U.S. Politics Online: A Political Discussion Forum

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King County will continue providing services to residents without regard to citizenship or immigration status, under an ordinance adopted Monday by a divided County Council.

The council voted 5-4 for the law, which sponsor Larry Gossett said is intended to discourage racial profiling and "ratchet down the fear level" when people who are in the country illegally seek public-health services or deal with sheriff's deputies.

The law, which prohibits sheriff's deputies from asking about people's immigration status in most circumstances, continues current practices of the Sheriff's Office and Public Health — Seattle & King County, Gossett said. "The reason we wanted to codify it is in a few years there will be different members on the King County Council and a different executive."

The Metropolitan King County Council passed the ordinance after sheriff's spokesman John Urquhart said the county's "don't ask" policy has assisted law enforcement. "We could not do our job," he said, "if people were afraid to come to us as victims, as witnesses to crimes, if they were afraid that they were going to be deported over it."

Public Health Director David Fleming said, "Denying access to care because of citizenship status is not good medicine and is not cost-effective."

But council member Kathy Lambert said after voting against the ordinance, "We've been doing this since before 1992, so why do we have to put it in code?"

Lambert said she believes the county jails should investigate the citizenship of repeat offenders — something they don't now do.

Craig Keller, of Respect Washington, which advocates local enforcement of immigration laws, told the council, "If you pass this ordinance, you're throwing out a welcome mat to a greater population who are in the country illegally. ... The larger problem is the increasing population of illegal aliens and political corruption that comes with them."

The ordinance was supported by the American Civil Liberties Union, the King County Labor Council and other groups.

Voting in favor were Councilmembers Gossett, Dow Constantine, Bob Ferguson, Julia Patterson and Larry Phillips. Lambert, Reagan Dunn, Jane Hague and Pete von Reichbauer voted no.

County Executive Kurt Triplett will sign the law, first proposed by his former boss, then-Executive Ron Sims, said Triplett spokeswoman Natasha Jones.

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The federal long-gun registry moved one step closer to being abolished as MPs voted Wednesday in the House of Commons to scrap the controversial program.

With support from 18 Liberals and New Democrats, the private member's bill passed second reading 164-137, and now goes to committee.

If passed, Bill C-391 would scrap the decade-old registry and destroy existing data within the system on about seven million shotguns and rifles.

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Riyadh & Manama Saudi security experts said yesterday the new decision to grant licences to private gun shops for the sale of personal firearms is part of the recent steps to rein in the widespread illegal ownership of handguns and assault weapons from unknown sources.

"The security authorities are keen to put an end to the practice of possessing personal weapons in an illegal manner," Dr Muneef Al Qahtani from the Security Sciences College of Riyadh told Gulf News.

The decision was greeted with mixed reaction from citizens.

"Allowing people to buy guns will help eliminate many societal ills. Now people with criminal intent will think much more carefully before they do anything evil," blogger ‘Desert Liberal' posted on the internet.

Others were more wary of the news.

"Weapons may fall in the hands of young people who in fact need anger management courses. We might have a real social crisis because of widespread sale of weapons," a woman identifying herself as Hanan wrote.

In Bahrain and Kuwait, where the possession of weapons is banned, several people have said that they would strongly be against allowing people to have guns.

gulfnews : Saudis grant licences for gun shops

related article:
gulfnews : Bloggers opposed to gun move warn of social crisis
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Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today signed into law a bill that requires buyers of handgun ammunition to leave thumbprints and detailed personal information with registered ammo sellers, as well as put restrictions on online bullet sales.

“Assembly Bill 962 reasonably regulates access to ammunition and improves public safety without placing undue burdens on consumers,” Schwarzenegger said in a letter explaining his decision.

The new restrictions will take effect Feb. 1, 2011.

Authored by Assemblyman Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, the bill bans direct shipping to Californians who buy bullets via mail order or over the Internet.

Schwarzenegger signs ammunition sales bill Redding Record Searchlight

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Posted on Thu, Oct. 8, 2009

Gun-toting Pa. soccer mom, husband found shot dead
MARK SCOLFORO

The Associated Press

LEBANON, Pa. - A suburban mother who became a voice of the gun-rights movement when she openly carried a loaded pistol to her daughter's soccer game was fatally shot Wednesday along with her parole-officer husband in an apparent murder-suicide at their home in Pennsylvania Dutch country, authorities said.

Police released scant details about the deaths of Meleanie Hain, 31, and Scott Hain, 33, but said more information would be released Friday after their autopsies.

"I'm devastated. I lost my daughter. I lost my best friend. The children lost their parents," Jenny Stanley, Meleanie Hain's mother, told WGAL-TV. Stanley added that the three children, ages 2, 6 and 10, are "hanging in there."

The children were at a neighbor's house by the time police arrived to answer 911 calls from neighbors, said Lebanon City Police Chief Daniel Wright.

"What they did or did not see as part of this is not something we're going to release," Wright said.

Neighbors said the children ran outside and said their father had shot their mother, but Wright declined to disclose what investigators have concluded about how the deaths occurred.

He said authorities recovered more than one weapon from the home and acknowledged reports that the couple might have been having marital difficulties.

"I'm not going to confirm that now, but I'm not going to dispute it either," Wright said.

Meleanie Hain had run a day care at her home, and children's toys remain scattered in the front yard Thursday. A car parked in the driveway bore a badge-shaped sticker that read "NRA law enforcement."

Hain made headlines in 2008 when she attended a soccer game of her daughter's, then 5, at a park with a Glock holstered on her hip in plain view. That upset other parents.

The sheriff revoked her license to carry and conceal a gun nine days later, citing a state law that prohibits certain gun permits from being given to people whose character and reputation make them a danger to public safety.

A county judge overturned that decision but questioned her judgment and said she had "scared the devil" out of people.

Lebanon County District Attorney Dave Arnold, who was at the scene Wednesday night, declined to comment on the facts of the case.

"I'm a pretty big advocate for the right to possess and own firearms, so I don't look at this as something where there's an indication that stricter gun regulations are necessary," Arnold said. "Obviously responsible gun ownership is the key to gun ownership."

The Hains' federal lawsuit against Sheriff Michael DeLeo and the county, alleging that he violated her constitutional rights and prosecuted her maliciously, was pending in federal court at the time of her death. Her attorney, Matthew Weisberg, said he hopes to continue the litigation.

Weisberg said Meleanie told him about six months ago she and Scott had separated, and three months ago she wanted to pursue a protective order against him. She wanted to have Scott's name removed from the lawsuit, but that never happened, Weisberg said.

"Whether they'd reconciled in the last couple of months, I don't know," Weisberg said.

She claimed the sheriff's actions destroyed her baby-sitting service, resulted in her children being harassed and made her feel ostracized by her neighbors in Lebanon, which has about 25,000 residents. No one answered the phone at the Sheriff's Department Thursday afternoon.

Scott Hain had worked in Reading as a parole officer for the state Board of Probation and Parole since August 2008. He had worked as a guard at the Camp Hill state prison, the state Corrections Department said.

Neighbors said the Hains were not outgoing, and several said Meleanie Hain wore her holstered gun regularly, walking the dog or going to the grocery store.

Aileen Fortna, 51, who lives two doors away, told The Associated Press that her husband noticed the two older Hain children running past their house and crying. She watched as authorities removed the two bodies overnight.

Fortna said the children told another neighbor that "daddy shot mommy." A police chaplain answered the door at that neighbor's home Thursday and declined to comment.

"I'm shocked at the whole thing," Fortna said. "I'm surprised she didn't defend herself."

Mike Witmer, a 32-year-old maintenance technician who lives across the street and about 50 yards from the Hains, said he was unloading groceries when he heard a commotion at their house. Shortly afterward, police swarmed through the neighborhood and told him to go inside.

"I'm pretty sure what we heard was the bang of the gun. It was a weird sound," he said, expressing concern for the children. "I hope they're OK and they get through the hard times they're in for the rest of their lives."