The Ammunition Accountability Act

There's been a lot of buzz on the internet since the election of Obama about something that was first making waves in early 2008, the Ammunition Accountability Act.
You can see the website for the group that introduced this here.
The background on this can be found by doing some web searching for more info. Basically, it all started with a group of men in California who supposedly are gun owners who were searching for a way to be able to trace ammunition back to the person who owned or purchased it, thus increasing the likelihood of solving some crimes. We suspect that their motives are not so pure. As many people have noted in analyzing this act, it was completely self-serving on their part since they were the ones who had developed and patented this technology. If the bills had passed they would have had a MONOPOLY on the utilization of the techniques and collected royalties wherever it was employed. Oooops.
Their attempts to get various state legislatures to pass this act into law have gone nowhere. All of the 18 states where this was introduced or discussed also dropped it in early 2008.
Rep. Kathy Stein introduced this bill in the Kentucky General Assembly March 2008. It was promptly KILLED and has had no support and gone nowhere since. Now that Mrs. Stein has been elected to the Kentucky Senate we can anticipate that she'll be accomplishing little to infringe our rights, since she's a Democrat in a chamber controlled by the Republicans. Had she stayed in the House as the chair of the Judiciary committee she could have continued to cause trouble for gun owners in Kentucky, which she was did during her tenure there. By moving to the Senate she has essentially neutered herself.
In the wake of Obama's election there have been rampant rumors on the internet about this act. Unfortunately, those who've been freaking out about it and sending out alarmist emails have failed to note that all the activity involving it was in early 2008 and that is has gone NOWHERE in any of the states in which it was introduced.
There's no doubt that the Obama administration is filled with people who are hostile to gun owners, firearms ownership and concealed carry but to date, there's no evidence that they're actively involved in resurrecting this effort.
At this time, the Ammunition Accountability Act is dead in the water. That's not to say that the anti-gun zealots won't try to re-introduce it, but for now, it's not an active threat to us.

Concealed carry from the point of view of the police

An interesting and reasonable article about police and interactions with concealed carry permit holders - worth reading and worth passing on to your friends and to police officers -

http://www.officer.com/web/online/On-the-Street/Citizen-Concealed-Carry-Concerns/21$44942

Here's the gun show dates for 2009 for Kentucky.

We plan to have people at as many of them as possible, and hope that we can start to go to the shows in Ashland and Somerset more often.
We know that there are also gun shows in Clay City and Hazard, but right now we don't have sufficient people able to work the shows to attend those as well. If you'd like to work with us and help us staff tables at these shows or others, please get in touch with us via the comments section of the blog. We look forward to seeing you at the shows!

2009

• Jan 3-4 Lexington, Heritage Hall of Lexington Center Map RK Shows (Kenny Woods Gun Show, LLC) 563-927-8176 email:kehrli8@n-vonnect.net
• Jan 17-18 Somerset, (Kenny Woods Gun Show LLC) The Center Map (2292 S. Hwy 27) RK Shows 563-927-8176 email:kehrli8@n-vonnect.net
• Feb 14-15 Lexington, Heritage Hall of Lexington Center Map RK Shows (Kenny Woods Gun Show, LLC) 563-927-8176 email:kehrli8@n-vonnect.net
• Mar 7-8 Ashland, El Hasa Temple Map RK Shows (Kenny Woods Gun Show, LLC) 563-927-8176 email:kehrli8@n-vonnect.net
• Mar 7-8 Louisville, Kentucky Fair & Expo Center 2100 tbls National Gun Day 513-523-3574
• Mar 21-22 Somerset, (Kenny Woods Gun Show LLC) The Center Map (2292 S. Hwy 27) RK Shows 563-927-8176 email:kehrli8@n-vonnect.net
• Jun 6-7 Louisville, Kentucky Fair & Expo Center 2100 tbls National Gun Day 513-523-3574
• Jun 20-21 Lexington, Heritage Hall of Lexington Center Map RK Shows (Kenny Woods Gun Show, LLC) 563-927-8176 email:kehrli8@n-vonnect.net
• Jul 18-19 Louisville, Map Kentucky Fair & Expo Center West Hall A&B RK Shows 563-927-8176 email:kehrli8@n-vonnect.net
• Sep 26-27 Louisville, Kentucky Fair & Expo Center 2100 tbls National Gun Day 513-523-3574
• Dec 12-13 Louisville, Kentucky Fair & Expo Center 2100 tbls National Gun Day 513-523-3574

Which guns for the raffle?

We've had tremendous success with our raffle this year, so much so that we're already looking ahead to the next one.
We're also considering a change in the way that we conduct them, and to having more than one raffle each year.
We'd like to have your input on which guns you'd like to have us put in the raffle, so please use the comments section on this posting to give us your opinions. Should we raffle another AR, or should we concentrate on pistols for personal defense? Should we raffle another AR and pistol package like this one?
Let us know what you think, and thanks.

Watch your mailbox for the newsletter

The December edition of the KC3 Chronicle has been printed and is in the process of being mailed by the company that now handles this business for us.

This is another of the policies that the new board of directors has adopted in order to increase our efficiency and improve our service to our members and advertisers.
Our new quarterly publishing schedule is - spring quarter 2009 on March 21st, then June 21st for the summer edition, September 21st for the fall edition and December 21st for the winter edition.
We settled on these dates as being easy to remember and appropriate to the seasons of the year. We make our pledge to you that the newsletter will be published on those dates.
The advertising year will start with the March edition of each year, so if you have a business to advertise or know of a business that you think should advertise with us then get in touch with us as soon as possible via the contact page on our web site at http://www.kc3.com/email_page.htm
If you don't get the newsletter delivered to you now and are a present or past member of KC3, get in touch with us. Your membership may have expired or your mailing address may have changed and you didn't give us a forwarding address. Use our contact email address to get in touch with questions or problems relating to the newsletter, and please allow a few days for a reply.

Next gun show this weekend

Last weekend's Kenny Woods gun show in Louisville was a big success for KC3.
A lot of people stopped by our table and signed our petition, asked a bunch of questions and spent time visiting with us. We even added some new members, always a good thing, and we sold a ton of raffle tickets.
The next show is the Kenny Woods/RK shows event this weekend, January 3rd and 4th, at Heritage Hall next to Rupp arena in Lexington.
We'll be there and look forward to seeing a lot of you there.
BTW, if you want raffle tickets, don't delay. We're almost out of them and won't be printing any more before the drawing May 9th at the annual meeting!

Happy New Year!

The officers and members of the board of directors of KC3 wish you all a Happy and Safe New Year in 2009!

We resolve to do our best to defend your rights in the coming months, and hope that you'll join us in that effort. Here's a message from our president and co-founder of KC3, Kraig Keller -

Once again, we see another terrorist attack against unarmed victims on a mass scale, this time in India.

Terrorists once again prove they will attack only unarmed civilians. Terrorists attack unarmed or otherwise unprepared civilians; very seldom do they attack military posts or police stations. In the USA, they shoot up schools, office buildings, malls, and other places which boast 'No Concealed Carry' or 'No Weapons Allowed' signs, or places in states or cities which do not allow for concealed carry. The best defense against terrorists and other killers is a well armed citizen population. Nothing else will meet the threat. Being unarmed is a very poor place to find yourself when attacked.
Here in Kentucky we have one of the BEST concealed carry laws in the nation. We are here working to preserve and improve our laws. I strongly recommend that if you come to a business which chooses to post a No Concealed Carry or No Weapons Allowed sign, please take your business to one of their competitors. You can even let them know that you will obey their sign and NOT spend your money in their store, since it is quite obvious they do not want you inside the store. Unarmed when a shooting happens is not where you want to be! We want to be able to protect our children and teachers while at school and college, either public or private. We are intending to ask the Legislature of Kentucky to remove the restrictions of possessing weapons and concealed carry on school property. We are perusing a petition drive to that end: a copy is in this issue. Terrorists have said they will attack our children while at school. Why? Terrorists do not attack armed and able citizens or police! They desire to attack our children at school because on school property NO ONE CAN BE ARMED. Let us change that for our children and teachers at schools. Allowing people who are licensed to carry concealed weapons to carry at schools will allow someone to be ready, willing and able to bring down a killer right on the spot. Police always arrive too late.
We need a BIG voice. If your membership is due, please renew. The expiration date is on the address label. If you are not a member, please join. If you know others who shoot, own guns, or carry concealed, have them join. If you are a member who wants to do more and you are willing to contribute time and talents, you could join the Board of Directors. We need people who can work and help us with gun shows, the petition drive and everyday chores to keep KC3 the best gun rights advocate in Kentucky.
Our next Annual Membership meeting is set for May 9, 2009 in Crestwood,
KY at 12 Noon. Mark your calendar and plan to attend.
Kraig Keller

Want to create your own gun-free zone?

Do you know people who just don't understand that banning guns doesn't guarantee personal safety? Would you like to give them something to think about?
Then direct them to this video, where they can learn how to set up a gun free zone of their own!

Watch this page!

The next gun show is in Louisville Thursday-Saturday December 26th-28th, a three day show by RK and Kenny Woods. We'll be there and hope to see lots of you in attendance.
The next show after that is in Lexington, Jan. 3d and 4th with Kenny Woods.
We'll have the new newsletter there with us, and will be able to give you many details about significant new business that KC3 is making strides on.
What, you may ask? What about an attorney who's going to be working with us, a new web page, the upgrades on the use of this blog and several new initiatives and proposals that we want to tell you about and for which we need your assistance.
We're moving out and moving ahead - stay tuned and let us know what you think. See you at the gun shows!

We're getting geared up, and ready to run

After being quiet the last several weeks, the KC3 blog is going to be in full swing again soon.

The board of directors has approved the use of the blog to keep members informed in real time about news from KC3 as well as current events, changes in the political situation, updates on our web page and just about anything related to KC3's mission to defend and extend your right to self-defense here in Kentucky.

Some brief news updates -

We have a new web site provider.  We're going to use a professional ISP who will be responsible for web site maintenance, upgrades and design.  This takes a significant burden off of our board, and ensures a polished look for our site.  The redesign starts after the first of the year, and we'll be posting info about it as we go along.

We're contracting with an attorney.  For too long we've been unable to deal with infringements of the right to carry or other attempts by private companies and public entities to skirt or ignore our laws because we didn't have legal counsel to represent us.  That's about to change, as KC3 is on the verge of signing an agreement with an excellent law firm which will be there to write the letters and take the actions to deal with those who choose to flaunt the law.

We're going to publish the newsletter on a fixed schedule.  As of now, the newsletter will be published on the dates of the changes in the seasons.  Expect to see newsletters in March, June, September and December from now on.  Making this change is necessary to ensuring that our members and our advertisers get what they paid for, and that we stay timely with our news.  In the past the failure to publish in a timely fashion was a blow to our credibility, which we will be addressing every day from this point on.

KC3 is here to stay and here to make a difference, with YOUR help!  If you're not a member, contact us via the web site today and join up, and if you were a member in the past, please join up with us again.  At this crucial time, with all the political changes that are in the air, we need all of YOU on board, and you need US to represent you!

An update on events and news

Fall is here and with it come many changes in the seasons and our habits. KC3 is making changes as well.
The gun shows in September were a success in several ways. We got to meet a lot of new people and to see old friends. We sold several hundred dollars worth of tickets for the new raffle of the combination of the S&W M&P pistol and the S&W M15A carbine, a really nice package of firearms for personal defense and sport shooting. They have applications in competition shooting as well, so their appeal to just about every shooter is strong.
Perhaps most importantly, we collected several hundred signatures on our petitions that we'll be presenting to the Governor and the General Assembly to begin the process of changing our laws so that lawful, legally armed citizens will be able to carry firearms onto school property for the defense of our children in the event of an attempted assault against at school.
We're going to be working to get the petitions out to as many stores and businesses and interested organizations as we can, and we'll be asking for help from our members to do that.
We'll be looking for qualified and dedicated people to help us staff our tables at the gun shows, so that we can spread the word and answer the many questions that we receive about CCDW, Kentucky's gun laws and our personal rights.
A major revision of our web page is going to take place in the next several weeks as we move to update the material on the site, and revise the navigation of our page. As good as it looks, the content needs to be edited, and the site could be made much more easy to navigate. We also want to upgrade our ability to take member applications and renewals electronically, and to add people to a revived e-mail alert list automatically. Any suggestions from our members on these subjects would be welcome.
Lots more to tell you in the weeks ahead, as we move into fall toward the winter, and toward the legislative season in January. Stick with us!

It's gun show time!!!

Okay, so that headline sounds like a circus advertisement. So sue us if we get excited about gun shows - lots of guns and accessories and ammunition and all the hardware that we love, along with thousands of people who love them just as much as we do. What's not to like?
With the presidential election now swinging into full power mode there's lots to talk about, both at the national level and about our state politics.
KC3 has some plans for the future, for the laws that we'd like to see passed, and we'd love to talk to you about them and to get your views and suggestions. So if you're at the Kentucky Fairgrounds in Louisville at the gun show Saturday and Sunday Sept. 13 and 14, stop by our table and talk to us. A new board of directors is in charge now, come see the new faces and tell us what's on your mind.
There's work to do, we need your help to do it. Come see us!

Dates for upcoming gun shows in Kentucky

The members of the board of directors have made an effort to be at all the gun shows in Louisville and Lexington since we first organized the group.
We continue to make that effort and we encourage any of our members who want to help out to show up and help us answer questions from show-goers. You can also pass out information and sign up new members.
Contact us via the web page if you'd like to give us a hand at the next show, and for more information about show times and admission prices.
We hope to expand our outreach and make it to other shows in other cities as time and personnel permit us to do. Your assistance will expand our reach and effectiveness.

Here's a list of upcoming show dates and locations - come join us, and support the our rights and our way of life.

Sep 13-14 - Louisville, Kentucky Fair & Expo Center - West Hall A&B - RK Shows

Sept. 20-21 - Lexington, Heritage Hall of Lexington Center - RK Shows/Kenny Woods Gun Show

Sept. 27-28 - Louisville, Kentucky Fair & Expo Center - National Gun Day

Oct 11-12 - Cave City, Convention Center - S/T Promotions

Oct 25-26 - Hindman, Knott County Sportsplex - RK Shows

Nov 1-2 - Somerset, The Center - RK Shows/Kenny Woods Gun Show

Nov 22-23 - Cave City, Convention Center - S/T Promotions

Nov 28-30 - Lexington, Heritage Hall of Lexington Center - RK Shows/Kenny Woods Gun Show

Dec 6-7 - Ashland, El Hasa Temple - RK Shows/Kenny Woods Gun Show

Dec 13-14 - Louisville, Kentucky Fair & Expo Center - National Gun Day

Dec 20-21 - Somerset, The Center - RK Shows/Kenny Woods Gun Show

Dec 26-28 - Louisville, Kentucky Fair & Expo Center - West Hall A&B - RK Shows

Winner of the KC3 gun raffle for 2008

KC3's gun raffles over the last few years have been very successful, not just for us by bringing in revenue and new members, but for the lucky folks who've won firearms in the raffles.

Here KC3 secretary and treasurer Bob Jaynes is shown presenting the Kimber Raptor 1911 .45 pistol to the 2008 winner, KC3 member Johnnie Spaulding. As it happened, Mr. Spaulding is a 1911 enthusiast and was very happy to have won one of John Browning's creations.
The presentation was made at Evans Firearms & Archery, 117 Southland Drive, Lexington, Ky. where the transfer papers were completed. Jay Evans is in the background in the photo.
The board of directors will soon be making an announcement about which firearm has been selected for the 2009 raffle, and ticket sales will start at the next gun show in September. Check back here for the gun show schedule information as well.

Why you need a gun, not a court order

From right here in Louisville, Kentucky - a story about why protective orders won't save your life. If this woman had chosen to arm herself and not to be a victim she might be alive today -

Slain PRP woman sought help in court, but was denied

"A woman shot by her husband at their Pleasure Ridge Park home Monday had tried to get a domestic violence petition but was turned down by a district court judge last week."

NRA banquet in Frankfort

The Friends of the NRA organization is hosting a banquet in Frankfort on Sept. 11th. Tickets are $30 per person and you can get them by contacting Jason Gilbert at Gilbert's Guns via their web page or at (502) 227-7889 by phone.

Some of us from KC3 will be there to meet everyone and to celebrate our freedoms along with like-minded people. Hope to see you there!

Kickoff to a new endeavor for KC3

The Kentucky Coalition to Carry Concealed (KC3) has been around since 1995, as most of you coming to this web page will know. But KC3 has been a victim of its own success in some ways.

Kentuckians have always been a proud and independent group. Many folks out in rural areas told us when we were trying to get a concealed carry law passed in 1996 that they'd been carrying all their lives and didn't need the government's permission. Nor did they want the government to know what they were up to, so they'd just do without a CDWL, thank you very much!

After House Bill 40 (HB40) passed in 1996 the situation in Kentucky continued to improve. Changes were made in our laws that were almost universally favorable to the armed citizen. People began to feel that their rights weren't nearly as threatened as they had been before, and that the political fight was pretty much won. Even the national situation improved as more conservative politicians were elected and began to have an effect.

So KC3 began to drift and the urgency that had driven us for the first several years began to dissipate. The fire that drove us grew less intense.

But KC3 didn't go away.  The organization hasn't vanished.

After several years of virtual dormancy, KC3 is committed to returning to the forefront of the effort to protect and expand our rights in Kentucky and across the nation. This blog is one of the first steps.

We intend to maintain our web site at http://www.kc3.com - that's where we'll be setting up a newsfeed, and automated membership sign-ups as well as other features. We'll be keeping our archives and our contact information there, just like always. Updates are coming, but the website will still be the heart of our online efforts.

A blog offers us a way to make immediate, real-time contact with our members and allies. It's a way to post breaking news, and to give you commentary on events as they evolve. This is where you'll be able to come to learn about legislation, what's good and bad, and to find links to other sites that are on our side, other people who share our love of freedom.

This is where you'll find our views and guidance on the issues as they come along. It's a way for us to stay on top of the news and the stories as they're reported in the media. It gives us an immediacy that we can then bring to you, so we as a group stay informed and aware.

KC3's board of directors is determined to see that our organization brings back that sense of urgency and vitality that we had in the beginning. There are still many challenges facing us even as this is written, and the presidential election is just one event that will have an impact on our rights and our laws. Those who've convinced themselves that we're in pretty good shape haven't been paying attention to what's going on. A new generation of gun-haters who oppose our right to carry and our right to self-defense in general is coming into office and must be stopped.

If you care about preserving, even expanding our basic human rights, stick with us as we launch this new venue. If you're not already a KC3 member please visit our web page to learn how to join us, and if you have suggestions for us on how to proceed, or tips on issues or problems that we should address use the "contact us" page on the web site to get in touch with us.

KC3's been languishing for awhile, but those days are past. We hope that this blog is just the first step on the road to a new era for us, and for you!