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The Concealed Carry Newsletter for Over 21,000 South Carolinians!

Grass Roots South CarolinaP.O. Box 1181

Sumter, South Carolina 29151Internet: http://www.scfirearms.org

Spring, 1999 Vol.3 No.1

Texas Case Weakens Lautenberg AmendmentThe U. S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas has dismissed an indictment against a man, Timothy Joe Emerson,

brought under 18 U.S.C. Sec. 922(g)(8), the Lautenberg amendment.WASHINGTON TIMESAPRIL 10, 1999 by James BovardFederal Judge Sam Cummings issued a decision on April 1 thatchilled the hearts of gun grabbers across the nation. JudgeCummings struck down as unconstitutional a provision in a1994 law that routinely turned husbands and others targeted bydomestic restraining orders into felons. The Clintonadministration is appealing the decision - and this could be agreat test case for the Supreme Court to finally resolve one ofthe areas of fiercest disputes about the Bill of Rights.

Timothy Joe Emerson, a Texas doctor, was placed under adomestic restraining order last September after his wife claimedhe had threatened violence against the man with whom she washaving an adulterous affair (not an unusual response for a Texashusband). Dr. Emerson had made no threats of violence againsthis wife or their child; the court did no investigation, but simplyslapped on the restraint.

Yet, because of a little known provision in the 1994 Clintoncrime bill, Dr. Emerson suddenly became classified as adangerous felon. The 1994 act decreed that no person under adomestic restraining order can possess firearms. However,neither the county judge nor the local lawyers involved in thecase were aware of the federal provision.

Dr. Emerson found out about the law when federal prosecutorsIndicted him, seeking a five-year prison penalty because he wasstill in possession of a handgun. Federal Judge Cummings sawthis as a violation of due process, since Dr. Emerson was notforewarned about any duty to sell, give away, or surrender hisguns.

In many states, domestic restraint orders are issued practicallyautomatically - simply another boilerplate part of divorceproceedings. As Judge Cummings noted, thanks to the 1994federal law, "a person can lose his Second Amendment rightsnot because he has committed some wrong in the past, orbecause a judge finds he may commit some crime in the future,but merely because he is in a divorce proceeding." And becausemillions of Americans get divorced each year, this creates theopportunity for the U.S. Justice Department to wrongfullyprosecute many peaceful gun owners.

Judge Cummings also explained at length the historical originsof the Second Amendment. "The individual right to bear arms,a right recognized in both England and the Colonies, was acrucial factor in the Colonists' victory over the British Army inthe Revolutionary War," he noted.

(cont. page 19)

Inside:Letters from the Editor’s Desk:• Church and CWP• CWP on Gordon Liddy• Homemade Wallet Cards• Working With Merchants• Dump Hallmark! Buy Bud!

South Carolina Information:• Legislative Updates• Your Invitation to the Shooting Event of the Year

The GRSC Don’t Carry List:• Where NOT to Carry!• The "Welcome Back" List

Articles of the Month:• My Transformation from Anti-Gun Feminist to

Armed Feminist• Where's Your Gun?• The Natural Right of Self Defense

South Carolina Concealed WeaponsPermit Instructors Association:

• The Legal Carry That Wasn't• Rule #1 - It's Loaded!• Tips on Conducting a CWP Class• How to Become an Instructor• Instructor Recertification Planned

Who We Are and OurPurpose

Modeled after similar organizations inother states, Grass Roots South Carolina isa project of Mid-Carolina Rifle Club.Our mission is to educate and promoteacceptance of responsible firearmsownership within the State of SouthCarolina and to protect the rights of lawabiding citizens who have chosen to obtainconcealed weapons permits.

Initially we focused all of our attention onMerchants who posted against the lawfulcarrying of concealed weapons in theirstores. Since then we have broadened ourscope and are currently increasinginformation delivery to the concealedweapons permit holder and instructor. Nodoubt as we continue to grow we willfurther broaden our objectives to improveall aspects of lawful ownership andcarrying of firearms in South Carolina.

We have already learned that makingpositive change with merchants,communities, and others is greatlyimproved when we use the resources ofmany. By having increased numbers ofeducated individuals in each communityour efforts are multiplied many times over.

Regarding educating merchants who postagainst concealed weapons: Our operatingprotocol is available upon request andexplains how our organization works.Briefly, we initially contact merchants whohave posted signs against concealedweapons and attempt to educate them.Afterwards, we hope that they will eitherremove their signs or post an alternativesign which we provide. If they do neitherwe distribute the name of the business tothousands of South Carolinians via gunclubs, hunt clubs, shooting sportsassociations, business supporters, wildlifegroups, the Internet, and any otheravailable means encouraging CWP holdersand others to not shop where they are injeopardy of violating the law.

We have had cards printed for those of youwho want to report businesses that areposting signs against concealed carrypermit holders. If you are interested inbeing a part of this effort and would likemore information regarding this grass rootseffort please contact us and we will placeyou on the supporter list. With your helpwe can succeed.

Regarding Reciprocity…The South Carolina Law EnforcementAgency is directed to coordinate with otherstates issues of concealed weapons permitreciprocity. As of April 12, 1999:

South Carolina recognizes permits fromAR, WY, UT, and TN.

South Carolina CWP holders may legallycarry in AK, AR, TN, ID, IN, KY, MI,WY, OK, UT, and VT.

Our Current AlternativeMerchant Sign

No Firearms PermittedExcept by

law enforcementand those

legally licensed to carryconcealed handguns

Actual Sign is 4"x 6" in size, redprint on white background, andapplies to the inside of any window.

***Fact:"The data from the 1990 Harvard MedicalPractice Study suggest that 150,000Americans die every year from doctors'negligence -- compared with 38,000 gundeaths annually. Why are doctors notdeclared a public health menace? Becausethey save more lives than they take. Andso it is with guns. Every year, goodAmericans use guns about 2.5 milliontimes to protect themselves and theirfamilies, which means 65 lives areprotected by guns for every life lost to agun."

Dr. Edgar Suter, San Francisco Chronicle,7/12/94, Opinion (p. A17).

***

Fact:As of April 12, 1999 there are 21,051licensed CWP holders in South Carolina!(17,545 men and 3,506 women) All ofwhom have been deemed law abidingcitizens by their county, state, and the FBI!

Congratulations!

Thanks for the Support!Thanks for the Support!For over two years Grass Roots SouthCarolina has been supported solely bycontributions from interested groups,clubs, businesses, and individuals likeyou. We have no dues, no fees, and noservices or products to sell. We exist toserve the concealed weapon permit holderand merchants interested in obtaining moreinformation regarding The Law AbidingCitizens Act of 1996. Please consider adonation to keep GRSC growing.

GRSC Wants You!Our mission is to educate and promoteacceptance of responsible firearmsownership within the State of SouthCarolina. We make change because weoperate at a personal level with affiliatedclubs, merchants, and supporters.

We welcome input from anyone within theState of South Carolina. In fact, unlike bigorganizations, we are seeking your inputand your help! Currently we are lookingfor people throughout the state who canhelp us increase our contact andinformation flow to various like-mindedclubs, organizations, and groups. If youbelong to such a club consider acting as aliaison between GRSC and your club.

Write, E-mail, or Fax us and let us knowhow you’d like to help.

VisitGRSC's Internet Site:

www.scfirearms.org

Sponsored By:

Part of being a Grass Roots movementinvolves two way communication withthose we represent. If you'd like to stayinformed, please use the back cover of thisnewsletter to send us your contactinformation. Thanks!

GRSC Letters from the Editor’s Desk

Letters to the EditorCarry In ChurchSouth Carolina Code Section 23-31-215(M) (9) prohibits carry into a "church orother established religious sanctuary".Does this mean anywhere in a churchbuilding, or just in the sanctuary proper?The section should at very least beclarified to remove this ambiguity,although there are good reasons to deleteit entirely.

In most churches staff members andvolunteers are in and out of the buildingsat all hours of the day and night. Thesepeople should be able to protectthemselves in the same way they doelsewhere, especially during hours whenno services are in progress and thebuildings almost deserted.

Some people argue against the presenceof weapons on religious grounds. This isa weak argument. There are manyexamples in scripture of weapons in theTemple or Tabernacle. For example,when David was fleeing King Saul heobtained the sword of Goliath out of theTabernacle which was then at Nob (1Samuel 21). There are frequentreferences to guards in the Temple, andweapons were stored there.

Although not quite in point, during theintertestamental period Mattathias led arevolt against Antiochus Epiphanes' orderto worship pagan gods (I Macc. 2).Many Jews were killed when theyrefused to fight or even defendthemselves on the Sabbath. Mattathiasruled that it was lawful to fight back ifattacked (I Macc. 2:41). The Hasideans(forerunners of the Pharisees, Essenesand today's Hasidim) supported thisruling. While the type of weapons weuse today is different than those used inMaccabean times, if self-defense ispermitted then carrying reasonable meansfor that purpose should also be permitted.We can draw a parallel between a specialday (the Sabbath) and a special place(house of worship).John K. Warsawjwarsaw@mindspring.com

CWP Issues on Gordon LiddyProfessor John Lott was on the GordonLiddy show today, 18 March 1999 and I

heard him make the following statementsthat are grist for the GRSC newsletter:• There are 45 cases on record of a

permit holder coming to theassistance of a police officer.

• Never has a permit holder killed apolice officer.

• An unarmed woman is 2 1/2 times aslikely to be injured in a confrontationas a woman armed with a handgun.

• The "hot" (entry while occupied)burglary rate in the U.S. is 13%.

• The "hot" burglary rate in Canada is40%.

• The "hot" burglary rate in Britain is58%.

How about that for the real effect of socalled gun control!Ralph

Removing Merchant SignsIt is great that someone has taken theincentive to keep us informed.

For your information: A Crown gasstation posted "no guns" & "no smoking"signs on their door.

I went in and spoke with the "man incharge" and told him that I would not bepatronizing the store any longer; (I hadbeen purchasing gas, cigarettes, as wellas various sundries, on a daily basis).

I then told him that if I happened to be inthe store and anything happened, I wouldhold him, and his managementresponsible, since they would not let meprotect myself.

The fact that the FBI and SLED foundme responsible enough to grant me the"privilege" to exercise my Constitutionrights, should indicate to them that I amnot a threat to them.

About two weeks later I checked. The"no smoking" sign was still there, but itwas the only "NO" sign on the door.

I asked the "man in charge" how comethey took the offensive (no guns) signdown. He told me that it was, possibly,the discussion that I had with him.Tega Cay, SC

From a lady who made her ownwallet cards:Dear Manager/Business Owner,I am a 30 year-old, 115 pound female(and a good-looking one at that). I amaware that I am at risk of violent attack; Iknew two women who were murdered bythugs. One was left to die just inside thefront door of her own home. The guysfollowed her home from shopping. Herchildren, returning from school, foundher in a pool of blood.

This is why I carry a concealed weapon. Icarry a gun. I have a permit from theState of South Carolina to do so. I havepassed the training, testing, and FBIbackground check. I rely on this gun todefend me if anyone should try to kill,rape, kidnap, or rob me.

Why do you insist that I disarm myselfwhen I enter your place of business? Doyou think that I will rob you? Do youthink I will kill your patrons or workers?Why? Why did I just have to go put mygun in the trunk of my car, all becauseyou have a sign on your door saying Ihave to? Are you afraid of me?

If there is any way I can avoid it, I willnot enter your business again. I feelunsafe! The bad guys know by readingthe sign on the door that your customerswill not be able to foil his robberyattempt. Do you carry a gun in yourstore? Will you protect me as I walk frommy car, unarmed, to your store? Will youprotect me as I shop/eat in your store?What about in the parking lot? Will youescort me to my car when I leave?

Please reconsider your stand againstcertified persons bringing concealedweapons into your place of business. Ifyou don't like the looks of guns it's okaybecause by law, they must be out of sight.Thank you for your consideration.Irmo, SC

Everyone should beinformed that Anheuser-Busch financially supportedMissouri's Prop. B (CWP)

ballot. Should anyone want to THANKAnheuser-Busch for their support of ourSecond Amendment rights, call or write:Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.One Busch PlaceSt. Louis, MO 63118-1852Tel: (314) 577-2000 / 1-800-DIAL-BUD

GRSC Letters from the Editor’s DeskMore Letters to the Editor:

Postings in PickensAfter receiving the Grass Roots flier, Ihave noticed that the two banks I havemy business and personal accounts within Pickens, post against concealed carry.As of 3-22-99 these banks post:American Federal Bank210 W. Cedar Rock StreetPickens, SC 29671

Carolina First Bank333 E. Main StreetPickens, SC 29671

I do regret that I have not noticed thisbefore now. I am currently searching fora new bank!

***

Hallmark Donates to Anti-Gun CampaignI understand that Budweiser was bigSUPPORTER of Proposition B inMissouri, Unfortunately Hallmark Cardsdonated $20,000 to help defeat CWP inMissouri. Let's dump Hallmark and gohave a Bud!

Sirs: I've always been pleased toexclusively use Hallmark cards to send tomy family, friends, and businessassociates at holiday times. At Christmasfor many years we've had the familytradition of taking our children (1 boy, 2girls) to a Hallmark store to purchasecards and gifts for their friends. Myoffice manager has instructions only touse Hallmark cards for the various notes,thank yours, and sympathy's we send outquite often to employee's, vendors andcustomers.

This policy ofmine wasengendered bymy perceptionof Hallmarkthat you haveworked veryhard, andsuccessfully tocreate - "Whenyou care enough..."

No longer. Your despicable actions tokeep the citizens of Missouri fromcarrying firearms if they so choose havecompletely changed my perception ofyour company.

For 30 pieces of silver you have chosento side with thieves of personal libertyand those who have the blood of innocentMissourian's upon their hands.

I want nothing more to do with yourcompany and products. From now on Iwill tell my children, my family, myfriends, my employees, my customers,my vendors, my business associates, thatbecause I care enough to send the verybest, I WILL NOT SEND THEMHALLMARK PRODUCTS!!!!!!

Hallmark was an important part of thiscountry. I'm sorry that you have sochosen to so besmirch your name that I,and many liberty-conscious Americans,wish for your complete and utter ruin.

Sincerely,EJK

***

Working With MerchantsThanks for the Info. you sent to me in thesnail mail. I fully agree that a merchantwho posts a "no concealed weapons" signshould be approached by someone wholives in his area - the possible loss ofsales to the merchant is a powerful factor.But what should someone like myself sayto a merchant? I know some of thearguments, but certainly not all of them.

Is there some place on the GRSC webpage where this information is listed?

Ralph Baker of GRSC Responds:Thanks for the reply. I had written a"how to letter" which was included in apast newsletter.

Merchants are interested in two areas,risk containment and profits. Anythingwe do must address these issues.Risk: 1) Most merchants do not understandthat the CCW law specifically includes aprovision that they do not incuradditional risk by not posting. 2) There is a body of opinion that theymay accept risk for the personal safety ofpermitted customers who enter postedareas, having left their guns elsewhere.(This has yet to be decided in court) 3) Florida has about 134,000 CCWholders and has never, to our knowledge,had a permit holder interveneinappropriately or shoot a bystander.Their law has been in effect since 1987.

4) Wal-Mart and Lowes havesubstantial legal departments, whichundoubtedly have evaluated risk and haveremoved their posted signs. What do thesmaller stores know that Walmartdoesn't? 5) The CCW holders are the ONLYcustomer group that has been evaluatedas honest, law-abiding citizens by SLEDand the FBI. 6) The criminals, who none of us wantto be armed, have always ignored the lawand carried illegally wherever theychoose. Do the merchants really think aposted sign will sway them? It justcreates a "free fire zone" for them!Profits 1) CCW permit holders are aboveaverage in disposable income. That isevidenced by the cost of firearms andrelated training. They simply have moremoney to spend. 2) CCW permit holders are lawabiding in the extreme. They will notshop posted stores where they are notwanted. They will not leave theirfirearms in their vehicles, exposingthemselves to risk the firearms to theftwhile in transit. 3) There are about 21,000 permitholders. In addition to not shoppingposted stores, they influence familymembers not to shop those stores. (The21,000 is a constantly growing number.) 4) Any product can be gotten at apermit friendly store with little effort.

The vast majority of potential customerswill not take the time to explain to a storedecision-maker why they are losingbusiness. You may take the time, but howmany just turn away and shop where theyare valued as customers. We support theright of business owners to make thechoice to exclude us, just as we demandthe right to protect ourselves. Theyshould understand all the facts involvedand not make "knee jerk" decisions. Wehave never understood why any merchantwould choose to exclude scrupulouslyhonest customers with more than theaverage amount of money to spend.

I hope this will provide the talking pointsto assist your merchants discussion. Ifyou wish, I will travel to visit anymerchant as long as we have a specificappointment with a person empowered toremove the poster.

The Natural Right of Self DefenseThe Natural Right of SelfDefenseby Timothy Wheeler, MD

Editor's Note: This article was writtenprior to the April 6, 1999 vote inMissouri. Voters rejected Proposition Bby a vote of 52 to 48 percent.

The people of Missouri will decide onApril 6 whether to reclaim a right asnatural as springtime's bloomingdogwood and redbud trees; the right ofself-defense.

That right has been theirs all along.Statesmen from ancient Rome to theAmerican Revolution laid the foundationin law for the right of self-defense.America's Founders were influenced bythese classic philosophic teachings andthe European tradition derived fromthem. "Civilized people are taught bylogic, barbarians by necessity,communities by tradition; and the lessonis inculcated even in wild beasts bynature itself," wrote the great Romanorator Marcus Tullius Cicero. "Theylearn that they have to defend their ownbodies and persons and lives fromviolence of any and every kind by all themeans within their power."

Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, andSamuel Adams were among the politicalminds that shaped the American visionof firearms in society. These and manyother statesmen of the founding era left aclear record of their belief that individualAmericans had the right to own firearmsand to use them for defense of self andfamily, not just for "sporting purposes."

Most states have enshrined those ancientlessons in their laws, allowing law-abiding citizens to possess firearmsoutside their homes for protectionagainst contemporary barbarians.Missouri is one of seven remaining statesthat still denies residents that right.

Missourians find themselves in a toughposition. Outside their homes, the lawforbids them to defend themselvesagainst deadly assailants byusing the proven most-effective tool; the firearm.

But American courts haveruled again and again thatpolice have no duty toprotect individuals from

those same assailants. The onlyalternatives for a person in such dangerare to rely on the mercy of criminals orto carry a gun illegally. No one shouldbe forced to break the law to exercise abasic right.

Can law-abiding Missourians be trustedto carry self-defense firearms? There isno mystery about what happens when astate enacts a concealed carry law. Theamazingly consistent experience of onestate after another has been that firearmmisuse among permit holders has beenvirtuallynonexistent.

The laws arestrict. Usually,applicants arerequired tocompletefirearmstraining, tohave no recordof violentcriminalbehavior, andto have no drug or alcohol dependence.

The result? Violent crime actuallydecreased following the implementationof these laws. That facts run contrary tothe objections of anti-gun activists, whowarned that allowing concealed-carrywould result in shootouts over fender-benders, gun fights to settle trivialdisputes, and innocent blood in thestreets.

But in state after state, the anti-gunnershave been awed into silence by reality.Concealed-carry permit holders almostnever committed violent crimes,particularly with the guns they werelicensed to carry. To their credit,previously skeptical public officials arechanging their minds after seeing theundisputed success of concealed carrylaws in their own states. "It hasimpressed me how remarkablyresponsible the permit holders havebeen," said Colonel James Wilson,Director of the Texas Department of

Public Safety. After monitoring Floridapermit holders for over two years,Metro-Dade Police Department DirectorFred Taylor conceded that "furtherresearch was not conducted due to thesmall number of . . . permit holdersfound to be involved in incidents duringthe initial study period."

What will happen if Missouri enacts aconcealed-carry law? Past experiencesuggests that fewer than 5% of eligiblepeople will apply for a permit. This tinypercentage will be among Missouri's

most responsible andprudent men andwomen. The cost oflicensing, both indollars and in theburden ofresponsibility, will beborne only by licenseholders.

But the protectiveeffect will benefit boththem and those whochoose not to carry a

gun, because criminals won't know whois carrying and who isn't.

Those permit holders in higher-crimeKansas City and St. Louis will have evengreater protection than will rural andsuburban dwellers. Because they are atgreater risk for victimization, womenand minorities will enjoy a greater thanaverage reduction in that risk.

Should we be surprised that concealed-carry laws have conferred great benefits?America's Founders knew much abouthuman nature, both the dark side and thelife-affirming. They counseled trust ingood people everywhere to use thepersonal power of armed self-defensewith wisdom and discretion. So too canthe people of Missouri be trusted toexercise that power with humility andcourage, for the general good of theirsociety. It's only natural.

Timothy Wheeler, MD is the Director ofDoctors for Responsible GunOwnership.

Where's Your Gun?Where's your gun?By Ed Kelleher

It's hard to maintain 100%concentration or awareness. Especiallywhen we're doing something we'vedone a million times before. We getdistracted, our minds drift, and webriefly lose track of what we weredoing. For example, you're talkingwith your neighbor in the yard, noticea bald spot on the lawn, and then it's,"Sorry, what did you say?" Or, you gethome from work and don't remembera thing about the drive. You know -familiar things. Maybe if your weretalking to the Pope or Charlton Hestonyou'd not be so easily distracted. Or, ifyou had just learned to drive, you'dnot soon forget rush hour traffic on I-20. But, when we're doing somethingfamiliar, it happens - we getdistracted.

Ordinarily a distraction is anannoyance, and nothing more. But,when you carry a gun, distraction orlack of awareness can be deadly. Amoment's inattention can bring alifetime of regret, or worse. Now, I'mnot talking situational awareness here- being aware of your surroundingsand potential threats. That's anothertopic. I'm talking about that time whenyou slap your hip (or ankle, or navel,or where ever) and think, "Oh No,where's my gun?"

I want you to have a good answer tothat question when you ask it. I don'tthink it's reasonable to count on ouralways having 100% gun awarenesssuch that we never lose track of ourgun. So, we should take steps toensure that if we do lose track of ourgun, it's in a safe place, and no harmwill be done.

Maybe you've just started carrying andare thinking, "It'll never happen tome!" Maybe so, if you've nevermisplaced your wallet or keys, orforgotten to wear a belt (or bra). Butfor most of us, it's just a matter of timeand familiarity.

When you first start to carry, you'revery aware of your gun. But, afteryou've carried awhile, your gunbecomes just another part of what youwear or carry. Like a hat, a pocket

knife or lip balm, it might bemisplaced.

The bad news is, this is human natureand we can't change it. The good newsis there is one certain, simple, positivestep we can take that will prevent ourhuman nature from producing atragedy. Taking this step will makesure you always have a good answerto the question, "Where's my gun?"

The problem with losing your gun canonly arise when you remove your gunfrom your person and place itsomewhere else.Thus, that is the time to deal with it -when you take the gun off! Rightthen, not a moment later.

Thus, whenever you take off your gun,always put it in the same place!Always! Make it a habit. Never put thegun anywhere else, not even for asecond!

By the "same place" I mean a safesecure place you have thought aboutand chosen before hand - when yourhead is clear and you're not distracted.You'll need one safe, secure place foryour gun at each location you mighthave to take it off. Primarily these willbe in your home and in your vehicle.Here are some examples:

When you take your gun off at home -if you keep it on top of the dresser, putit on top of the dresser. If you keep thegun in a lock box, put it in the lockbox.

DO NOT throw the gun on the bed asyou're changing clothes. Maybe thephone will ring, or the kids will startfighting, or the cat will knock over thefish bowl and you'll get distracted.Trust me, you do not want to have tophone your wife from the vets (gettingcat sewn up) saying, "Honey! I left mygun on the bed, get it before Daviddoes!"

Do not put your gun on top of therefrigerator, or microwave, or TV orclothes dryer, unless you determinedbefore hand that it was a securelocation (unlikely).

When you decide to take off your gun,go to your safe place first, then take itoff and put it up. Why?POP QUIZ: Imagine you just gothome, it's hot, you're sweaty, you take

your gun off and walk back to thebedroom to put it up. The phone rings- what do you do?

A) Let phone ring, go put gun insafe place. B) Put gun back on as you normallycarry it and answer phone. C) Answer phone, put gun on table,pickup pencil, go hunt for paper(oops!).

Actually, I don't like any of the aboveanswers. It is much better to leave gunon till you get to your safe place(answering the phone while stillwearing gun if necessary) and then putgun up.

In your vehicle, again, choose a good,safe, secure and legal place to put yougun when you have to take if off andalways put it there. Don't throw it onthe seat, or on the floorboards. You'lljust be begging for trouble as a SCCWP holder recently found out.

Another place you might remove yourgun is in the bathroom. If I'm going tobe sitting, I take gun and put it in mypocket so I won't forget it. Trust meagain, you don't want to have to calloffice and say, "Mike, go to thebathroom and get my gun. I left it ontop of the toilet tank cover."

It's the voice of experience talkinghere. I've made some dumb mistakesand by the grace of God have justwound up being embarrassed. This is arule that works for me. Hopefully,you're smarter than I and will learnfrom my mistakes.

When you take your gun off alwaysput it in the same place! Always!

Ed Kelleher is President of Mid-Carolina Rifle Club located in SouthCongaree, SC.

***

WANTED!GRSC Looking for a Mascot

Must be representative of our mission,hardworking, easy to draw, and workcheap. If you have an idea for amascot or if you can draw editorialpictures please contact us. GRSC

***Graphic Art used throughout theGRSC newsletter is used withpermission and courtesy of OlegVolk of Volkstudio.

GRSC Feature Article of the Month

My Transformation fromAnti-Gun Feminist to ArmedFeministby Katherine von Tour

Most people who support the SecondAmendment have probably Wonderedat one time or another how to changethe thinking of anti-gunners.

Since I was once a staunch gun-control proponent, including being amember of Handgun ControlIncorporated (HCI) in the 1970's, butam today a fervent and virtually no-compromise Second Amendmentsupporter, perhaps the story of mymental shift will be of interest.

When I recall my mindset in the1960's, when I was in college inChicago, and in the early 1970's, whenI was teaching grade-school in aprivate school in Pennsylvania, what Iremember most is how completelyconvinced I was that government wasthe best and ultimate answer to all ofsociety's ills -- war, poverty, crime andinjustice.

I was a true Sixties liberal, whoprotested the Vietnam War, sported a"Question Authority" bumper stickeron my Volvo, who was a chartermember of the National Organizationfor Women (NOW) and a chartersubscriber to Ms Magazine.

I voted for George McGovern. I hungout with other earnest liberals, manyof whom were also members of NOW.It wasn't that I believed governmentwas perfect - far from it! - but I hadblind faith that, with enough effort andmoney, it could be made so.

My idea of a perfect government wasone which had a generous welfareprogram, free medical care for all, lotsof benign and helpful social programs,and government-mandated fairnessand equality for all.

I joined NOW because it promised tofight for equality under the law forwomen; it encouraged women toempower themselves, and to beindependent. Since I was a singlewoman, these all sounded like asensible ideas to me.

I joined HCI because it had convincedme that guns were a root cause ofviolence and crime, and that onlycriminals owned and used them.

The Liberal Years

I had grown up stationed with myfamily overseas, and had been sent toprivate boarding school in Honolulu,where my family is from, and then toChatham Hall, a young ladies'"finishing school" in Virginia.

Most of my life had been protectedand privileged; while my family didn'thave a lot of money, we somehowgave the illusion that we did, since welived overseas, complete with servantsand first-class travel paid for by myfather's company.

I had been raised, as my mother putsit, "to be a lady," and certainly "ladies"in our social circle weren't trained inself-defense, particularly self-defenseinvolving firearms, which, in any case,were completely banned in thecountries where we lived.

After graduating from Northwestern,and doing graduate work at Lehigh, Igot a job teaching 6th grade at aprivate day school in Pennsylvania,where I stayed for 10 years, duringwhich time I was an earnest andunwavering liberal.

It was during this time that I joinedHCI and NOW, and crusaded loudlyand vociferously against "violence,""intolerance" and "unfairness."

The "Bubble" Bursts

After ten years of teaching, I was stillmaking very little money, and hadburned out. I decided to move back toHawaii, which was my home, andwhere my parents had retired after 25years of being stationed overseas, andpurchase a franchise of a skin-care andcosmetic business, whose productswere sold through home shows.

I spent five ghastly years in Honolulu,struggling to run a business in agovernment climate which was associalistic and larded with welfareAnd social programs as any I hadpreviously worked towards; those fiveyears were the undoing of myliberalism.

I tried in vain to recruit women whowere on welfare to work to do homeshows and make money by beingindependent, but I could in no waycompete with the obscenely generouswelfare benefits they were receiving

for staying home and doing nothing,except in many cases growingpakalolo, (marijuana) which they hadplenty of time to do, since all of theirneeds were more than being met bythe state.

The Hawaii State Labor boarddelivered the final death blow to Mybusiness by declaring that all of theindependent contractors who workedfor my company - and whom I couldhardly convince to work at all - wereto be classified as "employees," andthat I had to pay unemployment,workers' compensation and health carefor them.

The government cared not a whit thatthere was no money in my company tofund this state-mandated largess. I wasforced to close down the business, tofile bankruptcy, and I moved back tothe Mainland, my formerly liberal tailbetween my legs, a newly-hatchedlibertarian conservative.

I no longer saw government as thesolution to social problems.It certainlyhadn't solved mine, nor had itencouraged my trying to create Jobsfor the people of Hawaii, jobs whichthey didn't want to do because it Wastoo much work, even though theHonolulu Star Bulletin was filledalmost every week with whiningletters from people complaining thatthere were no jobs to be had, andimploring the government to "create"more jobs.

With the fervor and passion I hadpreviously reserved for trying To getthe government to expand its powersand programs, I began to read Thewritings of conservative andlibertarian authors -- Bastiat, Hayek,Thomas Sowell and others. I alsoplunged into the writings of thefounders of America - Jefferson,Franklin, Madison, Paine, GeorgeMason.

I started meeting people who had alsobeen abused by government agencies -the police, Customs, DEA, IRS andothers. I started hearing stories ofpeople having property seized withoutdue process, and of people calling 911and not having the police not show upin time.

But the pivotal turning point for mewas the Los Angeles riots. Armed inL.A.; guns save lives I was living in

GRSC Feature Article of the Month

Orange County at the time, but had togo up to LA regularly on business. Atthat time there had been a rash ofviolent car-jackings, many of themcommitted against women who weredriving alone.

A friend, who knew a great deal aboutguns and had grown up around them,told me that, because I was a womanliving and driving alone, he wantedme to start carrying a pistol in my car.

He lent me a .38 Special, and showedme how to load, unload and fire it.

One day, just before the riotsexploded, I was driving in DowntownLA in a scary part of town. It wasdusk.As Iwasstoppedat astop-light,withone carin frontof me,twomenwhohad been watching me began quicklyand menacingly approaching my carfrom the sidewalk. One of them wascarrying a tire iron.

I grabbed the pistol, which I had laidon the seat beside me, and held it upso they could see it.

The look in their eyes changed in aninstant from threatening to fearful, andthey immediately turned around andran in the opposite direction. The lightchanged. I drove away.

No one was hurt, but a gun in myformerly liberal hand had, I believe,probably saved my life, or at leastprevented me from likely injury.

L.A. Riots turn anti-gun advocatesinto pro-gun supporters.

Within a week, the very street wherethis incident happened had erupted inrioting, looting and killing.

I watched on television as the Koreangrocers defended their property withAK-47's and AR-15's, and thusprevented it from being torched andlooted. The police couldn't stop theviolence and killing.

I had friends who worked in thegarment district in LA who Barelymade it out alive, and who told tales ofpulling out pistols and having would-be attackers turn tail and run away.Guns were saving lives and property.

As the riots threatened to spill overinto Beverly Hills, myriad Hollywoodtypes stormed gun stores to armthemselves, only to be told that therewas a 15-day waiting period; radiotalk shows boiled with people callingin and screaming about how unfair thiswas, and how the law was leavingthem helpless.

Some of them even admitted that theyhad previously supported the waitingperiod, and that they were now furiousthat it had left them unarmed.

Coming full circle: From HCI toGOA

My transformation was complete. Ijoined the National Rifle Association(I didn't know about Gun Owners ofAmerica or Jews for the Preservationof Firearms Ownership yet) andstarted reading their literature. Ibought and read "Armed and Female"by Paxton Quigley - another ex-gun-control woman.

I fell in love with and married thefriend who had lent me the .38Special, and started learning in earnestabout guns and how to use them. Wejoined GOA and JPFO.

And the National Organization forWomen? Here's the thing that Makesme crazy about an organizationostensibly dedicated to theempowerment of women - NOW isuncompromisingly and adamantlyanti-gun, including urging All womento disarm themselves, and supportinglegislation to force their disarmament.

The incongruity and hypocrisy of thisstance is simply stunning. How cansuch an organization claim to be "forwomen?" In my experience as a singlewoman, there is nothing moreeffective than a gun for protection.

In my experience as a married woman,when my husband can't be there topull out a firearm to protect us and ourhome, he has made sure that I can doso. What could be more empoweringand independent and equalizing for awoman than that?

And what could be more threateningto women than women like SarahBrady, Barbara Boxer, DianeFeinstein, Carolyn McCarthy andBarbra Streisand who, while beatingthe drum for "women's rights" areattempting to disarm women as well asmen, and leave them at the mercy ofcriminals? I still believe fervently inthe original NOW position supportingthe empowerment of women.

And I believe that the most effectivething any woman can do to empowerherself is to acquire and learn to use agun, and to become vocal andaggressive in defending gun rights andthe Second Amendment.

When I look back on my mindsetwhen I supported gun control, I Seethat I was naïve, idealistic and swayedby irrational, baseless propaganda,especially the absurd myth that, bydisarming law-abiding citizens,society will be made safer.

There is absolutely no hard evidenceto support this. Criminals by definitiondisregard laws, especially gun controllaws. In Australia, which has disarmedits population, it is reported thatviolent home invasions have increasedin some areas by 44%. Rapes andmurders have also increasedsubstantially.

In being confronted by the reality thatgovernment cannot and will notguarantee my personal safety, I aminfinitely thankful, both as a womanand an American, that the Bill ofRights still guarantees my right todefend myself with a gun. Any truefeminist must support this position.Any woman who claims to be afeminist, but who supportsdisarmament of law-abiding citizens issimply a dangerous hypocrite.

Katherine von Tour is presentlyworking on a book comprised ofinterviews of women who support theSecond Amendment; she is lookingfor women who have personal storiesabout having used a gun for self-defense, or who simply believe in theright to own and use a firearm.Anyone wishing to be interviewed forthis project can contact her throughGOA.

These Merchants Don't Want CWP Permit HoldersTo Carry Firearms In Their Stores

LIST 4/99 COPY & DISTRIBUTE

Merchants, if your business is no longer posted against Law Abiding Citizens please notify GRSC for removal from this list.This list maintained by GRSC volunteers. Please report corrections to:

Grass Roots South Carolina, P.O. Box 1181, Sumter, South Carolina 29151Email irish@logicsouth.com

Statewide:Statewide:Security Finance, All LocationsBB&T, All LocationsCarolina First, All Locations www.carolinafirst.comKlig's Kites, All Locations

MidlandsMidlands::(Columbia, West Cola., Lexington, Irmo)CVI - Cablevision Industries 1125 B Avenue, W. ColaFirst Citizens Banks All Midlands LocationsHardee's Restaurants Some Midlands LocationsKroger's Sav-On Food Stores 7467 Woodrow St., Irmo,SMI Steel 310 New State Rd., CayceTaco Bell Restaurants All Midlands Locations,The Factory Outlets All Midlands LocationsWendy’s Restaurant 1410 Lake Murray Blvd., IrmoPiggly Wiggly Food Stores, 4360 Augusta Rd., LexingtonFirst Community Bank, 5455 Sunset Blvd., LexingtonCooper Power Tools, 670 Industrial Dr., Lexington

Columbia:Columbia:Tuesday Morning 282 St. Andrews RdThomas & Howard Co. 209 Flintlake RoadColumbia Mall 7201 Two Notch RoadSouth Carolina Merchants Association 1735 St. Julians Pl.Eckerd Drug #2744 9810 Two Notch (& Polo Rd.)St.Andrews Mult-Cinemas 527 St. Andrews Rd.Hancock Motor Company 3905 West Beltline BlvdBojangles 542 St.Andrews Rd.Custom Pizza Company 6801-3 St. Andrews Rd.Hair We Are 9810 Two Notch Rd.Exxon / Blimbie’s of St. Andrews 800 St. Andrews Rd.Tiger Express #8 418 Piney Grove Rd.BC&BS of South Carolina I20 & Alpine Rd.State Farm Insurance Claims I20 & Bush River Rd.Gaz-Bah Mini Shops 2923 W. Beltline Blvd.Carolina Convenience Amoco and Citgo Stations 209 Stoneridge Dr.

Charleston:Charleston:Belks Northwood Mall www.belk.comFirst Federal of Charleston, All LocationsCPM Federal Credit Union

Camden:Camden:Carolina Tire 1110 Broad Street 803 432-7969Systems Services Group 2512 Broad Street (803) 424-1600Food Chief #46 136 East DeKalb St. 29020

Sumter:Sumter:Greater Sumter Chamber of Commerce 32 E. Calhoun Street 775-1231Sam's Playstation 1091 Broad StreetGTE Wireless 317 Wesmark Blvd. (803) 469-2345Tri Star Storage II / Cash Advance 2220 Peach OrchardDixon's Grocery State Hwy 261Regional Acceptance Corp., 678 Bultman Dr.H & S Wholesale Inc. 200 S. Harvin St.

Spee Dee Cash 1171 Broad St.Hill Plumbing & Electric 438 N. Main St.Kwik-Fare 1768 Pinewood Rd., Sumter 29150Save Mart 378A Manning AvenueSAFE Federal Credit Unions 180 Wesmark Blvd. Exten.Nilson Van and Storage 16 South Pike Rd.Sumter Check Casher 1084A Broad St.Gerry’s & Things 130 W. Liberty St.Atlas Transmission 301 W. Liberty St.Time Finance Company 31 Liberty StreetHodge Auto/Truck Service 491 E. Liberty St.CP & L 180 Wesmark Blvd.Time Finance Company 31 Liberty Street

Blythewood:Blythewood:Blythewood Pharmacy, 420-B McNulty RoadPlum's Ice Cream Factory, Wilson Rd.Jim Hall’s Auto Service, 421 McNulty Rd.JR’s United Convenience, 10447 Wilson Rd.Blythewood Oil Company, Sharpe Exxon #1, Highway 21,Vision Quest Video of Blythewood, 420-D McNulty RoadBlythewood IGABlythewood McDonalds, 250 Blythewood Road

Greenville:Greenville:Sam’s Club, 2519 Laurens Rd.

Georgetown:Georgetown:Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce 1001 Front St.Prince George Framing and Gallery 805 Front StreetNightingale's Professional Apparel 924 Front StreetWayne's Sporting Goods and Trophies 929 Front StreetThomas Cafe, 703 Front StreetPiggly Wiggly 1620 Highmarket StreetGeorgetown Art Gallery Inc. 732 Front StreetTomlinson's Dept. Store 806 Front StreetLaw Firm of Hinds, Cowan, Strange, and Greer 604 Front StreetEdward Jones Investments 936 Front Street

Greenwood:Greenwood:Wal-Mart Supercenter 508 ByPass 72NWBurger King

Goose Creek:Goose Creek:Alexs Restaurant 309 St. James St.

Bishopville:Bishopville:Logan’s Appliance Center, 139 N. Main St.R. Travis Windham Insurance Agency 204 N. Main St.

Seneca:Seneca:Carquest Auto Parts 507 N. First St.

Walterboro:Walterboro:Low Country Marine 903 Green Pond Hwy.Dixie Auto Parts 501 E Bells Hwy.Discount Auto Parts 205 Chasteen Dr.

These Merchants Don't Want CWP Permit HoldersTo Carry Firearms In Their Stores

LIST 4/99 COPY & DISTRIBUTE

Merchants, if your business is no longer posted against Law Abiding Citizens please notify GRSC for removal from this list.This list maintained by GRSC volunteers. Please report corrections to:

Grass Roots South Carolina, P.O. Box 1181, Sumter, South Carolina 29151Email irish@logicsouth.com

Walterboro:Walterboro: (continued):Texemarts 3 locations Owned by Rhodes Oil, 305 Moore St.Clearvision Opitical 501A, Bells Hwy.Piggy Wiggy 251A Bells Hwy.Jus Sports 253D Bells Hwy.Treasure Chest Jewelers 395 Bells Hwy.Warshaws Store for Men 216 E. Washington St.Lil Caesars Pizza 255B Bells Hwy.Gold Collection 501 Bells Hwy.Seigler Brothers One Hour Photo 501 Bells Hwy.Burger King 250 N. Jefferies Blvd.Carpets of Walterboro 601 Bells Hwy.Hunan Chinese Restaurant 339 N. Jefferies Blvd.Washington Street Café' 242 Washington St.S.C. Electric and Gas - All LocationsCostal Electric Co-operative 2269 Jefferies Hwy.

Murrells Inlet:Murrells Inlet:Inlet Square Mall 10125 HWY 17 By-Pass,Swansea:Shelton’s Rainbow BP 100 West First Street

Myrtle Beach:Myrtle Beach:Klig's Kites Corporate Office, 811- C Seaboard St.

Batesburg/Batesburg/Leesville:Leesville:Owner/Agent State Farm 605 W. Church St.

Ridgeway:Ridgeway:Bank of Ridgeway, Blythewood Branch

Saluda:Saluda:Caper House 401 N. Main St.

Darlington:Darlington:Henry’s Pantry 438 N. Main St.

Florence:Florence:Piggly Wiggly Florence Mall

Summerville:Summerville:Belks 1301 N. Main St.

Pickens:Pickens:American Federal Bank 210 W. Cedar Rock Street

Aiken:Aiken:Aiken Mall 2441 Whiskey Rd

Latta:Latta:Dilmar Oil

To have a merchant added to this list, please provide complete contact information; which includesBusiness name, mailing address, city, zipcode, and the name of the person who can make the decision to remove the sign.

Welcome Back!The Following Merchants Have REMOVED Signs Which Discourage Law

Abiding CWP Holders from Entering Their Stores!Piggy Wiggly of Chesterfield

Gloriosa FloristsHiller Hardware

Ace Parker Tires of SumterCamden Hot Spot Convenience

Office Max - All LocationsSpecial Effects Hair Salon

System Plus ComputersBlythewood Feed and

HardwareMcDuffie's Home FurnishingsWal-Mart #2214 in Columbia

Lowes Hardware - AllLocations

Rush's RestaurantsLittle Pigs BarbecueThyme Out Exxon

Greenville Carmike CinemasIf It's Paper

Best Stop Stores (pending)Denny's Restaurants

Burlington Coat FactoryCollins Jewelry

Lee's GrocerySpann's Store

Becknell CleanersCamden Gas and OilGranger in ColumbiaFood Lion of Ravenel

Ed’s Paint CenterDomino's Pizza on Two Notch

Cost Cutter's Barber ShopMcCall's Supply of Sumter

Dixie Furniture in WalterboroPerkin's Family Restaurant

GRSC HumorAttention! (The following letterwas written last year by Tina Terry to aPhoenix newspaper. The notorious"Teacher Timothy" of Columbia, SC,sent it to me and I publish it for theedification of readers anxious to rid ourcommunities of dogs in order to protectchildren.)

Dear Editor,

I am gratified to read in this morning'spaper that someone has finally calledattention to an urgent situation which Ihave known about for a long time:annually 334,000 victims of savage dogbites, most frequently children, averageage 15, are taken to the nation'semergency rooms. As the article states:"That's more ER visits than injuries fromskateboards, baby walkers and in-lineskates combined." Totalannual cost of ER dogbites: $102.4 million.Twenty or more peoplekilled annually by dogs,almost all of themchildren.

Because these dogs are soreadily obtainable on thestreets of our nation, Iimplore all your readersto immediately delugetheir Congressmen withletters, phone calls, faxesand telegrams to supportthe federal "Save theWiddle Childwen Fwothe Vicious Dog-Bite Act of 1998",which would require the following:mandatory muzzles fitted with muzzle-locks to be kept at all times on all dogs,licensing and paw-printing of all dogs,fingerprinting and house-monitoring ofdog owners, including mandatory,federally-monitored safe storage of dogsand a immediate 1,000% tax on all dogfood. This Act is sponsored by CanineControl Incorporated, an organizationdedicated to eliminating canine violencein America by the year 2000. The Actalso provides for the immediate banningof all "assault dogs", the definition ofwhich term will constantly changeaccording to the emotions of the board ofC.C.I. "Saturday Night Special" dogs,such as Chihuahuas and other cheap,

easily concealed ankle-biters, will also bebanned. In addition,

the Act bans all sharp canine teeth, allcanine teeth longer than a federally-mandated length, all spiked collars andsharp canine toenails. It also mandatesthat all dogs be transferred only throughfederally licensed dog dealers, andprovides for the changing of the BATF tothe Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,Firearms and Assault Dogs, or BATFAD.

I hope that the physicians' organizationsthat champion total handgun banning willrally behind this urgent cause to save ournation's children. Anyone who opposesthis type of legislation obviously hateschildren. We need this Act desperately -after all, if it saves only one life, it isworth it. Not to mention the $102.4

million dollars in ER charges!

My husband's face was horribly mauledat the age of four by a Pit Bull; today heis the poster child for C.C.I. Now, whennot being used as a drooling doorstop orfor first base, he is routinely wheeled outat charity fund-raising events at which herepeatedly mumbles, "Bad dogs! Bandogs!"

We urgently need your help to get thesevicious dogs off the streets now! Pleasehelp end canine violence in America!Send donations to: C.C.I., 1111 B.S.Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20004.Make the checks out to me.Tina Terry

c) 1998 by Tina Terry. Author's note: Theauthor's husband's face really was mauledat age 4 by a Pit Bull, an incident inwhich he almost lost an eye. He's not in awheelchair, true but he also doesn't blamedogs in general for his early experienceand he loves and owns dogs to this day.He also has never tried to enlist theauthor to run around the country trying toban all dogs.

A lady surpriseda burglar in herkitchen. He wasall loaded downwith the things hewas going tosteal. She had noweapon and wasall alone. Theonly thing thatshe could think todo was quotescripture. So, sheholds up a handand says: "ACTS2:38!!!"

The burglar quakes in fear and thenfreezes to the point that she is able to getto the phone and call 911 for the cops.When the cops arrive, the burglar is stillfrozen in place. They are very muchSurprised that a woman alone with noweapon could do this. One of them askedthe lady: "How did you do this?"

The woman replied: "I quoted scripture."

The cop turned to the burglar: "Whatwas it about the scripture that had such aneffect on you?"

The burglar replied: "Scripture! Whatscripture? I thought she said she had anax and two 38's."

More

GRSC

Humor…

South Carolina Concealed WeaponsPermit Instructors Association

The Legal Carry That Wasn'tby Lon Currey

As Concealed carry instructors we runinto all kinds of questions that we end uppassing on to wiser minds than our own.One of these came to my attentionrecently through our Grass Rootsconnection.

A concealed permit holder was stoppedby a city police officer. (city to remainun-named for now). Being the good lawabiding citizen he is, our permit holdergave the officer his driver's license andconcealed carry permit. When asked ifhe was carrying at that time our goodcitizen said, "Yes. I have one gun in thedoor panel pocked and one gun in thezipped carry-all bag behind my seat."The officer proceeded to write a ticketwhile reading Mr. Good Citizen the riotact for illegally carrying a concealedweapon.

What did Mr. Good Citizen do wrong?Most instructors would say "He didnothing wrong!" Well that is not so.According to the law the gun must becarried on or about your person. TheAttorney General has interpreted that asmeaning within arms reach or in abriefcase or purse within arms reach.The rules for carrying in a vehiclerequire the gun be in "a closed, latchedglove box or center console in thevehicle.

In the case quoted above the officerinterpreted the law in the strictestpossible sense. That is allowed! PoliceOfficers have been granted the discretionto interpret the law when it is notCLEARLY defined as otherwise. I wasinformed by Captain Joe Dorton, atSLED that this was a case that wouldhave to be determined in a court of law.Until some of the issues attached to theconcealed carry laws have been tried wemay not know in some cases exactly

where we stand. It seems a shame thatsomeone may have to lose his/her rightto carry for the rest of us to learn therules.

I would encourage all of thoseassociations and organizations that I amdiligently paying dues into to come tothe defense of Mr. Good Citizen, andothers like him to clarify our laws, slowdown over zealous police officers, andprotect the right to carry for all of us.

Editor: "The Legal Carry ThatWasn't" was originallypublished on our website. Hereis one reader's response:

It is truly a shame that this citizen mustundergo such treatment. It is hard tobelieve that a police officer would ticketa legal carrier. If the truth is known, andthere are no hidden facts, I'd bet thisofficer has a hidden agenda. I'd like toknow what his fellow officers must thinkof him. Sure the citizen should have hadlawful concealment, but give me a break.This officer should have issued a verbalwarning and been on his/her way. Tome, this is another case of the innocentbeing unfairly punished. Had this officerbeen under attack, I'm sure this"unlawfully armed citizen" wouldn'thave hesitated in drawing his"unlawfully concealed weapon" tocome to the officer's defense. Whata shame.

A friend of mine told me the otherday that he was stopped for speedingin a small town. He handed theofficer his "permit". The officerthanked him for presenting thepermit, gave him a verbal warningfor speeding and told him to have anice day. A true southern gentlemenin my opinion. Too bad all officersare not rational.

Keep up the good work.Spartanburg

Rule No. 1: 'Always treat afirearm as if it is loaded'by Joe Macaluso

Gunsmith David Reynerson's list of do's& and don'ts for firearms owners issimple, and the first item, he believes, is

always the most important, so much sothat it hangs outside the door of his shop."Always treat a firearm as if it isloaded," he said emphatically. "Doubleand triple check to make sure there 's noround or shell in the chamber, and openbreeches and bolts. Safety first!"

After that he recommends gun ownerstake their rifles and shotguns down onlyif they're completely familiar with theweapon and follow the manufacturer'sinstructions to the letter.

The other items on his list include:

Don't fool with the trigger mechanism."There are too many parts to handle ifthe person doesn't have the expertise andthe proper tools," he said. "Some peoplethink they know enough to work on thesears, either the hammer sear or thetrigger sear, to make the gun firequicker, and what they wind up with is agun that fires when the bolt slamsforward. It's almost an automaticweapon, and that's not safe."

Use solvent to clean barrels.Reynerson said a solvent like Hoppe'sNo. 9 is good. He runs a solvent-damppatch down the barrel and sets it aside

while cleaning other parts. He goes backto the barrel, runs a clean patch throughit, then runs an oil patch through, thenanother dry patch.

Use oil sparingly."Most people load up on the oil. Theyuse way too much," he said. "One or two

South Carolina Concealed WeaponsPermit Instructors Association

drops is all that's needed for the barreland other working mechanisms."Reynerson said too much oil explainswhy guns get dirty, that oil attracts dirtand too much oil on a gun leads to asmany breakdowns as not using oil.

Use compressed air.The advice here is when breaking a gundown to blow out as much of the loosedirt as possible before starting withsolvent and oil. "I even use the air toblow out residual oil after the gun iscleaned," Reynerson said.

Use a silicone-impregnated cloth.He said silicone on the outside parts of agun is usually the only treatment theexterior parts need.

Check spent shells and cartridges."If you're having trouble with a weapon,it's misfiring or not working properly;the first indication is usually found onthe spent casing. If there are any dents ornicks then stop firing immediately,unload the weapon and take it to agunsmith to check it out, " he advised.

Do not use oil sprays like WD-40."It hardens into a shellac. It forms avarnish on rifles and shotguns thatbecomes very hard to remove. Besides, itholds dirt and grit," he said.

While WD-40 and other lubricants like ithave their uses, Reynerson recommendshigh-quality gun oil only for rifles andshotguns.

Store guns upside down."Oil seeping from the working parts of agun will eventually seep into the gun'sstock and ruin the wood," Reynersonsaid. "Turn them over when companycomes so the guns look good, then turn

them over so that you will have that gunfor as long as you want it."

Conducting a Concealed CarryClassby Lon Currey

Have you ever had to sit through a highschool or college class for several hourswhere the teacher/instructor droned onand on about the most mundane matterswith little regard to your interest and orcomfort? Have you ever had to take alengthy class on the law? Have you eversigned up for a course thinking it wasgoing to be fun and active, only to findout, after you got there, it was all lectureon theory? If you have, you have veryprobably experienced what many CWPstudents go through as they sufferthrough the legally required CWPcourse.

So, what do we, as the instructors in thisvery important 2nd amendment issue, doabout it? We utilize the principles ofGOOD adult education theory. When theNRA teaches a course they teach TPI ortotal participant involvement. Basicallystated it is the old military theory of tellthem what you are going to do, tell themhow to do it, tell them what you havedone, show them how to do it, lead themthrough doing it, let them do it! Thetechniques of classroom discussion andquestions will lead to greater studentinvolvement in the training process.Asking students to read sections fromtheir handouts or from your lesson planwill keep them involved AND awake!

The use over overhead or film slidesgives the students something to look at,illustrate a point, and keep the instructorson track. That is, they keep students andinstructors alike, focused on the topic.Videos, and/or movies can help todemonstrate difficult to grasps conceptsso they can actually see what you aretrying to tell them. Written/printedhandouts give them material to take withthem so the learning continues even afterthey leave the classroom, and serves asreference material when they get homeso they can check points they may haveforgotten.

Training aids that students can passaround the classroom and handle and

familiarize themselves with helps themto become familiar with new material,and helps to keep their interest up. Theuse of posters and displays give themsomething of a relative topic to discussand look at while on breaks frominstruction.

And, one of the most important thingsyou can do is to use more than oneinstructor. People do get tired of hearingone person's view point for prolongedperiods of time, so try to share the load.Different instructors have differing stylesand different paces of delivery. This willoften help the class to grasp new points.

A good instructor will be in theclassroom one hour before class time tocheck the teaching area and materials.It's very embarrassing to turn on anoverhead when the class starts only tofind it doesn't work, or you've forgottenyour slides. Remember, Instructors, wehave a legal responsibility to teach acourse that is a MINIMUM of eighthours in length, and taking fingerprintsand pictures is NOT a part of that eighthours. If you were to ask my partner,Norman Price I'm sure he would tell youwe are seldom done in eight hours. Ifyou are honest, and you give yourstudents what they are paying for, andyou fulfill the requirements of the law itis going to take at least eight hours.

Another really important topic is how tohandle a student who is not cutting it.Obviously if you teach long enough youwill eventually run into a student, whofor whatever reason, can not cut it. Firstunderstand that you have an obligation toteach all those who come to you. Secondyou have a greater obligation to thepublic. To certify a student who can not,or will not learn what is necessary to bea certified gun carrier on our publicstreets is to place the public, our friends,neighbors, relatives in great danger.Don't do it!

If I have a student who fails the writtentest I will generally go over the test withthem. Point out the areas where theywent wrong and after a couple of hoursallow them to retake the test. I alwaysmark those tests as retests and keepBOTH tests on file. If they fail the test asecond time I require they attend theentire course again at a later date, for

South Carolina Concealed WeaponsPermit Instructors Association

free of course.

Those students who fail the shootingcourse are immediately given someremedial training and given the chance toshoot again. In nearly three years andhundreds of students there have onlybeen two of these. If they fail again weinvite them to come back with the nextclass and try again, for free of course.Once a student has enrolled with us wewill see to it they accomplish their goalsno matter how many times they have tocome back. On the range I have a hardfast rule. We will put no more then sixstudents on the line per instructor at anygiven time. We usually have a ratio of4:1. This gives us the opportunity to trainas we go, and makes for a much saferenvironment.

The point of this article is to get those ofyou who are teaching to teach asprofessionals. If you are charging foryour services, and you should be, seethat your students/clients get what theyare paying for. Give them every possiblechance to learn. Conduct your trainingjust the way you would want itconducted if you were on the other sideof the desk. And for goodness sake,teach according to the law.

By the way, there are some instructorsout there who have no range to use fortraining. These instructors areconducting the classroom portions of thetraining and telling their students to go toother instructors for the range portion oftheir training. If you do not have a rangeto complete the required training thenyou should not be offering these classes.If a student comes to you and says,"Instructor so and so taught me all I needto know and said I should come to youfor the range test." I STRONGLYencourage you to politely send them ontheir way. If you did not conduct the

entire program of training you shouldNOT be signing off on their application.

Lon Currey is President of the SouthCarolina Concealed WeaponsInstructor's Association.

Frequently AskedQuestion: How Does OneBecome a CWP Instructor?The process to becoming a concealedweapon instructor in South Carolina isrelatively simple. First you must be acertified instructor. That is you musthave received instructor training fromone of three sources. These include themilitary, law enforcement, or the NRA.You will have to provide SLED with theproof of such certification. Second youmust submit an application to SLEDaccompanied by the lesson plan youintend teach from. The lesson planMUST include all the informationrequired by law to be taught in theseclasses, which MUST run a minimum ofeight hours. I suggest you contactCaptain Jim McClary, Training Officerof SLED at 803-869-7034 for theapplication and particulars.

There are many people out there whocan assist you with the lesson planrequirements. If you have any otherquestions please feel free to contact me:Lon Currey, President of the SouthCarolina Concealed Weapon InstructorAssociation, at (803) 731-0230 or (803)318-5600 or by e-mail: traine29@idt.net

Regarding InstructorRecertification:I spoke with one of the responsibleindividuals at S.L.E.D. this morning inreference to CWP instructorrecertification. They are VERY awarethey have a bunch of instructors whosecertification will expire shortly. It is theirintent to conduct some training this yearand explain the recertification processduring this training. They have NOTdecided if there will be a fee required, aminimum training requirement, and/orpictures. I can only believe they willallow those of us whose certificationmay expire in the interim to continuetraining until they decide. They didmention the training this year will be

done by districts rather than all in theColumbia area. That should be anadvantage to those who live outside themidlands, and bring greater participation.

***

GRSC E-mail Box:I recently reported that "PERKINSFAMILY RESTAURANT & BAKERY"located at 7451 Rivers Ave., NorthCharleston, SC 29406 had a "Noconcealed Weapons" sign posted at theirfacility. I left one of the cards along withthe flyer with the Manager, (David D.Messinger, Jr.)

I am now happy to report that the signhas now been removed. It is myunderstanding that it was removedapprox. March 1, 1999. I talked with oneof the assistant managers recently andwas informed that they removed the signbecause they were loosing a lot ofbusiness and had finally decided thatshould they be robbed, it certainly wouldnot be by a person that was licensed tocarry a concealed weapon. I informedthem that I would also inform GrassRoots so their name could be removedfrom the list of facilities that post a noconcealed weapon sign.

Please remove this facility from your listas posting the "No Concealed WeaponsAllowed" sign.

Thanks for your help and keep up thegood work. I visit your web site oftenand enjoy the newsletters.Best Regards,H.M.Goose Creek

Harold, this just points up that weREALLY ARE grass roots. It is localpeople like you, taking action on localissues that make the difference. All of uslocal folks banded together can do it onthe state level.Thank you!

***GRSC Question From a Reader:Q: Do I have to carry the gun with whichI qualified?A: No, this early restriction has beenchanged by S.L.E.D. You may cary agun different than the one you qualifiedwith.

Legislative Update

Legislative UpdateBy Rob ButlerCurrent as of April 12, 1999These bills are currently in the SClegislature for consideration:(*** indicates a change from the lastreport, please be sure to read)

*** S621 - A bill to reserve to the statethe right to institute and maintain certaincivil actions against firearms orammunition manufacturers and dealers,and to create a state preemption law so asto prevent political subdivisions of thestate from enacting gun control laws.Our position: The best bill currently inthe legislature for gun owners. Contactyour legislators now and get them on thebandwagon. Please note the importantdifferences between S621, which is agood bill, and H3420 (see below), whichis a bad bill. While both claim to stoplawsuits against firearms manufacturers,only S621 really does so, and S621 doesnot punish gun owners as H3420 does.Additionally, S621 creates a needed statepreemption law.Principle used: The person who misusesa firearm should be held responsible, notthe manufacturer or dealer. A statepreemption law provides uniformity sothat SC citizens do not have to try tolearn the laws of every town they passthrough.Bill is still in committee.Current status and text can be found at:http://www.lpitr.state.sc.us/bills/621.htm

H3420 - A bill to allow only the State,and not its political subdivisions, to suefirearm manufacturers, dealers, and tradeassociations for damages arising out ofthe lawful design, marketing, or sale offirearms to the public, unless certainconditions are met by the politicalsubdivisions of the state. The conditionsthat need to be met are loopholes bigenough to drive the state of SC through.Most importantly, this bill would alsoprevent gun owners from suing animporter, manufacturer, or dealer fordamages for any injuries, includingwrongful death, arising from the properuse of the firearm. This bill would makegun owners the only citizens in SC whocould not sue the manufacturer of aproduct for injuries suffered from adefective product.

Our position: Kill the bill, do not waitfor it to move. Kill it now. While it isimportant to protect the firearms industryfrom lawsuits filed by victims of thosewho use firearms in a criminal ornegligent way, it is not necessary topunish honest gun owners in the process.Please see S621 above, a bill that does allthat should be done plus some, but doesnot punish gun owners too.Principle used: Gun owners should nothave to give up their right to sue fordamages suffered from using a defectivefirearm. There is no good reason to takethe bad with the good when it is possibleto get just the good, see S621 above.Bill is still in committee.Current status and text can be found at:http://www.lpitr.state.sc.us/bills/3420.htm

*** H3804 - A bill to supposedly combatbombs and weapons of mass destruction.Our position: This bill is a danger tothose shooters who reload. Thedefinitions section is written so as toinclude primers and smokeless powder asbomb components. It makes it a felonyto have bomb components in onespossession. It allows for forfeiture ofproperty (your home) used to facilitate aviolation of the law (possessing andstoring the bomb components - primersand smokeless powder). The exclusionssection excludes those things regulatedby the SC Explosives Control Act, butthe SC Explosives Control Actspecifically does not apply to componentsof small arms ammunition. This billneeds to be amended to protect reloaders,or killed. Every reloader should not bepunished because of a fear of futurecriminal activity. The criminals are notgoing to obey the law any ways, thereforethe only people to be punished by this billare the law abiding reloaders. We shouldnot all have to buy commercialammunition. This bill is on the fast tracksince it has 80 cosponsors, more thanenough to pass the bill.Principle used: Our unalienable right tokeep and bear arms is infringed when gunowners can not legally reloadammunition.Bill is still in committee.Current status and text can be found at:http://www.lpitr.state.sc.us/bills/3804.htm

*** H3419 - A very poorly written rangeprotection bill that does not protectranges. Let's examine this bill closely.

First, whom does this billprotect? The only real protectionprovided is to existing ranges. But, itfails to give protection to the USERS ofthe range, the operators of the range, orthe owners of the range. See Section 31-18-30(A). Then, a so-called “protected”existing range loses all of its protection assoon as it has an “expansion of activity.”The term “expansion of activity” is notdefined and would force existing rangesto comply with new regulations if therange increased its membership, thenumber of shooting bays, the number ofmatches held, or number of rounds fired.This would force existing ranges to closeto new members and limit the matchesheld if the range wanted to protect itselffrom new regulation. See Section 31-18-40(C). This is a prescription for the deathof the shooting sports. We need to beexpanding shooting sports opportunities,not limiting the opportunities.

Second, the bill gives virtuallyno protection to new ranges. A newrange is left at risk of being closed downfor 5 years after it opens. See Section 31-18-30(B). This is too long. It effectivelyprevents the building of any new rangesin any part of the state where there areenough people to support a range, and ifthere are not enough people to support arange, it will not get built. Once again,this is a prescription for the death of theshooting sports. We need to beexpanding shooting sports opportunities,not limiting the opportunities.

Third, this bill would allowzoning changes to shut down an existingrange just like they did to the adultbusinesses in Richland County. SeeSection 31-18-50. This is no protectionat all. Once again, this is a prescriptionfor the death of the shooting sports. Weneed to be expanding shooting sportsopportunities, not limiting theopportunities.

These are not the only problemswith H3419, but they are enough to showthat this bill is no protection for theshooting sports. We can not afford to usewhatever influence we have with ourlegislators to get a bill passed that issimply a prescription for death of theshooting sports. We need to protect theshooting sports for generations to come,

Legislative Update

not just a few of us now. We need torally behind a good range protection bill.There is a good range protection billready to be introduced; we just need tofind a sponsor. Let us know if yourlegislator would be willing to be asponsor.Our position: Those in favor of killingthe bill point out this bill is only good forexisting ranges and shooters, and itdooms the shooting sports to die a slowwithering death on the vine because itlimits the shooting sports to its presentsize. This bill does more harm than goodto future ranges and future shootersbecause once we get legislators to fight toget this bill passed, they are not going towant to fight a second time to solve theproblems for future ranges and futureshooters when we should have had theforesight to ask for what we wanted thefirst time. Those in favor of passagepoint out any protection is better than noprotection, even if it means abandoningprotection for future shooters.Principles used: Those in favor ofkilling this bill would rather fight for agood bill that gives protection to not onlythe present shooters and ranges, butprovides for the protection of theshooting sports for their children andgrand children, too. We see ourselves asthe stewards of liberty and freedom forthe generations to come, just as ourforefathers fought for the liberty andfreedom that we now enjoy. We do notwant to be known as the generation thatsold our children’s rights for our ownselfish wants.Bill is still in committee.Current status and text can be found at:http://www.lpitr.state.sc.us/bills/3419.htm

S505 & H3632 - Bills that change thedefinition of “military firearm” so as toallow citizens of SC to legally ownfirearms being sold by the USgovernment to US citizens.Our position: These are good bills,support them.Principle used: Our unalienable right tokeep and bear arms is infringed when SCcitizens can not purchase the firearm oftheir own choosing.Bill is still in committee.Current status and text can be found at:http://www.lpitr.state.sc.us/bills/505.htm& http://www.lpitr.state.sc.us/bills/3632

H3079 - A bill originally meant to let SCresidents own machine guns, at least itdid until changed in committee. This billwould have made SC a class 3 state.Changes made in committee keep SC astate that prohibits its citizens fromowning machine guns.Our position: This was a good bill, nowit doesn’t help SC citizens.Principle used: The only principalinvolved after the changes made in theHouse has to do with money, there is noprinciple to fight for in this bill now.Current status and text can be found at:http://www.lpitr.state.sc.us/bills/3079.htm

H3196 - A firearms and gun ownerregistration bill. This bill would create astate registry of guns and gun owners. Itwould require gun owners to report to thestate the transfer of all firearms so as tokeep the registry current. It does thisunder the guise of ballistic testing of allnew firearms.Our position: This is a truly horrible bill.Gun registration is the first step to gunconfiscation. We need to kill this bill if itstarts to move.Principle used: Our unalienable right tokeep and bear arms is infringed, alongwith our rights to privacy, when SCcitizens have to register their guns andthemselves with big brother.Bill is still in committee.Current status and text can be found at:http://www.lpitr.state.sc.us/bills/3196.htm

H3142 & S147 - Bills to give lawenforcement and retired law enforcementofficer's special privileges with respect tocarrying firearms.Our position: These are bad bills thatneed to be defeated.Principle used: Any law that creates twoclasses of people, one being elitegovernment officials and the other merepeasants working to pay taxes to thestate, is wrong. Police officers areregular citizens, not a superior specialclass of citizen. If police officers do notlike the current ridiculous restrictions of aCWP, then let them work with us to getrid of those restrictions for all honest lawabiding citizens, not just police officers.Any argument made that it is important tohave armed off duty and retired lawenforcement officers everywhere in thecommunity is made an even betterargument when used to include all honestlaw abiding citizens because there are

more armed citizens than there are offduty police officers.Bills are still in committee.Current status and text can be found at:http://www.lpitr.state.sc.us/bills/3142.htm&http://www.lpitr.state.sc.us/bills/147.htm

H3137 & S208 - Bills to restrictpossession of anything that could be usedas a weapon around schools. These billswould change the law from prohibitingweapons on your person aroundelementary and secondary schools toprohibiting weapons around elementary,secondary, and post secondary schoolsperiod. S208 deletes firearms from thelist of prohibited weapons, but H3137does not.Our position: These are bad bills thatneed to be defeated. To make it a felonyto take any object that “may be used toinflict bodily injury” onto any schoolproperty makes it possible to convictanyone of a felony. The tire iron in yourcar fits the description above.Principle used: These are bad billsbecause they further infringe our 2nd Am.rights, do nothing to improve safety, andare extremely overbroad and ambiguouswhich would lead to problems withselective enforcement of the law.Bills are still in committee.Current status and text can be found at:http://www.lpitr.state.sc.us/bills/208.htm&http://www.lpitr.state.sc.us/bills/3137.htm

S43 - Another trigger lock bill. Wouldimpose prison terms of up to three yearsand/or fines up to $2,000.00. We allknow the evils of trigger lock bills.Our position: A one size fits all solutionto a non-existent problem. Kill the bill ifit starts to move.Principle used: Trigger locks can not beused on a loaded firearm, therefore thisbill would effectively disarm mostpeople. Disarming the people is aninfringement of the right to keep and beararms.Bill is still in committee.Current status and text can be found at:http://www.lpitr.state.sc.us/bills/43.htm

H3380 - Another trigger lock bill.Would impose prison terms of up to oneyear and/or fines up to $1,000.00. We allknow the evils of trigger lock bills.

Legislative Update

Our position: A one size fits all solutionto a non-existent problem. Kill the bill ifit starts to move.Principle used: Trigger locks can not beused on a loaded firearm, therefore thisbill would effectively disarm mostpeople. Disarming the people is aninfringement of the right to keep and beararms.Bill is still in committee.Current status and text can be found at:http://www.lpitr.state.sc.us/bills/3380.htm

H3128 - A bill to stop the discharge offirearms within one-half mile radius of aschool. This bill would make felons ofanyone who discharges a firearm "too"close to a school.Our position: This bill would include allschools - public, private, and homeschools - in the definition of a school. Itis not possible for any person to knowwhere all such schools are located. Anyperson who discharged a firearm safelywhile hunting could become a felon andlose their 2nd Am. rights merely becausethere was an unknown home schoolnearby. Kill the bill if it starts to move.Principle used: People should be able toknow beforehand when the acts theycommit are criminal acts. Under this billinnocent good people could unknowinglybecome felons.Bill is still in committee.Current status and text can be found at:http://www.lpitr.state.sc.us/bills/3128.htm

Editors Note: Grass Roots South Carolinais monitoring these bills and will report toyou any need to activate against bills that infringe on your right to carry. To thatend, we are building an e-mail alertregistry, fax alert registry, and telephonecall tree. If you want to make sure youare on our alerts registry drop us a lineadvising us how we can best notify youin cases where your input is needed withlegislative efforts.

WE STAND ON PRINCIPLE,THAT’S WHYBy Rob Butler

After the last legislative update I wasasked how GRSC decides whether to saya bill is a good bill or a bad bill.Specifically, I was asked how I could sayH3142 and S147 were bad bills whencertain members of the GRSC advisoryboard were retired or present lawenforcement officers and would havepersonally benefited from passage ofeither of these bills. My answer is simple- WE STAND ON PRINCIPLE, THAT’SWHY.

Our founding fathers spoke of certainunalienable rights. Unalienable rights arethose rights bestowed upon us by ourcreator. They are not bestowed upon usby mere mortal men simply because theyare in the majority at the time. The rightto keep and bear arms is one of thoseunalienable rights. The right to keep andbear arms is fundamental to being able toprotect yourself and your family fromharm, whether the harm comes from wildanimals, criminals, or tyrants. Withoutthe right to keep and bear arms we wouldbe reduced to the law of the jungle -which is that brute force alone is all thatmatters or might makes right. To deny aperson the right to keep and bear arms isjust the first step in subjugating thatperson.

Our founding fathers were also concernedabout a police state. While there aremany definitions of a police state, one isquite simple to understand - a policestate exists when only the police haveguns. An early form of a police state iswhen the police can bear arms in public,but the rest of us have to restrictourselves to bearing arms only at home orother designated areas.

“God created man, but Sam Colt madethem equal.” This saying came aboutbecause for the first time in history a mansmall in physical stature, but large incharacter, could successfully stand up tonot only a large person, but to a mob ofpeople. It no longer had to be a deathsentence for a small courageous person tostand up for principle against a mobbecause a pistol was the great equalizer.But, I digress.

This brings us back to bills H3142 andS147. We think these are bad billsbecause they help to create two classes ofpeople in the eyes of the law - a specialprivileged class of police officers and asubordinate unworthy class of citizens.As a matter of principle, we can notsupport this type of bill even when ithelps some of us. As we stated when weinitially opposed these bills, if therestrictions on concealed carry areridiculous for police officers, then theyare just as ridiculous for citizens too.Let's all work together to get rid of thebad laws for everyone, not create aspecial privileged class of police officers.

Future legislative updates will state theprinciple involved as to why we supportor oppose any given bill. This will giveyou the opportunity to better understandwhy we take the positions we take.Compare our values with our positions,let us know if you think we are taking theprincipled stand. If you think we shouldbe taking a different position, please tellus why. We look forward to yourcomments.

Would You Post Your Property Like This?We doubt it…and most gun-control advocates wouldn't either! But isn't this just what merchants in your

hometown are doing when they post against law-abiding citizens with CWP? Demand they stop putting you at riskby guaranteeing criminals a safe haven!

The South Carolina Shooting Event of the Year (and you're invited!)Here's Your Invitation!

MID-CAROLINA RIFLE CLUBOPEN HOUSE and FAMILY PICNIC

Where: 3433 Fish Hatchery Road, near SouthCongaree/Pineridge, SCWhen: Saturday, April 24, 1999, 8AM - 6PMWhat: The Mid Carolina Rifle Club (MCRC) cordially invitesyou and your family to attend our open house and familypicnic. It will be held on our 25-acre outdoor shooting facilityoff Fish Hatchery Road near South Congaree. Our club wasstarted over 25 years ago to provide local people a safe andaffordable place to shoot. We presently have about 200members with room for more. Drop in to help us celebrate thecompletion of our $60,000 range improvement program (andsignup new members) as we have this family oriented,patriotic, non-political, fun affair, Saturday, April 24th, from8AM to 6PM.Cost: None, nada, zip! Free parking too. But, donations gladlyaccepted for food. If you want to watch the shootingexhibitions bring eyeglasses and ear muffs. If you forget, we'llprovide safety glasses and ear muffs for a small deposit($2/$5) that will be promptly refunded in full when you returnthe items. Soft, disposable, earplugs will be provided free.Food: We'll be serving "free range" hotdogs, chips and cannedsoft drinks, with paper plates and napkins.Prizes: 20 Gate (door) Prizes to be awarded throughout theday. They must be picked up that day.Exhibit Area: We'll have large area setup with awnings andtables for local organizations, vendors (mini gunshow), andgunsmiths to promote their activities.Organizations Represented:Glock Inc., FN Manufacturing, Grass Roots South Carolina,S.L.E.D., Forest Acres PD with NRA Eddy Eagle, ColumbiaPolice Department, Richland County Sheriff's Dept.,Lexington County Sheriff's Dept., Vietnam VeteransAssociation, Korean War Memorial Association, NRA andNRA State Association, Midlands Technical College, USCPistol Team, USC Color Guard, USMC Color Guard.Hands On: All day we'll have .22 rifles and ammo availablefor kids to shoot in a special area - free! All day we'll beletting people shoot handguns provided by Glock Inc.From 12:30 to 3:00 try out a machine gun, real "assault"rifle, or suppressed ("silenced") firearms. Most shootingexhibitions will let spectators "try their hand" where safe andpracticable (it'll help if you're patient and courteous).Schedule of Events:8:00 AM Open gate to visitors. Handout programs, eye, andear protection. Exhibit area open to visitors. Other rangesclosed off for opening ceremonies.9:00 AM @ Rifle Range: Opening Ceremony. Rousing,Patriotic Speech by El Presidente. Awards given to LexingtonHigh School Junior ROTC shooters. Introduction and firingof Ceremonial cannon to honor MCRC founder "Doc"Bumgardner. Ribbon Cutting by MCRC founders JohnThompson (Funeral Homes) and Clayton Tapp (Dept Stores)to open ranges.9:30 AM @ General Purpose Bay: FN Manufacturing demonstrates "REAL" assault rifles.M2 heavy .50 caliber machine gun, M240B .30 calibermachine gun, M249 .223 Squad Automatic Weapon, P90submachine gun.

10:30 AM @ West End Range: If machine guns aren't yourcup of tea, walk over to the west end, and step back in time asthe Single Action Shooting Society (SASS) Cowboy (andCowgirl!) action shooters recreate the old west. All "dudedup" in their colorful outfits watch them take care of peskyvarmints and outlaws, "Western Style"!11:00 AM @ West End Range: International PracticalShooting Coalition (IPSC) will "Run and Gun in the Sun" withmodern handguns.11:30 AM @ West End Range: International DefensivePistol Association (IDPA) will demonstrate defensiveshooting with Concealed Carry type handguns and equipment.High Noon @ West End Range: Midlands Technical Collegewill demonstrate Concealed Carry practical exercises.12:30 - 2:00 PM @ Main Parking Lot: Visit the "ChuckWagon" for your "free range" hot dogs. Break for lunch, lookat exhibits and try out some of the guns.2:00 PM @ General Purpose Bay: More machine-gunsfrom local South Carolina Class II manufacturers. Specialguest appearance by the "Shorty" .30 caliber. See why assaultweapons ARE entirely appropriate for private ownership.Touch the "Deadly AK47" and make a wish for CharlesSchumer and Dianne Feinstein (Howabout, they marry eachother and go live happily ever after - in Serbia!)2:30 PM @ 2700 Pistol Range:NRA 2700 Bullseye Pistol shooters will demonstrate pistolmarksmanship and match procedures.3:00 PM @ Silhouette Bay: See demonstration of SteelSilhouette shooting in our "BIG" shooting gallery.3:30 PM @ General Purpose Bay:Black Powder Muzzle Loading rifle shooters will show howour forefathers used to do it. And, what our children might beforced to use to defend themselves with if we aren't careful.4:00 PM @ 2700 Pistol Bay: Columbia Police Departmentwill demonstrate their Officer Firearms Training program.4:30 PM @ Silhouette Bay: NRA High Power rifle shooterswill demonstrate rifle marksmanship and match procedures.

Special Notes:Shooting will be in areas away from main exhibit area so asnot to frighten young children, or interfere with otheractivities. We are a rifle club however, and there will be lot'sof shooting. So, if the sound of gunfire or smell of gunsmokedisturbs you, this may not be the event for you.

All legally and safely carried firearms are welcome on therange. But, ONLY those involved in the scheduled shootingexhibitions are to be used. All firearms must remain holsteredor safely secured. No handling of firearms is permitted exceptfor designated shooters at the scheduled shooting events andby gunsmiths at their exhibition area tables.

Though we want everyone to have a fun, exciting, enjoyableday - Safety is the paramount concern. Anyone acting in an�nunsafe or undesirable manner will be required to leave therange immediately.

For more Info. or directions call: Ed Kelleher, President,Mid Carolina Rifle Club in West Columbia at 803-796-8858,Fax: 803-791-7349 or email at: ejkelleher@aol.com.

When's the last time you took the family toWhen's the last time you took the family tosomething really different? Huh dad?something really different? Huh dad?

The South Carolina Shooting Event of the Year (and you're invited!)

Directions to Mid Carolina Rifle Club

From I-26 East Coming from Greenville-Spartanburg area or I-20 East to I-26 East Take exit 115 and take a right off the exit ramp (towardSwansea). At the traffic light at the top of the hill take a right onto Fish Hatchery Road. After about 5 miles, you will come to a stopsign, and a road sign that indicates Busbee Rd to the left, and Fish Hatchery Rd to the right. Turn Right. Once you pass Forest ManorMobile Home Park, look for a dirt road to the left.From I-26 West Coming from Charleston, Orangeburg or I-95 South Take exit 115 and take a left from the exit ramp (toward Swansea). Go underthe interstate and continue to the traffic light at the top of the hill. Take a right onto Fish Hatchery Road. After about 5 miles, you willcome to a stop sign, and a road sign that indicates Busbee Rd to the left, and Fish Hatchery Rd to the right. Turn Right. Once you passForest Manor Mobile Home Park, look for a dirt road to the left.From I-77 South Coming from Charlotte or I-20 West (Exit 76) to I-77 South As you approach the I-77 and I-26 interchange, you will see a sign forExit 1 (Cayce). Exit here (before getting to I-26). At the end of the exit ramp, at the traffic light, proceed straight onto Fish HatcheryRoad. After about 5 miles, you will come to a stop sign, and a road sign that indicates Busbee Rd to the left, and Fish Hatchery Rd tothe right. Turn Right. Once you pass Forest Manor Mobile Home Park, look for a dirt road to the left.

***(Cont. from front page "Texas Case Weakens Lautenberg Amendment")And Judge Cummings did not shy away from recognizing that the Second Amendment was also enacted as a curb on abusivegovernment: "A foundation of American political thought during the Revolutionary period was the well-justified concern aboutpolitical corruption and governmental tyranny." Discussions on federal gun control measures often focus on whether specific gunsserve "sporting purposes." However, if the Founding Fathers had added a clause to the Second Amendment specifying that people willbe "permitted to own guns for hunting rabbits," the Constitution would have been overwhelmingly rejected as Americans would havebeen alerted to how far politicians intended to stretch their power.

The judge's honesty about the Second Amendment's purpose is in sharp contrast to the craven attitude shown by many academics. Ata 1997 American Society of Criminology conference, one professor argued that among signs of "hate group ideology" were"discussion of the Bill of Rights, especially the Second Amendment or the Federalist Papers," "discussion of military oppression, inthe U.S. or elsewhere," and "discussion of the Framers of our government." Bentley College Professor Joyce Lee Malcolm, whoattended the conference session, observed that the professor "was anxious to have militia classified as hate groups because then federallegislation on hate groups would apply to them." Professor Malcolm was surprised that the proposed expansive definition of hategroups elicited no objections from the scholarly audience.

If Judge Cummings' decision is upheld, then other federal gun control laws will also likely be struck down. For instance, the so-calledLautenberg Domestic Violence Prevention Act of 1996 made it a felony, punishable by 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, foranyone who has ever been convicted of a misdemeanor of domestic use or attempted use of force against a spouse or child to possess afirearm or a single bullet. (Some states consider even verbal threats to be a "domestic assault.") Experts estimated that the law created1 million new felons overnight, in part because few people are aware of the bill's retroactive sweep.

Judge Cummings concluded, "The rights of the Second Amendment should be as zealously guarded as the other individual libertiesenshrined in the Bill of Rights." It is to be hoped his decision will be read far and wide - and perhaps may even knock some sense intoa few members of Congress. It is time for a restraining order on politicians hungry to violate constitutional rights.

James Bovard is the author of "Freedom in Chains: The Rise of the State & the Demise of the Citizen" (St. Martin's Press, 1999).

Join Us in Our Grass Roots Efforts!Grass Roots South Carolina, P.O. Box 1181, Sumter, South Carolina 29151

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CWP - If It Saves Just One Life!CWP - If It Saves Just One Life!