personally, I'm not pleased with the decision these judges made in the Chicago case, but disagreeing with a verdict is not the same thing as threatening -or encouraging - murder. Hal Turner's talk was more than likely just that - talk - but the rhetoric was way over the top.
We can make a compelling case for firearms and firearms ownership. We must make that case civilly.
--Jim Shepherd
MBTV
Forum Index
Help
Calendar
Contact Info
Register as a member
