Editorial

Homeland security or government security?

David A. Lombardo

Homeland Security is the fox guarding the hen house. It is James Madison's worst nightmare as he was the Founding Father who wrote, "A standing military force, with an overgrown Executive, will not long be safe companions to liberty." Many years later, in 1878 after the post-Civil War Reconstruction period, the Posse Comitatus Act was enacted to prevent the military from being used against civilians. 

In 2006, Congress modified the Insurrection Act as part of the 2007 Defense Authorization Bill allowing the use of U.S. armed forces to restore public order and enforce laws in the aftermath of a natural disaster, terrorist attack or incident, or other condition. 

It provided for, among other things, the right of the President to determine that domestic violence has occurred to such an extent that the constituted authorities of the State or possession are incapable of maintaining public order or to suppress, in a State, any insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracy if such a condition so hinders the execution of the laws.

In 2008, the changes were repealed in their entirety and reverted back to the original form written to limit Presidential power as much as possible in the event of insurrection, rebellion, or lawlessness.

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed that since then the Department of Homeland Security has morphed into a national standing army equipped with the most sophisticated military equipment available?

Dan Klein, a retired sergeant with the Albuquerque police department, wrote, "Here in New Mexico, we are moving more toward a national police force. Homeland Security is involved with a lot of little things around town. Somebody in Washington needs to call a timeout."

And let me point out that DHS isn't exactly known for its tact. One need only watch the evening news to see the agency's brutal, over-kill response to the most inane things making it precisely what the Founding Fathers feared most - a standing army on U.S. soil.

For the record, the Department of Homeland Security has, in its fairly short life, accumulated 240,000 full time employees with a $61 billion budget making it the third largest federal agency behind the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense. And it keeps growing at an alarming rate having absorbed numerous sub-agencies such as the Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, Secret Service, Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

If that's not scary enough, DHS has begun to wrap its tentacles around law enforcement by providing federal money for the acquisition of military grade weapons and equipment. Six figure grants are the rule of the day and even the smallest, most docile communities are the benefactor of the agency's largess including such things as full auto M-16s, tactical gear, and MRAP vehicles.

The result of all this is the creation of SWAT teams in even small departments. Absent good training, the result has been use of force scenarios not even remotely justified by the situation and the death of a number of innocent civilians. Worse, as is always the case with federal largess, it demands federal fealty.

Amidst all this, the federal government is doing everything in its power to disarm law abiding citizens. Excuse me, but the intent of the Second Amendment is to keep John Q on equal footing with the government precisely to preclude the possibility of the establishment of a dictatorship. It is increasingly apparent that the intent of the federal government is to negate that philosophy.

Remember, it's DHS that's been spying on American citizens and wrote several reports on the danger of the political right wing and even our veterans returning from the Middle East. DHS has defined an extremist as anyone that is "mainly anti-government, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely." Oh yeah, then there's the more than 1.6 billion rounds of ammo the agency has stockpiled causing Forbes magazine to point out it's enough ammunition "to sustain a hot war for 20+ years."

Most recently, DHS has doled out over $50 million in grants to enable local police agencies to acquire license plate readers which use mobile cameras to photograph and identify cars, match them against a national database, and track their movements. Then there's the $385 million contract to Halliburton to build a detention center at an undisclosed location within the U.S. for use in case of a national emergency, the development of cell-phone tracking equipment to locate anyone, any time without a court order, and far more than I have the space to write about.

Kind of makes you want to check your Facebook page to see exactly what you've written, doesn't it? 

ANNOUNCEMENT

The Illinois State Rifle Association is looking for volunteer pistol instructors to help with their July 26th Women on Target program. For further information please call the ISRA office at 815-635-3198 or email lori@isra.org.

Niles, Illinois ignores Bloomberg Moms;

Okays gun range

Northwest Chicago suburban shooting sports enthusiasts breathed a sigh of relief earlier this week as the Niles Village Council voted to approve a special use permit that would allow a retail firearm store and range to open in an industrial area of town. It marked the third time that the shop/range proposal had been voted on since first being advanced earlier this year. During that comment period, dozens of supporters of the shop/range proposal testified about the beneficial aspects of establishing such a facility in Niles.  By contrast, a raucous group of facility opponents contributed nothing more to the discussion than a constant stream of attacks on the character, credibility and qualifications of those who support the facility. These attacks were orchestrated by the Skokie chapter of the Bloomberg Moms - a New York City based gun control group. "It would be an understatement to say that the ISRA is pleased with the village council vote," commented ISRA Executive Director Richard Pearson. "We look forward to partnering with the operators of the new shop and range to help bring high-value training and competitive shooting opportunities to the near northwest suburbs.  Such opportunities have been severely lacking in recent years and we're confident that the village council vote marks the opening of a new chapter for the shooting sports in suburban Chicago. I think it's also important to commend the restraint shown by our people when subjected to the in-your-face insults and personal attacks that have become the hallmark of the Bloomberg Moms group." [Source: Illinois State Rifle Association] 

SAFER USA &

AURORA SPORTSMEN'S CLUB

COURSE SCHEDULE

(Private group classes available)  

Unless noted, all classes meet at the SAFER USA facility

190 W. Lincoln St; Waterman, IL 60556. Call 815-744-5487 for further information.

ILLINOIS CONCEALED CARRY I (16 hours) 

50% off this weekend - course cost $150!

Sat, July 26th and Sun, July 27th 9:00 am - 5:00 pm 

ILLINOIS CONCEALED CARRY I (16 hours)

Sat, Aug 23rd and Sun, Aug 24th 9:00 am - 5:00 pm 

Sat, Sep 6th and Sun, Sep 7th 9:00 am - 5:00 pm 

 ILLINOIS CONCEALED CARRY I (16 Hours)

FUND RAISER FOR FOX VALLEY FRIENDS OF THE NRA

$100 to FVFNRA for every registered student - Plus

all students will be entered into a drawing for an NRA Special Edition Ruger LC9 - 9mm pistol (1 in 30 odds of winning during class)

Sat, August 9th and Sun, August 10th 9:00 am - 5:00 pm  

 ILLINOIS CONCEALED CARRY II (8 Hours)

Sat, August 2nd 9:00 am - 5:00 pm 

Sun, August 17th 9:00 am - 5:00 pm  

Sat, September 13th 9:00 am - 5:00 pm 

NRA Basic Pistol (8 Hours) 

Sat, August 16th 9:00 am - 5:00 pm 

Register for a SAFER USA class 

Discrete, private instruction available for VIP & High Profile Individuals  

Call 877-954-3030 

Obama sanctions on Russia include AK-47

President Obama announced new, wide-reaching economic sanction on Russia in reaction to the situation in Ukraine. The restrictions cover certain major financial institutions, energy companies, Russian government leaders and eight arms manufacturers including the Kalashnikov Concern. In a FAQ document, the Treasury Department offered guidance on AK-47s already in the U.S. that will not be affected by the new sanctions. If a U.S. person is in possession of a Kalashnikov Concern product that was bought and fully paid for prior to the date of designation (i.e., no payment remains due to Kalashnikov Concern), then that product is not blocked and the U.S. Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions would not prohibit the U.S. person from keeping or selling the product in the secondary market, so long as Kalashnikov Concern has no interest in the transaction.  New transactions by U.S. persons with Kalashnikov Concern are prohibited, however, and any property in which Kalashnikov Concern has an interest is blocked pursuant to OFAC's designation of Kalashnikov Concern on July 16, 2014.  If a U.S. person has an inventory of Kalashnikov Concern products in which Kalashnikov Concern has an interest (for example, the products are not fully paid for or are being sold on consignment), that U.S. person is advised to contact OFAC for further guidance on handling of the inventory. 

Appeals Court denies rehearing

on Bay Area ammunition ban

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has denied the petition for rehearing and petition for en banc rehearing in Jackson v. San Francisco. NSSF and the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute (SAAMI) had filed a joint amicus brief supporting rehearing and en banc review. The denial, as of now, allows to stand two San Francisco ordinances, the first banning ammunition that serves no sporting purpose (e.g., common self-defense ammunition) or that is designed to expand or fragment upon impact (hollow point ammunition) and the second requiring handguns to be stored in a locked container at home or disabled with a trigger lock when not carried on the person, Gun owners and organizations filed a lawsuit against the city seeking to enjoin enforcement of the two ordinances on the grounds that they violated the Second Amendment right to defend oneself and home. A federal trial court denied this request and the denial was subsequently affirmed by a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit. [Source: National Shooting Sports Foundation]