Just thought I would ask. I just found out about this today. I cant believe nobody has mentioned it yet. Really don't have a status on my DIAS, but just waiting. I guess I'll have to wait to fill out the forms/APD interview  to see who I can transfer it from.

Heres the story if you dont know. ADN

I'll called Julia and told her what I though of her article. Actaully she took what I had to say very well.

I didn't mention it because anything would be speculation.  Mike is a good guy (and one of my friends).  Being drug through the biggest newspaper in Alaska is enough, I didn't see a need to make his incident popular elsewhere.  I'll IM you with some details.  I'll say this - I believe he is being screwed over in retaliation.

I beleive the paper/prosecutor is full of shit also. Liberals always go off the deep end with anything to do with guns.  I didn't start this thread to get rumors going/sling mud. I started it as a informative thread of whats happening with the guns. If anyone in the know has anything, we could get it out here. I just barely found out about this, and I had no idea of who to contact or what to do with my form 4. I will just wait and see what happens.

Mike: thanks for the IM

Steve

Especially one Clinton appointed federal prosecuter I ran into at the Birchwood range maybe 6 years ago.

He stormed into the range office shouting that folks were shooting ***********machineguns!!!********* over on A or B range.  Gotta hand it to him, Chuck stood his ground, said it was perfectly legal, and threatened to bodily eject him if he harassed his guys.

It was a long exchange, but that turd was still sputtering *machineguns* on his way out the door.  The clown even wore his badge over his jeans front pocket.

IM's sent to you both.

And for the public, all the firearms are being taken care of.  If you have anything in his inventory or in transfer, IM me for the details.

Julia O'Malley used to be a reporter for the Anchorage Press weekly.  She totally freaked when when of the first things Wuerch did as mayor was to order the chief of police to sign off on any qualified Class III paperwork.  There were hysterical articles about bloodbaths, she really lost it.  I'll check their archives.....

Machine Gun Mania
Mayor Wuerch fights for your right to pack a Mac-10.
by Julia O’Malley

AUgust 17 - 23, 2000 / Vol. 9, Ed. 33

This just in from Fort Wuerch: the mayor does not, in fact, want to make it easier to possess hand grenades. Only machine guns, sawed-off shotguns and silencers.

“Law-abiding citizens should be able to use their weapons for any purpose they think is legitimate and honorable,” Wuerch says.

The mayor’s newly revised Firearm Registration Review Board ordinance will likely be up for public comment at the Anchorage Assembly meeting on Tuesday, August 21.

If the ordinance passes, Anchorage will be one of the only communities in the country where, against the wishes of local law enforcement, citizens can obtain approval to legally purchase an arsenal fit for a SWAT team.

To clarify—the National Firearms Act does not apply to antique automatic weapons such as Gatling Guns, but to modern weapons such as the AK-47 favored by Shining Path guerillas.

“There are gun collectors... but I‘ve had lots of people come to me over the years that claim to be collectors that are not,” said Ron Otte, Commissioner of Public Safety for the State of Alaska.

A relic of the 1930s, the National Firearms Act prohibits the sale or transfer of automatic weapons, short-barelled shotguns and “destructive devices” such as grenades without a federal permit.

To get a permit, an individual must first obtain the approval of local law enforcement (who conduct a background check) and the approval of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (who do a second background check).

Police Chief Duane Udland, like nearly all local law enforcement officials, refuses to consider federal permit applications submitted to his department [Udland refers all questions about Wuerch’s proposal to City Hall].

Wuerch’s proposed ordinance would subvert Udland’s authority in the matter by creating a three-person citizen review board that would examine the background of applicants and make recommendations to Udland on whether an individual should be allowed to obtain a restricted weapon or weapon accessory [Wuerch’s proposal does not include hand grenades].

Wuerch says it wouldn’t be much of a burden for the police department to conduct background checks at the board’s request.

“It just takes punching buttons,” he says. “How long does it take you to punch a couple buttons?”

When asked about the inspiration for his controversial proposal, Wuerch references “the Jenkins case.” Though a search of state and federal court records turned up no actual court case, Wuerch may mean an incident earlier this year where Paul Jenkins, a conservative columnist for The Voice of The Times, wanted to cut the barrel of his shotgun down to make what he calls a “tent gun.” Jenkins filled out a federal application, submitted it to the APD, and got back a form letter denying it. Jenkins found out that Udland had granted a few permits to friends and cried foul.

Now, just six weeks into the Wuerch administration, ensuring Jenkins’ right to stroke his sawed-off in the privacy of his tent has become a top mayoral priority, leaving observers to wonder if Jenkins shouldn’t be sharing a City Hall office with former fellow Anchorage Times editor Dennis Fradley, Wuerch’s “Director of External Affairs.”

The National Firearms Act requires that permits be approved on a local level by “the local chief of police, sheriff of the county, head of the State police...” or a state or local prosecutor. The law also allows applications to be approved by “other officials” including—but not explicity limited to—“State attorneys general and judges of State courts having authority to conduct jury trials in felony cases.”

Municipal Attorney Bill Greene says Wuerch’s proposed review board wouldn’t replace Udland, only advise him. However, since Udland serves at the mayor’s pleasure, it seems logical that he couldn’t go against the recommendations without risking his job.

Bob King, a spokesman for Governor Tony Knowles, said the state is going to sit this one out.

“We don’t intervene in these matters. If someone has concerns with this, then they would have to challenge it in court.”

Gun Case
Federal lawsuit with Anchorage plaintiff threatens to blow away the National Firearms Act
by Julia O’Malley

November 22 - November 29, 2000 / Vol. 9, Ed. 47




When Mayor Wuerch declared his intention in August to override his chief of police and make it easier for Anchorage residents to legally own machine guns, his proposal set off a barrage of letters to the editor.

One frequent contributor to the Anchorage Daily News letters page, 52-year-old automatic weapons enthusiast Virgle Davis, penned this praise:

"Thank you, mayor, for trying to correct a problem in our town. There seems to be two sides to this machine gun issue: The rational and the irrational side. The irrational side is against the mayor. They really don’t care that... a nationwide class-action suit was filed that will expose Anchorage’s dirty laundry to the nation."

The lawsuit Davis referenced, "Lomont et al. v Summers," was filed against the federal government this summer in the District of Columbia. It has since become a rallying point for anti-gun control groups. The suit seeks to fundamentally alter the federal government’s protocol for approving the private ownership of machine guns, silencers, sawed-off shotguns, and grenades.

There are nine plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Anchorage’s Virgle Davis is one of them.

Davis did not respond to repeated requests for an interview for this story. Court records show that he’s been the plaintiff in several other lawsuits, including one he filed against the Municipality of Anchorage, in which he alleged his boss in the city’s Traffic Engineering Office refused to enforce a smoking ban. In that case, Davis and another plaintiff were awarded $142,000.

All of the plaintiffs in the "Lomont" case are associated with the 1934 Group, named after the year the National Firearms Act—which restricts the ownership of the aforementioned weapons—was passed into law.

The 1934 Group has a published address in Renton, Washington for supporters who wish to send checks, but does not list a phone number. Its primary home is the Internet. The 1934 Group’s web site display its logo— "1934" emblazoned with a Thompson .50 caliber machine gun—and the phrase, in army green, "There is action."

If the 1934 Group is victorious in its impending court battle, local law-enforcement authorities will be excluded from the machine-gun permitting process. Government lawyers recently filed a brief calling for the suit to be dismissed, but pro-gun control groups believe it’s more likely the case will go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

"The lead lawyer in the suit, Stephen Halbrook, is a well known pro-gun lawyer," said Kristen Rand, Executive Director for the Violence Policy Center in Washington D.C. "We are taking it seriously."

Current federal law requires local law-enforcement authorities to sign off on a prospective Uzi owner’s "Form 4" permit application before the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms will even consider it.

Citing liability concerns, many local police chiefs in the U.S. refuse to certify such applications, effectively banning the legal possession of machine guns, sawed-off shotguns, and grenades in their communities (unless the weapons are owned by an individual who obtained a permit in another city or state, then moved).

"How do we know if someone is going to use a weapon correctly in the future? It has been said that ATF has this mandate because they know very few police chiefs will sign off on it," said Anchorage Police chief Duane Udland, who refused to consider Form 4 applications until he bowed to pressure from Wuerch and began to process them in September.

The 1934 Group’s legal argument against the National Firearms Act centers on the separation of state and federal powers.

"We’re not trying to say that anybody can have a machine gun," said Halbrook, 1934’s attorney. "We don’t contest the different hoops people have to jump through. We’re saying the federal government can’t just tell local government what to do. Federal agencies cannot require state and local police to do anything."

Federal lawyers with the U.S. government’s Division of Justice contend that local law-enforcement agencies must be included in the process because they often have information about a machine-gun applicant that a federal background check might miss.

"The bottom line is this deals with certain types of weapons such as bazookas, grenades, not just pistols," said Charles Miller, spokesman for the Division of Justice. "The Secretary of Treasury, who is over ATF, has been given the discretion to ensure that these very dangerous weapons are not placed in the hands of very irresponsible individuals. The ATF can utilize local law enforcement in providing additional information about who’s applying."

But that’s only true if local law-enforcement officials bother to actually process applications.

In the text of the 1934 Group’s lawsuit, Virgle Davis states that he went before Chief Udland with a machine-gun permit this spring, and Udland refused to consider it. Davis complains that Udland has signed "numerous" forms for his "cronies and friends."

Udland has said he signed one permit for a friend when he first became chief, then refused to consider any Form 4 applications until Wuerch pressured him to do so.

Since then, Udland said, he has certified eight forms and is currently reviewing nine others. So far none have been denied. He said he does not know if Davis has resubmitted a Form 4.

"This sort of mandate that the local law enforcement officers certify permits causes us a lot of angst." Udland said. "We have always said to the people who come in angry about this, ‘Your fight is on the federal front.’ I’m surprised they have finally taken it there, especially someone from Anchorage, where we [now] sign permits."




A machine gun in every home

AUgust 17 - 23, 2000 / Vol. 9, Ed. 33



Hurrah for Mayor George Wuerch and his plan to put machine guns, silencers, and sawed-off shotguns in the hands of Anchorage’s lethal weaponry hobbyists!

Sure, there’s been a chorus of outcry over his honor’s bold statement in support of the Second Amendment, but these yowls of protest come only from ill-informed liberal wanker scaredy-cats who have never experienced the sublime pleasure of perforating a homeless crack head with 15 rounds per second!

You can bet that the first time one of these pinko powder-puffs comes home to find some junkie scumbag in their bedroom closet, they’ll start singing a different tune. One that goes like this:

“This land ain’t your land/This land is my land/And if you don’t get off/I’ll blow your head off/I’ve got a machine gun/And you ain’t got one/This land is private prop-er-ty.”

Until then, it will be up to all the law-abiding machine gun hobbyists of Anchorage to ensure the safety of their fellow citizens by arming themselves to the eyeballs with the most sophisticated, high-powered weaponry soon to be readily available in our fair city.

Of course, not everyone who wants to carry a machine gun can afford one. Therefore, we call upon the mayor to create a “public machine gun fund” to provide automatic weapons to Anchorage’s less fortunate.

Furthermore, we believe his honor’s new public policy requires a corresponding public information campaign. With that in mind, we at the Press offer the following suggested text for a municipal pamphlet titled, “Mayor Wuerch’s Guide to Home and Personal Defense:”

Greetings, fellow machine gun enthusiasts. As you may know, I recently broke the Anchorage Police Department’s blockade of personal-use permits for automatic weapons, silencers, and short-barreled shotguns. I trust you agree this is a giant stride toward making Anchorage a more enjoyable place to live.

In order for this maneuver to achieve maximum effectiveness, however, I need YOU to arm yourself with a machine gun or short-barreled shotgun (actually, studies have shown that one or more of each provides the best protection for your home, car, and/or person).

Now, a short-barreled shotgun is a relatively simple weapon to own and operate, but I know how hard it is to decide which machine gun is right for you, and I’d like to help. Here are my top three machine guns, all of which, I’m proud to say, I’ve made it easier for you to obtain:

The Heckler & Koch MP5K-PDW

The “PDW” stands for “Personal Defense Weapon” and boy, howdy, ain’t that the truth! Lightweight, easy to conceal and smooth to shoot, HK’s wicked MP5 series guns are the Cadillacs of automatic weaponry, capable of spewing 800 bullets per minute. The PDW model is compact, and has a threaded barrel for a screw-on silencer and flash suppresser, so you can defend your home without disturbing your neighbors!

The SWDM11AI

A businessman’s machine pistol, the SWDM11AI is a refined cousin of the more clumsy Mac-10. It comes in a special briefcase which allows the weapon to be fired without being drawn! A .380 ammo specification makes the SWD a good choice for women and youngsters who might have trouble handling a larger-caliber weapon.

The AK-47

A favorite of guerrilla fighters and school yard mass murderers everywhere, the AK-47 is extremely durable and has a cyclic firing rate of 600 rounds per minute. As Samuel L. Jackson put it in Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown, the AK’s the machine gun you want “When you absolutely, positively have to kill every last motherfucka in the room.”

Thank you for doing your part to make Anchorage a safer, cleaner environment for our children. Only together can we ensure our city is always cocked, locked, and ready to rock!

Wow, that ADN article is very slanted.  Basically she says the guy likes Bailey's and has cats, so he must be guilty.  I means okay on the cats thing, but who doesn't like Baileys?

I'd hate to think what they'd find in my garbage or how messy my house would look to them.  I don't see where that has any place in a "News Story" or a prosecution.

I asked her what was so "strange" with the beahavior of having guns. I ask if see met a "male" who liked to collect "dolls", "little kid clothes", sit in the park all day and watch them- if she would find this strange. She said it wouldnt be because he wasn't hurting anyone and it was perfectly legal. No problems with a likely child molester

Asked her why she thought 66 guns was strange?- she said nobody needs that many and they were "heavy duty" weapons. I explained that they were all legal, but she didnt budge. Right then I knew it was a waste of my time. Some people need to take off the rose colored glasses.

Thanks for the IM Nik  

And of course since most of Alaska started signing off on form 4's, how many problems have we had with legally registered NFA?  Zip, just like virtually everywhere else with almost no exception.

Note: no blood in the streets after the carry concealed laws were passed, included the no-permit law.

Quoted: Asked her why she thought 66 guns was strange?- she said nobody needs that many and they were "heavy duty" weapons.

Wow, don't let her come to my house  Wonder how she'd feel about pallets of ammo too

What was his screen name on here?

Mike didn't post here.

There was a very small blurb in todays Fairbanks Daily News Miner (not in the online version) that said Mike had been released into the custody of his parents and would remain out of jail until his trial next year.

Quoted: There was a very small blurb in todays Fairbanks Daily News Miner (not in the online version) that said Mike had been released into the custody of his parents and would remain out of jail until his trial next year.

Yes, thankfully that's right.  The prosecuter tried to argue for remand!  Good grief