Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

James Wesley Rawles

2012-07-02T21:16:56Z

Fongman: /* Economic views */ clarifying

'''James Wesley Rawles''' (born 1960) is a non-fiction author,
survivalist-fiction author, [[economist]], blogger, and [[Retreat|survival retreat]] consultant. He has been called an expert<ref>[http://derekclontz.wordpress.com/2007/09/10/second-great-depression-just-weeks-away-warns-expert/ Second Great Depression just weeks away, warns expert] by Derek Clontz</ref> on survival and preparedness topics.<ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/13/MNIL1008L2.DTL</ref> Rawles is a [[Christian]] who is a [[conservative]], [[Constitutionalism|constitutionalist]] [[Libertarianism|libertarian]].<ref name="blogbio">[http://www.survivalblog.com/biographies.html SurvivalBlog Staff Biographies]</ref>

==Biography==
Rawles was born in Livermore, California in 1960 and received a Bachelor of Arts|BA degree from San Jose State University. He was a [[United States Army]] Military Intelligence officer, serving from 1984 to 1993.<ref>[http://www.rawles.to/miobc/index.html]</ref> He resigned his commission as an army Captain, immediately after [[Bill Clinton]] was sworn in as President of the United States.<ref>[http://www.rawles.to/miobc/index.html]</ref> Rawles worked as an Associate Editor with ''Defense Electronics'' magazine in the late 1980s<ref>[http://www.fas.org/spp/military/docops/operate/ds/signals.htm]</ref>, and was the managing editor of ''The C3I Handbook'' and ''The International Countermeasures Handbook''.<ref>[http://www.mpr.co.uk/scripts/sweb.dll/li_archive_item?method=GET&object=DELEC_1988_20_12_NOV]</ref> He worked as a technical writer through most of the 1990s with a variety of California and Nevada companies including DAZIX, Grass Valley Group, Oracle Corporation<ref>[http://download-uk.oracle.com/docs/cd/A91202_01/901_doc/appdev.901/a89865/title.htm]</ref>, and Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC). In 2005 he began full-time blogging. <ref>[http://www.cafepress.com/clearwaterpress.112283261]</ref> Sometime after 2001 he relocated to a remote ranch at an undisclosed location "Somewhere in The American Redoubt.”

He is now a freelance writer, blogger and [[Retreat|retreat]] consultant. His children are home schooled.<ref name="blogbio"/>

==Philosophical and political views==

Rawles is an outspoken proponent of family preparedness, especially regarding food storage and his advocacy of relocating to lightly populated rural "retreat" areas.

Rawles warned about possible disruption that could be caused by the Year 2000 (Y2K) problem, and urged "an all-out effort" by programmers to be ready for the four digit date rollover.<ref>[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SB&p_theme=sb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1& p_text_direct-0=0EB0477D786595EE&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM THURSDAY OFFERS A MINI-Y2K SITUATION, EXPERTS SAY] The Sacramento Bee, September 8, 1999</ref><ref>[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LB&p_theme=lb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAE929EEB312718&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM GETTING IN TOUCH WITH Y2K AND THE PROPHETS OF DOOM] Press-Telegram, January 7, 1999</ref><ref>"Do you live in fear of the millennium?", South China Morning Post, April 6, 1999</ref>

Rawles credits Mel Tappan as the primary influence in the development of his survivalist philosophy as well as the impetus for launching SurvivalBlog.com.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/kudos.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>. Rawles has been called "The intellectual heir of Mel Tappan", and has been described as "...the survivalist voice of reason, following in the footsteps of Mel Tappan." <ref>http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/03/four_letters_re_use_of_force_i.html</ref>

Rawles was quoted by the ''New York Times'' in April of 2008 that "interest in the survivalist movement 'is experiencing its largest growth since the late 1970s'”. He also stated that his blog's conservative core readership has been supplemented with "an increasing number of stridently green and left-of-center readers."<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Economic views==
In a [[Usenet]] post in February of 2001, Rawles fairly accurately called the bottom of the two-decade long bear market in the price of silver that had brought silver down from a high of $50 per ounce, to under $5 per ounce.<ref>http://groups.google.com/group/misc.survivalism/browse_thread/thread/91d596201f5f4099/00bfb0230b744507?hl=en&lnk=st&q=Rawles%2BCall%2BBottom%2Bsilver#00bfb0230b744507</ref> In the post, Rawles mentioned a potential low of $4.25 per ounce. It actually bottomed just a few months later (intraday) at $4.03 per ounce.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/01/notes_from_jwr_98.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>

As of January, 2008, Rawles stills sees silver and gold in "primary bull markets."<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/01/the_precious_metals_bull_charg.html]</ref>

Rawles predicts a deep recession or possibly a depression in the near future<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/03/news_from_wall_street_and_capi.html]</ref>, triggered by a housing market collapse and an "implosion" of global credit and the derivatives market.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/derivatives.html SurvivalBlog.com - Derivatives]</ref>

==Blog presence==
Rawles is the editor of SurvivalBlog.com, a very widely-read and cited <ref>[http://charts.technorati.com/blogs/www.survivalblog.com?reactionsdaily</ref> [[blog]] on survival and preparedness topics. According to its statistics page, it has more than 220,000 unique visitors per week.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/ SurvivalBlog home page]</ref> <ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/cgi-bin/awstats.pl]</ref> The main focus of his blog is family preparedness for disasters. In his blog writings, Rawles recommends that investors put at least 25% of their portfolios into [[gold]], [[silver]], and [[barter]] goods.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2007/12/coping_with_inflationsome_stra.html]</ref> He also advises his blog readers to store four year's supply of food<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/01/a_honeybee_ccd_disaster_soonbe.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> in preparation for future hard times, and "double up" with other families<ref>[http://www.shtfblog.com/wealth-war-and-wisdom-by-barton-biggs-a-book-review/]</ref> to establish [[Retreat|survival retreats]]. Rawles believes (as of his 2005-2008 writings) that the United States is headed for a hyperinflationary economic depression.<ref>[http://www.peakoilstore.com/forum/index.php/topic,13888.0.html]</ref> Rawles favors the abolition of the [[fractional-reserve banking system]], and a return to the [[gold standard]].<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/02/are_simultaneous_inflation_and.html]</ref> Rawles is also a proponent of [[Home schooling]].<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/home_schooling/]</ref>

==Published works==

His first book, ''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'', a novel, was first released in 1998. It was first released as Internet shareware in the early 1990s, and later published in interim form as ''TEOTWAWKI: The End of The World as We Know It'', in the late 1990s.<ref>[http://www.weyrich.com/book_reviews/teotwawki.html]</ref> The story is set in the near future and describes a period of hyperinflation and a socio-economic collapse. While it is a fictional story, it is essentially a survival manual dressed as fiction.<ref>[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=14119 WND Commentary Five novels of freedom] by Claire Wolfe, WorldNetDaily, September 30, 1999</ref> It was re-released in December, 2006 in expanded form. One early reviewer of the novel commented: "While it is true that the protagonists appear to be part of the religious right, it is clearly incorrect to stereotype them as intolerant racists or anti-government zealots."<ref>[http://www.weyrich.com/book_reviews/teotwawki.html]</ref>. The publisher's synopsis describes the novel as "distinctly pro-Christian, pro-preparedness, pro-gun ownership, and anti-racist." <ref>[http://www.powells.com/biblio/61-1425734073-0]</ref>

His second book, ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'', was non-fiction. It describes how to geographically select a [[Retreat|survival retreat]] and stock it with key logistics.

His third book, ''SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog, Volume 1'', was non-fiction. It is a compendium of posts and letters from the first six months of SurvivalBlog.

He also authored an action-adventure screenplay, loosely based on his novel ''Patriots''.

Rawles also co-authored the ''Rawles Gets You Ready'' preparedness course, released in August, 2006.

He is also the author of numerous Internet FAQs, primarily on firearms topics.

===Books===
*''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' from Huntington House Publishers, ISBN 978-1563841552 (November 1998)
*''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' (33 chapter expanded edition) from Xlibris, ISBN 978-1425734077 (December 2006)
*''Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse'' (33 chapter edition with Glossary and Index) from Ulysses Press. (April 2009)
*''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' from CafePress, No ISBN (January 2007)
*''SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog, Volume 1'' from CafePress, No ISBN (February 2007)
*''How to Survive the End of The World as We Know It'' from Plume/Penguin Books (October 2009)
*''Survivors: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse'', Atria Books (September, 2011)
*''Founders: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse'', Atria Books (September, 2012)

===Screenplays===
* ''Pulling Through'' (A feature-length action-adventure "spec" screenplay) WGAw (WGA West script registration service) #714352 (April, 2007) <ref>[http://www.rawles.to/Screenplay.html "Pulling Through" Screenplay]</ref>

=== Courseware===
*''Rawles Gets You Ready'' from Arbogast Publishing, No ISBN (August 2006)

===Articles===
Some Internet FAQs and Reference Articles by Rawles.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/faqs.html SurvivalBlog.com FAQ list]</ref>
*[http://www.rawles.to/AR-15_M16_Magazine_FAQ.html ''AR-15 Magazine FAQ''] <ref>[http://www.fulton-armory.com/ARMags.htm The Lowdown on AR-15/M16 Magazines] by James Wesley Rawles, Fulton Armory</ref>
*[http://www.rawles.to/http://www.rawles.to/M1_Carbine_Mag_FAQ.html ''M1 Carbine Magazine FAQ''] <ref>[http://www.fulton-armory.com/Carbinemags.htm The Lowdown on M1 Carbine Magazines] by James Wesley Rawles, Fulton Armory, February 1998</ref>
*[http://www.rawles.to/M1911_Mag_FAQ.html ''M1911 Magazine FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/M14%20Magazine_FAQ.html ''M14/M1A Magazine FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/FAL_FAQ.html ''The FN/FAL & L1A1 FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/Mauser_FAQ.html ''The Mauser Bolt Rifle FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/Pre-1899_FAQ.html ''The Pre-1899 Antique Guns FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/Euro_Box_FAQ.html ''European Ammo Box Translations''] (editor)
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/noncorrosive.html ''Noncorrosive Priming Information for U.S. Military Small Arms Ammunition''](editor)
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/asianflu.html ''Protecting Your Family From an Influenza Pandemic'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html ''Recommended Retreat Areas'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/profiles.html ''Retreat Owner Profiles'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/survivalguns.html ''Survival Gun Selection'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/derivatives.html ''Derivatives'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/nais.html ''The National Animal Identification System (NAIS)'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/peakoil.html ''Peak Oil: Implications for Preparedness and Self-Sufficiency'']

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rawles, James Wesley}}

[[Category:Economists]]
[[Category:Authors]]
[[Category:Survivalism]]

James Wesley Rawles

2012-07-02T21:16:11Z

Fongman: /* Books */ Update

'''James Wesley Rawles''' (born 1960) is a non-fiction author,
survivalist-fiction author, [[economist]], blogger, and [[Retreat|survival retreat]] consultant. He has been called an expert<ref>[http://derekclontz.wordpress.com/2007/09/10/second-great-depression-just-weeks-away-warns-expert/ Second Great Depression just weeks away, warns expert] by Derek Clontz</ref> on survival and preparedness topics.<ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/13/MNIL1008L2.DTL</ref> Rawles is a [[Christian]] who is a [[conservative]], [[Constitutionalism|constitutionalist]] [[Libertarianism|libertarian]].<ref name="blogbio">[http://www.survivalblog.com/biographies.html SurvivalBlog Staff Biographies]</ref>

==Biography==
Rawles was born in Livermore, California in 1960 and received a Bachelor of Arts|BA degree from San Jose State University. He was a [[United States Army]] Military Intelligence officer, serving from 1984 to 1993.<ref>[http://www.rawles.to/miobc/index.html]</ref> He resigned his commission as an army Captain, immediately after [[Bill Clinton]] was sworn in as President of the United States.<ref>[http://www.rawles.to/miobc/index.html]</ref> Rawles worked as an Associate Editor with ''Defense Electronics'' magazine in the late 1980s<ref>[http://www.fas.org/spp/military/docops/operate/ds/signals.htm]</ref>, and was the managing editor of ''The C3I Handbook'' and ''The International Countermeasures Handbook''.<ref>[http://www.mpr.co.uk/scripts/sweb.dll/li_archive_item?method=GET&object=DELEC_1988_20_12_NOV]</ref> He worked as a technical writer through most of the 1990s with a variety of California and Nevada companies including DAZIX, Grass Valley Group, Oracle Corporation<ref>[http://download-uk.oracle.com/docs/cd/A91202_01/901_doc/appdev.901/a89865/title.htm]</ref>, and Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC). In 2005 he began full-time blogging. <ref>[http://www.cafepress.com/clearwaterpress.112283261]</ref> Sometime after 2001 he relocated to a remote ranch at an undisclosed location "Somewhere in The American Redoubt.”

He is now a freelance writer, blogger and [[Retreat|retreat]] consultant. His children are home schooled.<ref name="blogbio"/>

==Philosophical and political views==

Rawles is an outspoken proponent of family preparedness, especially regarding food storage and his advocacy of relocating to lightly populated rural "retreat" areas.

Rawles warned about possible disruption that could be caused by the Year 2000 (Y2K) problem, and urged "an all-out effort" by programmers to be ready for the four digit date rollover.<ref>[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SB&p_theme=sb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1& p_text_direct-0=0EB0477D786595EE&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM THURSDAY OFFERS A MINI-Y2K SITUATION, EXPERTS SAY] The Sacramento Bee, September 8, 1999</ref><ref>[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LB&p_theme=lb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAE929EEB312718&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM GETTING IN TOUCH WITH Y2K AND THE PROPHETS OF DOOM] Press-Telegram, January 7, 1999</ref><ref>"Do you live in fear of the millennium?", South China Morning Post, April 6, 1999</ref>

Rawles credits Mel Tappan as the primary influence in the development of his survivalist philosophy as well as the impetus for launching SurvivalBlog.com.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/kudos.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>. Rawles has been called "The intellectual heir of Mel Tappan", and has been described as "...the survivalist voice of reason, following in the footsteps of Mel Tappan." <ref>http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/03/four_letters_re_use_of_force_i.html</ref>

Rawles was quoted by the ''New York Times'' in April of 2008 that "interest in the survivalist movement 'is experiencing its largest growth since the late 1970s'”. He also stated that his blog's conservative core readership has been supplemented with "an increasing number of stridently green and left-of-center readers."<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Economic views==
In a [[Usenet]] post in February of 2001, Rawles fairly accurately called the bottom of the two-decade long bear market in the price of silver that had brought silver down from a high of $50 per ounce, to under $5 per ounce.<ref>http://groups.google.com/group/misc.survivalism/browse_thread/thread/91d596201f5f4099/00bfb0230b744507?hl=en&lnk=st&q=Rawles%2BCall%2BBottom%2Bsilver#00bfb0230b744507</ref> In the post, Rawles mentioned a low of $4.25 per ounce. It actually bottomed just a few months later (intraday) at $4.03 per ounce.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/01/notes_from_jwr_98.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>

As of January, 2008, Rawles stills sees silver and gold in "primary bull markets."<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/01/the_precious_metals_bull_charg.html]</ref>

Rawles predicts a deep recession or possibly a depression in the near future<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/03/news_from_wall_street_and_capi.html]</ref>, triggered by a housing market collapse and an "implosion" of global credit and the derivatives market.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/derivatives.html SurvivalBlog.com - Derivatives]</ref>

==Blog presence==
Rawles is the editor of SurvivalBlog.com, a very widely-read and cited <ref>[http://charts.technorati.com/blogs/www.survivalblog.com?reactionsdaily</ref> [[blog]] on survival and preparedness topics. According to its statistics page, it has more than 220,000 unique visitors per week.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/ SurvivalBlog home page]</ref> <ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/cgi-bin/awstats.pl]</ref> The main focus of his blog is family preparedness for disasters. In his blog writings, Rawles recommends that investors put at least 25% of their portfolios into [[gold]], [[silver]], and [[barter]] goods.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2007/12/coping_with_inflationsome_stra.html]</ref> He also advises his blog readers to store four year's supply of food<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/01/a_honeybee_ccd_disaster_soonbe.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> in preparation for future hard times, and "double up" with other families<ref>[http://www.shtfblog.com/wealth-war-and-wisdom-by-barton-biggs-a-book-review/]</ref> to establish [[Retreat|survival retreats]]. Rawles believes (as of his 2005-2008 writings) that the United States is headed for a hyperinflationary economic depression.<ref>[http://www.peakoilstore.com/forum/index.php/topic,13888.0.html]</ref> Rawles favors the abolition of the [[fractional-reserve banking system]], and a return to the [[gold standard]].<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/02/are_simultaneous_inflation_and.html]</ref> Rawles is also a proponent of [[Home schooling]].<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/home_schooling/]</ref>

==Published works==

His first book, ''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'', a novel, was first released in 1998. It was first released as Internet shareware in the early 1990s, and later published in interim form as ''TEOTWAWKI: The End of The World as We Know It'', in the late 1990s.<ref>[http://www.weyrich.com/book_reviews/teotwawki.html]</ref> The story is set in the near future and describes a period of hyperinflation and a socio-economic collapse. While it is a fictional story, it is essentially a survival manual dressed as fiction.<ref>[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=14119 WND Commentary Five novels of freedom] by Claire Wolfe, WorldNetDaily, September 30, 1999</ref> It was re-released in December, 2006 in expanded form. One early reviewer of the novel commented: "While it is true that the protagonists appear to be part of the religious right, it is clearly incorrect to stereotype them as intolerant racists or anti-government zealots."<ref>[http://www.weyrich.com/book_reviews/teotwawki.html]</ref>. The publisher's synopsis describes the novel as "distinctly pro-Christian, pro-preparedness, pro-gun ownership, and anti-racist." <ref>[http://www.powells.com/biblio/61-1425734073-0]</ref>

His second book, ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'', was non-fiction. It describes how to geographically select a [[Retreat|survival retreat]] and stock it with key logistics.

His third book, ''SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog, Volume 1'', was non-fiction. It is a compendium of posts and letters from the first six months of SurvivalBlog.

He also authored an action-adventure screenplay, loosely based on his novel ''Patriots''.

Rawles also co-authored the ''Rawles Gets You Ready'' preparedness course, released in August, 2006.

He is also the author of numerous Internet FAQs, primarily on firearms topics.

===Books===
*''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' from Huntington House Publishers, ISBN 978-1563841552 (November 1998)
*''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' (33 chapter expanded edition) from Xlibris, ISBN 978-1425734077 (December 2006)
*''Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse'' (33 chapter edition with Glossary and Index) from Ulysses Press. (April 2009)
*''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' from CafePress, No ISBN (January 2007)
*''SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog, Volume 1'' from CafePress, No ISBN (February 2007)
*''How to Survive the End of The World as We Know It'' from Plume/Penguin Books (October 2009)
*''Survivors: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse'', Atria Books (September, 2011)
*''Founders: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse'', Atria Books (September, 2012)

===Screenplays===
* ''Pulling Through'' (A feature-length action-adventure "spec" screenplay) WGAw (WGA West script registration service) #714352 (April, 2007) <ref>[http://www.rawles.to/Screenplay.html "Pulling Through" Screenplay]</ref>

=== Courseware===
*''Rawles Gets You Ready'' from Arbogast Publishing, No ISBN (August 2006)

===Articles===
Some Internet FAQs and Reference Articles by Rawles.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/faqs.html SurvivalBlog.com FAQ list]</ref>
*[http://www.rawles.to/AR-15_M16_Magazine_FAQ.html ''AR-15 Magazine FAQ''] <ref>[http://www.fulton-armory.com/ARMags.htm The Lowdown on AR-15/M16 Magazines] by James Wesley Rawles, Fulton Armory</ref>
*[http://www.rawles.to/http://www.rawles.to/M1_Carbine_Mag_FAQ.html ''M1 Carbine Magazine FAQ''] <ref>[http://www.fulton-armory.com/Carbinemags.htm The Lowdown on M1 Carbine Magazines] by James Wesley Rawles, Fulton Armory, February 1998</ref>
*[http://www.rawles.to/M1911_Mag_FAQ.html ''M1911 Magazine FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/M14%20Magazine_FAQ.html ''M14/M1A Magazine FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/FAL_FAQ.html ''The FN/FAL & L1A1 FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/Mauser_FAQ.html ''The Mauser Bolt Rifle FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/Pre-1899_FAQ.html ''The Pre-1899 Antique Guns FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/Euro_Box_FAQ.html ''European Ammo Box Translations''] (editor)
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/noncorrosive.html ''Noncorrosive Priming Information for U.S. Military Small Arms Ammunition''](editor)
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/asianflu.html ''Protecting Your Family From an Influenza Pandemic'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html ''Recommended Retreat Areas'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/profiles.html ''Retreat Owner Profiles'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/survivalguns.html ''Survival Gun Selection'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/derivatives.html ''Derivatives'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/nais.html ''The National Animal Identification System (NAIS)'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/peakoil.html ''Peak Oil: Implications for Preparedness and Self-Sufficiency'']

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rawles, James Wesley}}

[[Category:Economists]]
[[Category:Authors]]
[[Category:Survivalism]]

James Wesley Rawles

2012-07-02T21:13:58Z

Fongman: /* Biography */ Update on location

'''James Wesley Rawles''' (born 1960) is a non-fiction author,
survivalist-fiction author, [[economist]], blogger, and [[Retreat|survival retreat]] consultant. He has been called an expert<ref>[http://derekclontz.wordpress.com/2007/09/10/second-great-depression-just-weeks-away-warns-expert/ Second Great Depression just weeks away, warns expert] by Derek Clontz</ref> on survival and preparedness topics.<ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/13/MNIL1008L2.DTL</ref> Rawles is a [[Christian]] who is a [[conservative]], [[Constitutionalism|constitutionalist]] [[Libertarianism|libertarian]].<ref name="blogbio">[http://www.survivalblog.com/biographies.html SurvivalBlog Staff Biographies]</ref>

==Biography==
Rawles was born in Livermore, California in 1960 and received a Bachelor of Arts|BA degree from San Jose State University. He was a [[United States Army]] Military Intelligence officer, serving from 1984 to 1993.<ref>[http://www.rawles.to/miobc/index.html]</ref> He resigned his commission as an army Captain, immediately after [[Bill Clinton]] was sworn in as President of the United States.<ref>[http://www.rawles.to/miobc/index.html]</ref> Rawles worked as an Associate Editor with ''Defense Electronics'' magazine in the late 1980s<ref>[http://www.fas.org/spp/military/docops/operate/ds/signals.htm]</ref>, and was the managing editor of ''The C3I Handbook'' and ''The International Countermeasures Handbook''.<ref>[http://www.mpr.co.uk/scripts/sweb.dll/li_archive_item?method=GET&object=DELEC_1988_20_12_NOV]</ref> He worked as a technical writer through most of the 1990s with a variety of California and Nevada companies including DAZIX, Grass Valley Group, Oracle Corporation<ref>[http://download-uk.oracle.com/docs/cd/A91202_01/901_doc/appdev.901/a89865/title.htm]</ref>, and Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC). In 2005 he began full-time blogging. <ref>[http://www.cafepress.com/clearwaterpress.112283261]</ref> Sometime after 2001 he relocated to a remote ranch at an undisclosed location "Somewhere in The American Redoubt.”

He is now a freelance writer, blogger and [[Retreat|retreat]] consultant. His children are home schooled.<ref name="blogbio"/>

==Philosophical and political views==

Rawles is an outspoken proponent of family preparedness, especially regarding food storage and his advocacy of relocating to lightly populated rural "retreat" areas.

Rawles warned about possible disruption that could be caused by the Year 2000 (Y2K) problem, and urged "an all-out effort" by programmers to be ready for the four digit date rollover.<ref>[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SB&p_theme=sb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1& p_text_direct-0=0EB0477D786595EE&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM THURSDAY OFFERS A MINI-Y2K SITUATION, EXPERTS SAY] The Sacramento Bee, September 8, 1999</ref><ref>[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LB&p_theme=lb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAE929EEB312718&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM GETTING IN TOUCH WITH Y2K AND THE PROPHETS OF DOOM] Press-Telegram, January 7, 1999</ref><ref>"Do you live in fear of the millennium?", South China Morning Post, April 6, 1999</ref>

Rawles credits Mel Tappan as the primary influence in the development of his survivalist philosophy as well as the impetus for launching SurvivalBlog.com.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/kudos.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>. Rawles has been called "The intellectual heir of Mel Tappan", and has been described as "...the survivalist voice of reason, following in the footsteps of Mel Tappan." <ref>http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/03/four_letters_re_use_of_force_i.html</ref>

Rawles was quoted by the ''New York Times'' in April of 2008 that "interest in the survivalist movement 'is experiencing its largest growth since the late 1970s'”. He also stated that his blog's conservative core readership has been supplemented with "an increasing number of stridently green and left-of-center readers."<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Economic views==
In a [[Usenet]] post in February of 2001, Rawles fairly accurately called the bottom of the two-decade long bear market in the price of silver that had brought silver down from a high of $50 per ounce, to under $5 per ounce.<ref>http://groups.google.com/group/misc.survivalism/browse_thread/thread/91d596201f5f4099/00bfb0230b744507?hl=en&lnk=st&q=Rawles%2BCall%2BBottom%2Bsilver#00bfb0230b744507</ref> In the post, Rawles mentioned a low of $4.25 per ounce. It actually bottomed just a few months later (intraday) at $4.03 per ounce.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/01/notes_from_jwr_98.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>

As of January, 2008, Rawles stills sees silver and gold in "primary bull markets."<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/01/the_precious_metals_bull_charg.html]</ref>

Rawles predicts a deep recession or possibly a depression in the near future<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/03/news_from_wall_street_and_capi.html]</ref>, triggered by a housing market collapse and an "implosion" of global credit and the derivatives market.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/derivatives.html SurvivalBlog.com - Derivatives]</ref>

==Blog presence==
Rawles is the editor of SurvivalBlog.com, a very widely-read and cited <ref>[http://charts.technorati.com/blogs/www.survivalblog.com?reactionsdaily</ref> [[blog]] on survival and preparedness topics. According to its statistics page, it has more than 220,000 unique visitors per week.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/ SurvivalBlog home page]</ref> <ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/cgi-bin/awstats.pl]</ref> The main focus of his blog is family preparedness for disasters. In his blog writings, Rawles recommends that investors put at least 25% of their portfolios into [[gold]], [[silver]], and [[barter]] goods.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2007/12/coping_with_inflationsome_stra.html]</ref> He also advises his blog readers to store four year's supply of food<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/01/a_honeybee_ccd_disaster_soonbe.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> in preparation for future hard times, and "double up" with other families<ref>[http://www.shtfblog.com/wealth-war-and-wisdom-by-barton-biggs-a-book-review/]</ref> to establish [[Retreat|survival retreats]]. Rawles believes (as of his 2005-2008 writings) that the United States is headed for a hyperinflationary economic depression.<ref>[http://www.peakoilstore.com/forum/index.php/topic,13888.0.html]</ref> Rawles favors the abolition of the [[fractional-reserve banking system]], and a return to the [[gold standard]].<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/02/are_simultaneous_inflation_and.html]</ref> Rawles is also a proponent of [[Home schooling]].<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/home_schooling/]</ref>

==Published works==

His first book, ''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'', a novel, was first released in 1998. It was first released as Internet shareware in the early 1990s, and later published in interim form as ''TEOTWAWKI: The End of The World as We Know It'', in the late 1990s.<ref>[http://www.weyrich.com/book_reviews/teotwawki.html]</ref> The story is set in the near future and describes a period of hyperinflation and a socio-economic collapse. While it is a fictional story, it is essentially a survival manual dressed as fiction.<ref>[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=14119 WND Commentary Five novels of freedom] by Claire Wolfe, WorldNetDaily, September 30, 1999</ref> It was re-released in December, 2006 in expanded form. One early reviewer of the novel commented: "While it is true that the protagonists appear to be part of the religious right, it is clearly incorrect to stereotype them as intolerant racists or anti-government zealots."<ref>[http://www.weyrich.com/book_reviews/teotwawki.html]</ref>. The publisher's synopsis describes the novel as "distinctly pro-Christian, pro-preparedness, pro-gun ownership, and anti-racist." <ref>[http://www.powells.com/biblio/61-1425734073-0]</ref>

His second book, ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'', was non-fiction. It describes how to geographically select a [[Retreat|survival retreat]] and stock it with key logistics.

His third book, ''SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog, Volume 1'', was non-fiction. It is a compendium of posts and letters from the first six months of SurvivalBlog.

He also authored an action-adventure screenplay, loosely based on his novel ''Patriots''.

Rawles also co-authored the ''Rawles Gets You Ready'' preparedness course, released in August, 2006.

He is also the author of numerous Internet FAQs, primarily on firearms topics.

===Books===
*''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' from Huntington House Publishers, ISBN 978-1563841552 (November 1998)
*''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' (33 chapter expanded edition) from Xlibris, ISBN 978-1425734077 (December 2006)
*''Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse'' (33 chapter edition with Glossary and Index) from Ulysses Press. (April 2009)
*''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' from CafePress, No ISBN (January 2007)
*''SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog, Volume 1'' from CafePress, No ISBN (February 2007)
*''How to Survive the End of The World as We Know It'' from Plume/Penguin Books (October 2009)

===Screenplays===
* ''Pulling Through'' (A feature-length action-adventure "spec" screenplay) WGAw (WGA West script registration service) #714352 (April, 2007) <ref>[http://www.rawles.to/Screenplay.html "Pulling Through" Screenplay]</ref>

=== Courseware===
*''Rawles Gets You Ready'' from Arbogast Publishing, No ISBN (August 2006)

===Articles===
Some Internet FAQs and Reference Articles by Rawles.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/faqs.html SurvivalBlog.com FAQ list]</ref>
*[http://www.rawles.to/AR-15_M16_Magazine_FAQ.html ''AR-15 Magazine FAQ''] <ref>[http://www.fulton-armory.com/ARMags.htm The Lowdown on AR-15/M16 Magazines] by James Wesley Rawles, Fulton Armory</ref>
*[http://www.rawles.to/http://www.rawles.to/M1_Carbine_Mag_FAQ.html ''M1 Carbine Magazine FAQ''] <ref>[http://www.fulton-armory.com/Carbinemags.htm The Lowdown on M1 Carbine Magazines] by James Wesley Rawles, Fulton Armory, February 1998</ref>
*[http://www.rawles.to/M1911_Mag_FAQ.html ''M1911 Magazine FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/M14%20Magazine_FAQ.html ''M14/M1A Magazine FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/FAL_FAQ.html ''The FN/FAL & L1A1 FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/Mauser_FAQ.html ''The Mauser Bolt Rifle FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/Pre-1899_FAQ.html ''The Pre-1899 Antique Guns FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/Euro_Box_FAQ.html ''European Ammo Box Translations''] (editor)
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/noncorrosive.html ''Noncorrosive Priming Information for U.S. Military Small Arms Ammunition''](editor)
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/asianflu.html ''Protecting Your Family From an Influenza Pandemic'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html ''Recommended Retreat Areas'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/profiles.html ''Retreat Owner Profiles'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/survivalguns.html ''Survival Gun Selection'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/derivatives.html ''Derivatives'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/nais.html ''The National Animal Identification System (NAIS)'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/peakoil.html ''Peak Oil: Implications for Preparedness and Self-Sufficiency'']

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rawles, James Wesley}}

[[Category:Economists]]
[[Category:Authors]]
[[Category:Survivalism]]

Mayors Against Illegal Guns

2010-11-20T20:29:51Z

Fongman: /* Indicted, convicted, and scandalized members */ Typo

The '''Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition''' is a leftist political coalition of mayors from about 400 United States cities, with a stated agenda of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The group was formed by [[Boston]] Mayor [[Thomas Menino]] and New York Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]]. The coalition's CEO is [[Chicago]] Mayor [[Richard M. Daley]].

The majority of members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition are Democrats.

==Criticism of Methods and Hypocrisy==

Bloomberg has been sued for defamation by a Smyrna, Georgia gun dealer represented by former congressman [[Bob Barr]].<ref>http://www.insidecounsel.com/Issues/2006/September%202006/Pages/Gun-Dealer-Shoots-Back-at-NY-Mayor.aspx</ref><ref>http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2006/07/17/daily39.html</ref>

===Indicted, convicted, and scandalized members===

A substantial number of member of the coalition have been indicted in recent months, on felony charges. Here in the US, conviction of felony means the immediate loss of both the right to vote and the right to own a gun for the rest of one's life. This is an organization that espouses doing away with "illegal guns", yet a surprising number of their members have made choices in their lives that have set themselves on the path to being disenfranchised from ever owning a gun.

Personal character and integrity are prerequisites for anyone entering public office, to serve in an elected position of "special trust and confidence", such as a mayorship. Abuses of that trust, gross lapses of integrity, and forays into criminal conduct are not tolerated in our society. If anything, elected politicians are held to a higher standard than the general public, and their actions are closely watched. For an elected official to become a criminal, when they themselves are entrusted to protect us from criminals is nearly the most heinous and unforgivable thing imaginable in a democratically-ruled republic. For some of these same individuals to continue to be considered members in good standing of a "crime-fighting" organization--and not even censured by the organization--has been criticized as being hypocritical.

Three current and former members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition are currently under felony indictments, six others were recently convicted of felonies, one indicted member died of a heart attack before completion of his trial, and one member was recently convicted of a violent misdemeanor. The indicted and convicted members and former members include:
*Former Mayor Gary Becker<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/letter_to_congress_101707.pdf</ref> of Racine, Wisconsin is under five felony indictments for child pornography, attempted child sexual assault and child enticement.<ref>http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/37649499.html</ref> He resigned after pleading not guilty and being released on bond.<ref> http://www.nbc15.com/state/headlines/37567789.html</ref>He was later convicted and received a three year felony sentence in prison. <ref>http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/86273007.html</ref>
*Former Mayor David Delle Donna<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/letter_to_congress_101707.pdf</ref>, of Guttenberg, New Jersey was indicted under a Federal extortion and mail fraud charges.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/29/nyregion/29fraud.html?_r=1</ref> He was convicted in 2008<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/04/jurors_in_the_federal_corrupti.html</ref> and sentenced to four years and three months in federal prison.<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/guttenberg/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1224916016161280.xml&coll=3</ref>
*Mayor [[Sheila Dixon]] was indicted in 2009 on twelve counts<ref> http://www.baltimoresun.com/media/acrobat/2009-07/48351943.pdf</ref>, comprising four counts of perjury, two counts of misconduct, three counts of theft, and three counts of fraudulent misappropriations.<ref>http://breakingnews.baltimoresun.com/2009/01/09/mayor-dixon-indicted-by-grand-jury/</ref> The felony theft charges stem partly from incidents in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 in which she allegedly misappropriated gift cards intended for the poor and used them for personal purchases.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/10/us/10baltimore.html?_r=1</ref><ref>http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/07/30/Mayor-indicted-for-theft-perjury-again/UPI-93311248967375/</ref> Dixon was eventually convicted, but on January 6, 2010, under a pre-arranged plea agreement reached with prosecutors, Dixon announced that she was resigning as Mayor, effective February 4, 2010. Under the terms of the agreement Dixon got "probation before judgment" (PBJ). A PBJ is not considered a "conviction", thus enabling her to keep her $83,000 pension.<ref>http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/business/hancock/blog/2010/01/why_sheila_dixons_pension_is_8.html</ref>
*Mayor [[Jerramiah Healy]] was convicted for obstruction of justice in 2007<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/07/jersey_city_mayor_jerramiah_he.html</ref> and more recently was implicated in the corruption sweep in New Jersey involving the sale of body parts and money laundering. In all, 44 individuals were indicted. (Healy was named as "JC Official 4" and implicated, but was not indicted, in the probe.)<ref>http://www.northjersey.com/hudson_essex/HEALY0725.html</ref><ref>http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Key-Player-in-Jersey-Corruption-Probe-Found-Dead.html</ref><ref>http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=6931021</ref>
*Former Mayor [[Kwame Kilpatrick]] was indicted, arrested, and convicted. and subsequently jailed for 99 days. Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to two felony obstruction of justice charges stemming from his efforts to cover up an extramarital affair. He also pleaded no contest to charges of assaulting a police officer attempting to serve a subpoena on a Kilpatrick friend in that case.<ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/03/national/main4771394.shtml</ref> The charges and allegations (not all against Kilpatrick himself) were of marital infidelity, conspiracy, perjury, corruption and murder.<ref>http://www.wxyz.com/content/news/detroitmayorinvestigation/default.aspx</ref> Following Kilpatrick's conviction, the [[Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms]] called on Kilpatrick to resign from the Coalition.<ref>[http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/bloomberg-anti-gun-soul-mate-kilpatrick-now/story.aspx?guid={4D97B9A9-CC96-4AEE-9547-8047955BB209}&dist=hppr Bloomberg Anti-Gun "Soul-Mate" Kilpatrick Now a Cellmate; Should Resign, Says CCRKBA - MarketWatch]</ref>
*Mayor [[Larry Langford]] was investigated in 2007 by the [[Securities and Exchange Commission|SEC]] on corruption charges. In 2008 a lawsuit was filed against him for illegally accepting $156,000 in cash and benefits. On December 1, 2008, Larry Langford was arrested by the [[FBI]] on a 101 count indictment<ref>[http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/12/0006_001.pdf Copy of indictment, via the Birmingham News]</ref> alleging conspiracy, bribery, fraud, money laundering, and filing false tax returns<ref>http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/12/0006_001.pdf</ref> in connection with a long-running bribery scheme.<ref>[http://www.myfoxal.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=7976053&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1]</ref><ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/12/01/birmingham-mayor-arrested-federal-charges/</ref><ref>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28001239/</ref> On December 1, 2008, Langford, along with [[William B. Blount]] and Al LaPierre, was arrested by the [[FBI]] on a 101-count [[indictment]] alleging [[Conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]], [[bribery]], [[fraud]], [[money laundering]], and filing false tax returns in connection with a long-running bribery scheme.<ref>[http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/12/0006_001.pdf USA vs Larry P Langford, William B Blount, Blount Parrish & Co. Inc, and Albert W Lapierre]</ref> His public corruption trial ended on October 28, 2009 with convictions on 60 counts, and resulted in his automatic removal from office.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/10/larry_langford_found_guilty.html|publisher=[[Birmingham News]]|date=2009-10-28|Larry Langford found guilty on all 60 counts}}</ref>
*Deceased Mayor [[Frank Melton]] at the time of his death was under felony indictment on civil rights charges.<ref>http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/index.php/site/comments/breaking_frank_melton_indicted_on_felony_charges/</ref> (He died before a scheduled re-trial, following a mistrial.) In 2006, Melton pled guilty to a firearms charge, stemming from a raid (in which he was armed with a concealed pistol) on a suspected crack house. Melton conducted the extra-official [[Buford Pusser]]-style raid without a warrant to "bust up" a duplex apartment, accompanied by a group of youths that were not sworn law enforcement officers. That same event led to Melton's civil rights indictment. In November 2006, he pleaded no contest to three misdemeanor charges: carrying a gun in a park and in a church, and carrying a concealed weapon.<ref>v</ref>
*Mayor [[Eddie Pérez (politician)|Eddie Perez]] was indicted on bribery, fabricating evidence, and conspiracy to fabricate evidence felony charges.<ref>http://www.inqnews.com/Article.php?id=883</ref> Perez turned himself in to state police, stating that he had a lapse in judgment but did nothing illegal, and vowed that he would not step down as Hartford's mayor.<ref>{{cite news|title=Statement By Mayor Eddie Perez|url=http://www.courant.com/news/custom/topnews/hc-webstatement0127jan27,0,2148065.story|publisher=The Hartford Courant|accessdate=2009-01-29 |date=2009-01-27}}</ref> He was arraigned on September 8, 2009.<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-09-08-hartford-mayor_N.htm</ref> His trial date was postponed to November 2009<ref>http://www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-hartford-perez-court-0825.artaug25,0,6295095.story</ref>, and then to February, 2010.<ref>http://www.1010wins.com/Judge-Delays-Corruption-Trial-of-Hartford-Mayor/5152594</ref> On September 2, 2009 Perez was again arrested, and additionally charged with first-degree larceny by extortion, stemming from a no-bid parking lot deal, unrelated to the other corruption charges.<ref>http://www.wfsb.com/politics/20685092/detail.html</ref> He again proclaimed that he would stay in office, despite these new felony charges.<ref>http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Mayor-Could-Be-Charged-Today-56711267.html</ref> He was later sentenced to three years in prison.<ref>http://www.connecticutplus.com/blogs/ctpolitics/?p=495</ref>
*Former Mayor [[Samuel Rivera]], of Passaic, New Jersey was convicted of corruption, influence peddling, and extortion charges.<ref>http://patersononline.net/potm/2008/01/16/sammy-rivera-mayor-of-passaic-indicted/</ref><ref>http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nj/press/files/pdffiles/RiveracomplaintFINAL.pdf</ref> In August 2008 he pled guilty,and was sentenced to 21 months in prison.<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/08/former_passaic_mayor_sentenced.html</ref>
*In 2008, former Mayor [[Will Wynn]] was convicted of Class C misdemeanor, for a choking assault on a man who had crashed a party.<ref>http://www.dailytexanonline.com/state-local/will-wynn-charged-with-assault-sentenced-to-community-service-1.949829</ref>

Five current members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition have been troubled by scandals that involved firearms:
*As New York Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]] came into office, he inherited a chronic firearms permit favoritism scandal from his predecessors that still remains an unresolved issue. Writing in the New York Sun, attorney [[David Kopel]] observed: "The problem is acute in New York City. Celebrities, the ultra-wealthy, and the politically influential get carry permits. But many of the people who need them the most — such as stalking victims, or crime witnesses who have been threatened by the criminal's friends — often do not."<ref>http://www.nysun.com/opinion/hellers-kitchen/80928/</ref> There are currently only about 36,169 permits to keep firearms in private homes in New York City, with the majority issued to retired police officers. Of these permit holders, only 2,516 are more liberally licensed for [[concealed carry]] outside their homes. The issuance of permits is discretionary in New York City, per Penal Law 400<ref>http://www.saf.org/LawReviews/Novak1.html</ref>. (It is considered a "may issue" locality, unlike the "shall issue" policy used for concealed carry in most other localities.) Despite "tight" restrictions on "demonstrated need or special danger", a who’s-who list of celebrities, billionaires<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/08292007/news/regionalnews/trump_junior_packin.htm</ref>, entertainers<ref>http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nypost/access/246975111.html?did=246975111&FMT=ABS&FMTS=FT&PMID=42522&desc=NYPD+BIG+UNDER+FIRE+IN+AEROSMITH+%27GOT+A+GUN%27+SCANDAL</ref>, professional athletes<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/10262008/news/regionalnews/the_mets_are_loaded_135381.htm</ref>, and politicians<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/10262008/news/regionalnews/the_mets_are_loaded_135381.htm</ref> has somehow managed to get firearms permits. This list includes New York Times publisher [[Arthur Ochs Sulzberger]], publisher [[Michael Korda]], and talk show host [[Howard Stern]].<ref>http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=1143&full=1</ref> In 2007, The New York Post reported that gun license holders include financier [[Donald Trump]], his son [[Donald Trump Jr.]], Queens district attorney Richard A. Brown, Westchester County district attorney, Janet DiFiore, music executive [[Tommy Mottola]], chief executive of Marvel Comics, [[Isaac Perlmutter]], radio show host [[Don Imus]], lawyer [[Barry Slotnick]], lawyer [[Raoul Felder]]; publisher Robert Forbes, the cab-driving political activist [[Fernando Mateo]], former new York Senate Majority Leader [[Joe Bruno]] (recently indicted for fraud), actor [[Robert De Niro]], actor [[Harvey Keitel]], film producer Martin Bregman, cosmetics heir [[Ronald Lauder]], and [[Aerosmith]] singer [[Steven Tyler]].<ref>http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nypost/access/246975111.html?did=246975111&FMT=ABS&FMTS=FT&PMID=42522&desc=NYPD+BIG+UNDER+FIRE+IN+AEROSMITH+%27GOT+A+GUN%27+SCANDAL</ref><ref>http://www.nndb.com/event/349/000172830/</ref> All of these individuals have retained their gun licenses under Bloomberg's "tough on guns" administration. The New York Post noted: "Television news anchor [[John Roland]], who let his license lapse in 2006, got his gun permit back in 2007."<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/08292007/news/regionalnews/trump_junior_packin.htm</ref> A surprisingly high number of celebrities have concealed carry permits, rather than the more common "keep at home" (premise) permits. According to The New York Times, "Mr. Bloomberg asked Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly to look at the issue, and added: 'If you want a gun permit, you should have to really show that your life is in danger, and that having a gun will protect you, will improve the chances of you surviving.'"<ref>http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/02/a-guide-to-city-gun-licenses/</ref> But despite Bloomberg's publicly-stated concern, there have been no announcements of any celebrity gun permits being rescinded, or any reforms to prevent favoritism, cronyism, bribes, or other abuse of discretion in license issuance. With a city population of 8.3 million, the 36,169 gun permit holders represent just .043% of the population and the 2,516 concealed carry permit holders represent a scant .003% of the population.
*Mayor [[Richard M. Daley]] has been criticized for the city of Chicago's long-standing practice of providing armed bodyguards for a number of city politicians, including city clerk James "Jim" Laski. In the city clerk scandal, Daley was shamed into removing the perk of the armed bodyguards for the clerk. The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' reported: "The decision was made almost immediately after Laski became the first elected official to be caught up in the Hired Truck scandal. But Daley insisted that the bribery and extortion charges against Laski were not the trigger. It was the fact that, until this week, Laski had not been showing up for work."<ref>http://www.suntimes.com/news/hired/31589,cst-nws-laski19.article</ref> Laski was later convicted of taking $48,000 in bribes and received a two year sentence.<ref>http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1621311.html</ref> Former Mayor Eugene Sawyer, City Treasurer Judy Rice and Alderman Edward M. Burke, chairman of the City Council's Finance Committee still have armed bodyguards.<ref>http://www.suntimes.com/news/hired/31589,cst-nws-laski19.article</ref>
*Mayor [[Gerald Jennings]] of Albany, New York was implicated in a scandal regarding the alleged illegal purchase of 52 machine guns.<ref>http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=773606</ref> It is unclear whether the weapons were purchased for departmental use or for the use of private individuals. Weapons were delivered to Police Department addresses but apparently paid for with private funds. The Department has not produced a list of weapons, their location, the names of the individuals who purchased them, or their disposition or destruction. At least one later turned up, illegally for sale to the public, in an area gun store. The police officer who sold the gun to the store has testified that he bought it from a Police Union official who was also the Department's armorer.<ref>http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=773606</ref> The current Chief of Police is the fifth appointed by Jennings.<ref>[http://timesunion.com/ASPStories/storyprint.asp?StoryID=630735]</ref> The case is still open.<ref> http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=773606&category=REGION</ref>
*Following the illegal seizure of firearms in the wake of [[Hurricane Katrina]], Mayor [[Ray Nagin]] settled a lawsuit and had a permanent injunction issued prohibiting Nagin or any New Orleans employee from confiscating any lawfully possessed firearm and ordering the return of hundreds of illegally confiscated firearms. (They had been confiscated at Mayor Nagin's order.).<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-10-08-nra-katrina_N.htm</ref> Nagin's administration has also been troubled by reports of improprieties with the police department evidence rooms, where guns were stolen, guns were allowed to rust, and $200,000 in cash was stolen.<ref>http://www.wwltv.com/topstories/stories/wwl011409mlevidencce.3cc661c.html</ref><ref>http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/state_auditors_report_cites_pr.html</ref>
*Mayor [[Bill White (mayor)|Bill White]]'s administration has been embarrassed by an ongoing scandal involving guns stolen from the Houston Police Department's evidence room. In January 2009, the [[Houston Chronicle]] reported: "For months, maybe years, people with criminal backgrounds had access to secure areas of the police station, including a property room from which 30 guns disappeared within six months, according to internal police documents. The documents, obtained by the Houston Chronicle, indicated that lax security created an environment ripe for theft. No one has been charged in the gun thefts, although police suspected telephone repairmen who admitted stealing other items, and a temporary employee who had access to the property room while awaiting trial on aggravated robbery charges."<ref>Houston Chronicle, "Room for Doubt", January 22, 2009</ref><ref>http://www.uslaw.com/library/Criminal_Law/Houston_Chronicle_Room_doubt.php?item=359041</ref>

==Resignations from the coalition==

===Announced resignations===

Twelve mayors that had been members<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/7_14_09_maig_letter.pdf</ref> have withdrawn from the organization, claiming either that they were misled about the group's anti-gun platform, or that they were enrolled in the coalition without their knowledge.<ref>Mayor Withdraws from anti-gun coalition, The Indianapolis Star, June 27, 2007 By: Tania E. Lopez http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070627/LOCAL0101/706270329/1015/LOCAL01</ref><ref>Letter to the Editor, Anchorage Daily News, February 4, 2007 by Mayor Mark Begich http://www.adn.com/opinion/letters/story/8614932p-8507468c.html</ref><ref>An Idaho Mayor Withdraws From Bloomberg's Gun Group, The New York Sun, January 17, 2007 By: Bradley Hope http://www.nysun.com/article/46799</ref> They are:

*[[Idaho Falls, Idaho]] Mayor Jared Fuhriman<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref>

*[[Carmel, Indiana]] Mayor James Brainard

*[[Rio Rancho, New Mexico]] Mayor Kevin Jackson<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref>

*[[Anchorage, Alaska]] Mayor Mark Begich<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref>

*[[Oldmans Township, New Jersey]] Mayor Harry Moore<ref>http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_11_53/ai_n20512691/</ref><ref>[http://sev.prnewswire.com/sports/20070709/NYM15609072007-1.html National Shooting Sports Foundation: Firearms Industry Hails New Jersey Mayor Following Resignation from Bloomberg Coalition]</ref><ref>http://www.nssf.org/share/PDF/070907_MooreResignationMAIG.pdf</ref>

*[[Walton Hills, Ohio]] Mayor Marlene Anielski,<ref>http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/printable/node/6840</ref>

*[[Williamsport, Pennsylvania]] Mayor Mary B. Wolf<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref><ref>http://www.saf.org/viewpr-new.asp?id=215</ref>

*[[ Madeira Beach, Florida]] Mayor Patricia Shontz<ref name="urlGun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns">{{cite web |url=http://www.ammoland.com/2009/09/12/gun-owners-call-mayors-out-on-mayors-against-illegal-guns/ |title=AmmoLand.Com - Gun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns |format= |work= |accessdate=2009-09-12}}</ref>

*[[Knoxville, Tennessee]] Mayor Bill Haslam<ref>http://politics.nashvillepost.com/2009/04/09/bill-haslam-joined-the-nra-in-late-february-or-early-march/</ref><ref>http://politics.nashvillepost.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/maig-2.pdf</ref>

*[[Warsaw, Indiana]] Mayor Ernest B. Wiggins<ref>http://www.timesuniononline.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=224&ArticleID=4255</ref>

*[[Sioux Falls, South Dakota]] Mayor Dave Munson<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/04/AR2009080403132_4.html?sid=ST2009080502296</ref>

*[[Houston, Texas]] Mayor Bill White<ref>http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/firstreading/entries/2009/07/28/health_care_seems_the_next_fro.html</ref>

In her resignation letter, Mayor Patricia Shontz of Madeira Beach, Florida wrote, “I am withdrawing because I believe the MAIG is attempting to erode all gun ownership, not just illegal guns. Additionally, I have learned that the MAIG may be working on issues which conflict with legal gun ownership.” She added, “It appears the MAIG has misrepresented itself to the Mayors of America and its citizens. This is gun control, not crime prevention.”<ref name="urlGun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns">{{cite web |url=http://www.ammoland.com/2009/09/12/gun-owners-call-mayors-out-on-mayors-against-illegal-guns/ |title=AmmoLand.Com - Gun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns |format= |work= |accessdate=2009-09-12}}</ref>

In his resignation letter to Bloomberg, Mayor Harry Moore stated: "It is simply unconscionable that this coalition, under your leadership, would call for a repeal of the Shelby /Tiahrt amendment that helps to safeguard criminal investigations and the lives of law enforcement officers, witnesses and others by restricting access to firearms trace data solely to law enforcement. How anyone, least of all a public official, could be willing to sacrifice such a law enforcement lifeline in order to gain an edge in suing an industry they have political differences with is repugnant to me. The fact that your campaign against this protective language consisted of overheated rhetoric, deception and falsehoods is disturbing."<ref> http://www.nssf.org/share/PDF/070907_MooreResignationMAIG.pdf</ref>

The resignations of Kevin Jackson and Jared Fuhriman left the state of Idaho completely unrepresented in the organization, and Alaska with just one representative mayor. Since Mayor [[Rocky Anderson]] of [[Salt Lake City, Utah|Salt Lake City]] left office, it has also left Utah unrepresented. Mayor [[Kathy Taylor]] of [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]] has announced that she will not seek re-election<ref> http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/0609/629082.html</ref>, and as of September, 2009, her name has been removed from the coalition's roster. This also leaves Oklahoma unrepresented.
According to the U.S. [[Conference of Mayors]] there are 1,201 cities in the US with a population of 30,000 or more that are headed by mayors.<ref>http://usmayors.org/about/overview.asp</ref> Several of the mayors in the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition represent even smaller towns and cities--particularly in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, which are disproportionately represented.

==Legislative Initiatives==
With the stated goal of reducing the number of [[straw purchase]] of guns, the coalition has favored new legislation to require mandatory reporting of lost or stolen guns.<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/local/lost-stolen.shtml</ref> As of September, 2009, seven states (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island) and the District of Columbia have laws criminalizing failure to report lost and stolen guns to law enforcement. Several other states and local governments are working to pass similar laws.<ref>http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2009/03/gun_control_proposal_on_tonigh_1.html</ref> Critics counter that straw purchases are already illegal, and hence mandatory theft and loss reporting laws are redundant.<ref>http://www.pagunrights.com/2009/08/update-on-york-pennsylvania-lost-stolen-gun-reporting-proposal/</ref>

Former prosecuting attorney C.D. Michel analyzed mandatory reporting laws, using one in Ventura County, California as an example: "Ironically, the ordinance cannot be used against the real bad guys. No law can compel lawbreakers to report themselves. So a straw purchaser who legally buys a gun cannot be compelled to report that he resold it illegally. And since it wasn't actually lost or stolen, he hasn't violated the ordinance. Similarly, if a felon prohibited from possessing a gun illegally possesses one anyway, and it is lost or stolen, he can be prosecuted for having the gun in the first place, but cannot be prosecuted for failing to incriminate himself by reporting the loss. Enforcement of these ordinances places prosecutors in a precarious legal and ethical position. Say a straw-purchaser's gun is recovered at a crime scene and traced back to him. If he lies to police claiming his gun was "stolen" when he really sold it on the black market, will we nonetheless prosecute him for something he did not do (fail to report the "stolen" gun -- which wasn't actually stolen) but to which he "confessed"? Ethics and legality aside, securing a misdemeanor conviction for failing to report a theft (that never occurred) likely prohibits prosecuting the straw purchaser for the more serious felony black market sale or for making a false statement to police. Perhaps worse, gun owners who truly are burglary victims must now hesitate to speak with police if their stolen gun is recovered at a crime scene. If the gun owner failed to report the loss at all, or on time, she faces possible criminal prosecution if she cooperates with police investigating the recovered gun. She should remain silent, get a lawyer and seek immunity first. Legal representation may also be appropriate when a gun is first discovered missing. The owner can be prosecuted if the theft is not reported within 48 hours of when the owner "should have known" the gun was missing. Proponents have made clear they believe "responsible" gun owners should know where their gun is at every single moment and "should know" a gun is gone immediately. And the fear of prosecution will encourage those who miss the 48-hour window not to report the loss at all. Effectively, these ordinances place the legitimate gun owner in jeopardy of prosecution for becoming a victim of a crime. In light of these liabilities, gun-rights groups and the criminal-defense bar have begun advising gun owners -- who would ordinarily be happy to assist police with their investigation -- that they need a lawyer if they are contacted by police."<reF>http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/aug/10/why-pass-an-ineffective-law-on-guns/</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist | 2}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org Mayors Against Illegal Guns]

[[Category:Gun control]]
[[Category:Second Amendment]]
[[Category:Liberalism]]

{{Liberalism}}

Mayors Against Illegal Guns

2010-11-20T19:36:09Z

Fongman: /* Indicted, convicted, and scandalized members */ Update, with ref

The '''Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition''' is a leftist political coalition of mayors from about 400 United States cities, with a stated agenda of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The group was formed by [[Boston]] Mayor [[Thomas Menino]] and New York Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]]. The coalition's CEO is [[Chicago]] Mayor [[Richard M. Daley]].

The majority of members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition are Democrats.

==Criticism of Methods and Hypocrisy==

Bloomberg has been sued for defamation by a Smyrna, Georgia gun dealer represented by former congressman [[Bob Barr]].<ref>http://www.insidecounsel.com/Issues/2006/September%202006/Pages/Gun-Dealer-Shoots-Back-at-NY-Mayor.aspx</ref><ref>http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2006/07/17/daily39.html</ref>

===Indicted, convicted, and scandalized members===

A substantial number of member of the coalition have been indicted in recent months, on felony charges. Here in the US, conviction of felony means the immediate loss of both the right to vote and the right to own a gun for the rest of one's life. This is an organization that espouses doing away with "illegal guns", yet a surprising number of their members have made choices in their lives that have set themselves on the path to being disenfranchised from ever owning a gun.

Personal character and integrity are prerequisites for anyone entering public office, to serve in an elected position of "special trust and confidence", such as a mayorship. Abuses of that trust, gross lapses of integrity, and forays into criminal conduct are not tolerated in our society. If anything, elected politicians are held to a higher standard than the general public, and their actions are closely watched. For an elected official to become a criminal, when they themselves are entrusted to protect us from criminals is nearly the most heinous and unforgivable thing imaginable in a democratically-ruled republic. For some of these same individuals to continue to be considered members in good standing of a "crime-fighting" organization--and not even censured by the organization--has been criticized as being hypocritical.

Three current and former members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition are currently under felony indictments, six others were recently convicted of felonies, one indicted member died of a heart attack before completion of his trial, and one member was recently convicted of a violent misdemeanor. The indicted and convicted members and former members include:
*Former Mayor Gary Becker<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/letter_to_congress_101707.pdf</ref> of Racine, Wisconsin is under five felony indictments for child pornography, attempted child sexual assault and child enticement.<ref>http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/37649499.html</ref> He resigned after pleading not guilty and being released on bond.<ref> http://www.nbc15.com/state/headlines/37567789.html</ref>He was later convicted and received a three year felony sentence in prison. <ref>http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/86273007.html</ref>
*Former Mayor David Della Donna<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/letter_to_congress_101707.pdf</ref>, of Guttenberg, New Jersey was indicted under a Federal extortion and mail fraud charges.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/29/nyregion/29fraud.html?_r=1</ref> He was convicted in 2008<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/04/jurors_in_the_federal_corrupti.html</ref> and sentenced to four years and three months in federal prison.<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/guttenberg/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1224916016161280.xml&coll=3</ref>
*Mayor [[Sheila Dixon]] was indicted in 2009 on twelve counts<ref> http://www.baltimoresun.com/media/acrobat/2009-07/48351943.pdf</ref>, comprising four counts of perjury, two counts of misconduct, three counts of theft, and three counts of fraudulent misappropriations.<ref>http://breakingnews.baltimoresun.com/2009/01/09/mayor-dixon-indicted-by-grand-jury/</ref> The felony theft charges stem partly from incidents in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 in which she allegedly misappropriated gift cards intended for the poor and used them for personal purchases.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/10/us/10baltimore.html?_r=1</ref><ref>http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/07/30/Mayor-indicted-for-theft-perjury-again/UPI-93311248967375/</ref> Dixon was eventually convicted, but on January 6, 2010, under a pre-arranged plea agreement reached with prosecutors, Dixon announced that she was resigning as Mayor, effective February 4, 2010. Under the terms of the agreement Dixon got "probation before judgment" (PBJ). A PBJ is not considered a "conviction", thus enabling her to keep her $83,000 pension.<ref>http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/business/hancock/blog/2010/01/why_sheila_dixons_pension_is_8.html</ref>
*Mayor [[Jerramiah Healy]] was convicted for obstruction of justice in 2007<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/07/jersey_city_mayor_jerramiah_he.html</ref> and more recently was implicated in the corruption sweep in New Jersey involving the sale of body parts and money laundering. In all, 44 individuals were indicted. (Healy was named as "JC Official 4" and implicated, but was not indicted, in the probe.)<ref>http://www.northjersey.com/hudson_essex/HEALY0725.html</ref><ref>http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Key-Player-in-Jersey-Corruption-Probe-Found-Dead.html</ref><ref>http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=6931021</ref>
*Former Mayor [[Kwame Kilpatrick]] was indicted, arrested, and convicted. and subsequently jailed for 99 days. Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to two felony obstruction of justice charges stemming from his efforts to cover up an extramarital affair. He also pleaded no contest to charges of assaulting a police officer attempting to serve a subpoena on a Kilpatrick friend in that case.<ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/03/national/main4771394.shtml</ref> The charges and allegations (not all against Kilpatrick himself) were of marital infidelity, conspiracy, perjury, corruption and murder.<ref>http://www.wxyz.com/content/news/detroitmayorinvestigation/default.aspx</ref> Following Kilpatrick's conviction, the [[Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms]] called on Kilpatrick to resign from the Coalition.<ref>[http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/bloomberg-anti-gun-soul-mate-kilpatrick-now/story.aspx?guid={4D97B9A9-CC96-4AEE-9547-8047955BB209}&dist=hppr Bloomberg Anti-Gun "Soul-Mate" Kilpatrick Now a Cellmate; Should Resign, Says CCRKBA - MarketWatch]</ref>
*Mayor [[Larry Langford]] was investigated in 2007 by the [[Securities and Exchange Commission|SEC]] on corruption charges. In 2008 a lawsuit was filed against him for illegally accepting $156,000 in cash and benefits. On December 1, 2008, Larry Langford was arrested by the [[FBI]] on a 101 count indictment<ref>[http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/12/0006_001.pdf Copy of indictment, via the Birmingham News]</ref> alleging conspiracy, bribery, fraud, money laundering, and filing false tax returns<ref>http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/12/0006_001.pdf</ref> in connection with a long-running bribery scheme.<ref>[http://www.myfoxal.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=7976053&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1]</ref><ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/12/01/birmingham-mayor-arrested-federal-charges/</ref><ref>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28001239/</ref> On December 1, 2008, Langford, along with [[William B. Blount]] and Al LaPierre, was arrested by the [[FBI]] on a 101-count [[indictment]] alleging [[Conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]], [[bribery]], [[fraud]], [[money laundering]], and filing false tax returns in connection with a long-running bribery scheme.<ref>[http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/12/0006_001.pdf USA vs Larry P Langford, William B Blount, Blount Parrish & Co. Inc, and Albert W Lapierre]</ref> His public corruption trial ended on October 28, 2009 with convictions on 60 counts, and resulted in his automatic removal from office.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/10/larry_langford_found_guilty.html|publisher=[[Birmingham News]]|date=2009-10-28|Larry Langford found guilty on all 60 counts}}</ref>
*Deceased Mayor [[Frank Melton]] at the time of his death was under felony indictment on civil rights charges.<ref>http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/index.php/site/comments/breaking_frank_melton_indicted_on_felony_charges/</ref> (He died before a scheduled re-trial, following a mistrial.) In 2006, Melton pled guilty to a firearms charge, stemming from a raid (in which he was armed with a concealed pistol) on a suspected crack house. Melton conducted the extra-official [[Buford Pusser]]-style raid without a warrant to "bust up" a duplex apartment, accompanied by a group of youths that were not sworn law enforcement officers. That same event led to Melton's civil rights indictment. In November 2006, he pleaded no contest to three misdemeanor charges: carrying a gun in a park and in a church, and carrying a concealed weapon.<ref>v</ref>
*Mayor [[Eddie Pérez (politician)|Eddie Perez]] was indicted on bribery, fabricating evidence, and conspiracy to fabricate evidence felony charges.<ref>http://www.inqnews.com/Article.php?id=883</ref> Perez turned himself in to state police, stating that he had a lapse in judgment but did nothing illegal, and vowed that he would not step down as Hartford's mayor.<ref>{{cite news|title=Statement By Mayor Eddie Perez|url=http://www.courant.com/news/custom/topnews/hc-webstatement0127jan27,0,2148065.story|publisher=The Hartford Courant|accessdate=2009-01-29 |date=2009-01-27}}</ref> He was arraigned on September 8, 2009.<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-09-08-hartford-mayor_N.htm</ref> His trial date was postponed to November 2009<ref>http://www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-hartford-perez-court-0825.artaug25,0,6295095.story</ref>, and then to February, 2010.<ref>http://www.1010wins.com/Judge-Delays-Corruption-Trial-of-Hartford-Mayor/5152594</ref> On September 2, 2009 Perez was again arrested, and additionally charged with first-degree larceny by extortion, stemming from a no-bid parking lot deal, unrelated to the other corruption charges.<ref>http://www.wfsb.com/politics/20685092/detail.html</ref> He again proclaimed that he would stay in office, despite these new felony charges.<ref>http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Mayor-Could-Be-Charged-Today-56711267.html</ref> He was later sentenced to three years in prison.<ref>http://www.connecticutplus.com/blogs/ctpolitics/?p=495</ref>
*Former Mayor [[Samuel Rivera]], of Passaic, New Jersey was convicted of corruption, influence peddling, and extortion charges.<ref>http://patersononline.net/potm/2008/01/16/sammy-rivera-mayor-of-passaic-indicted/</ref><ref>http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nj/press/files/pdffiles/RiveracomplaintFINAL.pdf</ref> In August 2008 he pled guilty,and was sentenced to 21 months in prison.<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/08/former_passaic_mayor_sentenced.html</ref>
*In 2008, former Mayor [[Will Wynn]] was convicted of Class C misdemeanor, for a choking assault on a man who had crashed a party.<ref>http://www.dailytexanonline.com/state-local/will-wynn-charged-with-assault-sentenced-to-community-service-1.949829</ref>

Five current members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition have been troubled by scandals that involved firearms:
*As New York Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]] came into office, he inherited a chronic firearms permit favoritism scandal from his predecessors that still remains an unresolved issue. Writing in the New York Sun, attorney [[David Kopel]] observed: "The problem is acute in New York City. Celebrities, the ultra-wealthy, and the politically influential get carry permits. But many of the people who need them the most — such as stalking victims, or crime witnesses who have been threatened by the criminal's friends — often do not."<ref>http://www.nysun.com/opinion/hellers-kitchen/80928/</ref> There are currently only about 36,169 permits to keep firearms in private homes in New York City, with the majority issued to retired police officers. Of these permit holders, only 2,516 are more liberally licensed for [[concealed carry]] outside their homes. The issuance of permits is discretionary in New York City, per Penal Law 400<ref>http://www.saf.org/LawReviews/Novak1.html</ref>. (It is considered a "may issue" locality, unlike the "shall issue" policy used for concealed carry in most other localities.) Despite "tight" restrictions on "demonstrated need or special danger", a who’s-who list of celebrities, billionaires<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/08292007/news/regionalnews/trump_junior_packin.htm</ref>, entertainers<ref>http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nypost/access/246975111.html?did=246975111&FMT=ABS&FMTS=FT&PMID=42522&desc=NYPD+BIG+UNDER+FIRE+IN+AEROSMITH+%27GOT+A+GUN%27+SCANDAL</ref>, professional athletes<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/10262008/news/regionalnews/the_mets_are_loaded_135381.htm</ref>, and politicians<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/10262008/news/regionalnews/the_mets_are_loaded_135381.htm</ref> has somehow managed to get firearms permits. This list includes New York Times publisher [[Arthur Ochs Sulzberger]], publisher [[Michael Korda]], and talk show host [[Howard Stern]].<ref>http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=1143&full=1</ref> In 2007, The New York Post reported that gun license holders include financier [[Donald Trump]], his son [[Donald Trump Jr.]], Queens district attorney Richard A. Brown, Westchester County district attorney, Janet DiFiore, music executive [[Tommy Mottola]], chief executive of Marvel Comics, [[Isaac Perlmutter]], radio show host [[Don Imus]], lawyer [[Barry Slotnick]], lawyer [[Raoul Felder]]; publisher Robert Forbes, the cab-driving political activist [[Fernando Mateo]], former new York Senate Majority Leader [[Joe Bruno]] (recently indicted for fraud), actor [[Robert De Niro]], actor [[Harvey Keitel]], film producer Martin Bregman, cosmetics heir [[Ronald Lauder]], and [[Aerosmith]] singer [[Steven Tyler]].<ref>http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nypost/access/246975111.html?did=246975111&FMT=ABS&FMTS=FT&PMID=42522&desc=NYPD+BIG+UNDER+FIRE+IN+AEROSMITH+%27GOT+A+GUN%27+SCANDAL</ref><ref>http://www.nndb.com/event/349/000172830/</ref> All of these individuals have retained their gun licenses under Bloomberg's "tough on guns" administration. The New York Post noted: "Television news anchor [[John Roland]], who let his license lapse in 2006, got his gun permit back in 2007."<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/08292007/news/regionalnews/trump_junior_packin.htm</ref> A surprisingly high number of celebrities have concealed carry permits, rather than the more common "keep at home" (premise) permits. According to The New York Times, "Mr. Bloomberg asked Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly to look at the issue, and added: 'If you want a gun permit, you should have to really show that your life is in danger, and that having a gun will protect you, will improve the chances of you surviving.'"<ref>http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/02/a-guide-to-city-gun-licenses/</ref> But despite Bloomberg's publicly-stated concern, there have been no announcements of any celebrity gun permits being rescinded, or any reforms to prevent favoritism, cronyism, bribes, or other abuse of discretion in license issuance. With a city population of 8.3 million, the 36,169 gun permit holders represent just .043% of the population and the 2,516 concealed carry permit holders represent a scant .003% of the population.
*Mayor [[Richard M. Daley]] has been criticized for the city of Chicago's long-standing practice of providing armed bodyguards for a number of city politicians, including city clerk James "Jim" Laski. In the city clerk scandal, Daley was shamed into removing the perk of the armed bodyguards for the clerk. The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' reported: "The decision was made almost immediately after Laski became the first elected official to be caught up in the Hired Truck scandal. But Daley insisted that the bribery and extortion charges against Laski were not the trigger. It was the fact that, until this week, Laski had not been showing up for work."<ref>http://www.suntimes.com/news/hired/31589,cst-nws-laski19.article</ref> Laski was later convicted of taking $48,000 in bribes and received a two year sentence.<ref>http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1621311.html</ref> Former Mayor Eugene Sawyer, City Treasurer Judy Rice and Alderman Edward M. Burke, chairman of the City Council's Finance Committee still have armed bodyguards.<ref>http://www.suntimes.com/news/hired/31589,cst-nws-laski19.article</ref>
*Mayor [[Gerald Jennings]] of Albany, New York was implicated in a scandal regarding the alleged illegal purchase of 52 machine guns.<ref>http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=773606</ref> It is unclear whether the weapons were purchased for departmental use or for the use of private individuals. Weapons were delivered to Police Department addresses but apparently paid for with private funds. The Department has not produced a list of weapons, their location, the names of the individuals who purchased them, or their disposition or destruction. At least one later turned up, illegally for sale to the public, in an area gun store. The police officer who sold the gun to the store has testified that he bought it from a Police Union official who was also the Department's armorer.<ref>http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=773606</ref> The current Chief of Police is the fifth appointed by Jennings.<ref>[http://timesunion.com/ASPStories/storyprint.asp?StoryID=630735]</ref> The case is still open.<ref> http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=773606&category=REGION</ref>
*Following the illegal seizure of firearms in the wake of [[Hurricane Katrina]], Mayor [[Ray Nagin]] settled a lawsuit and had a permanent injunction issued prohibiting Nagin or any New Orleans employee from confiscating any lawfully possessed firearm and ordering the return of hundreds of illegally confiscated firearms. (They had been confiscated at Mayor Nagin's order.).<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-10-08-nra-katrina_N.htm</ref> Nagin's administration has also been troubled by reports of improprieties with the police department evidence rooms, where guns were stolen, guns were allowed to rust, and $200,000 in cash was stolen.<ref>http://www.wwltv.com/topstories/stories/wwl011409mlevidencce.3cc661c.html</ref><ref>http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/state_auditors_report_cites_pr.html</ref>
*Mayor [[Bill White (mayor)|Bill White]]'s administration has been embarrassed by an ongoing scandal involving guns stolen from the Houston Police Department's evidence room. In January 2009, the [[Houston Chronicle]] reported: "For months, maybe years, people with criminal backgrounds had access to secure areas of the police station, including a property room from which 30 guns disappeared within six months, according to internal police documents. The documents, obtained by the Houston Chronicle, indicated that lax security created an environment ripe for theft. No one has been charged in the gun thefts, although police suspected telephone repairmen who admitted stealing other items, and a temporary employee who had access to the property room while awaiting trial on aggravated robbery charges."<ref>Houston Chronicle, "Room for Doubt", January 22, 2009</ref><ref>http://www.uslaw.com/library/Criminal_Law/Houston_Chronicle_Room_doubt.php?item=359041</ref>

==Resignations from the coalition==

===Announced resignations===

Twelve mayors that had been members<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/7_14_09_maig_letter.pdf</ref> have withdrawn from the organization, claiming either that they were misled about the group's anti-gun platform, or that they were enrolled in the coalition without their knowledge.<ref>Mayor Withdraws from anti-gun coalition, The Indianapolis Star, June 27, 2007 By: Tania E. Lopez http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070627/LOCAL0101/706270329/1015/LOCAL01</ref><ref>Letter to the Editor, Anchorage Daily News, February 4, 2007 by Mayor Mark Begich http://www.adn.com/opinion/letters/story/8614932p-8507468c.html</ref><ref>An Idaho Mayor Withdraws From Bloomberg's Gun Group, The New York Sun, January 17, 2007 By: Bradley Hope http://www.nysun.com/article/46799</ref> They are:

*[[Idaho Falls, Idaho]] Mayor Jared Fuhriman<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref>

*[[Carmel, Indiana]] Mayor James Brainard

*[[Rio Rancho, New Mexico]] Mayor Kevin Jackson<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref>

*[[Anchorage, Alaska]] Mayor Mark Begich<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref>

*[[Oldmans Township, New Jersey]] Mayor Harry Moore<ref>http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_11_53/ai_n20512691/</ref><ref>[http://sev.prnewswire.com/sports/20070709/NYM15609072007-1.html National Shooting Sports Foundation: Firearms Industry Hails New Jersey Mayor Following Resignation from Bloomberg Coalition]</ref><ref>http://www.nssf.org/share/PDF/070907_MooreResignationMAIG.pdf</ref>

*[[Walton Hills, Ohio]] Mayor Marlene Anielski,<ref>http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/printable/node/6840</ref>

*[[Williamsport, Pennsylvania]] Mayor Mary B. Wolf<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref><ref>http://www.saf.org/viewpr-new.asp?id=215</ref>

*[[ Madeira Beach, Florida]] Mayor Patricia Shontz<ref name="urlGun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns">{{cite web |url=http://www.ammoland.com/2009/09/12/gun-owners-call-mayors-out-on-mayors-against-illegal-guns/ |title=AmmoLand.Com - Gun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns |format= |work= |accessdate=2009-09-12}}</ref>

*[[Knoxville, Tennessee]] Mayor Bill Haslam<ref>http://politics.nashvillepost.com/2009/04/09/bill-haslam-joined-the-nra-in-late-february-or-early-march/</ref><ref>http://politics.nashvillepost.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/maig-2.pdf</ref>

*[[Warsaw, Indiana]] Mayor Ernest B. Wiggins<ref>http://www.timesuniononline.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=224&ArticleID=4255</ref>

*[[Sioux Falls, South Dakota]] Mayor Dave Munson<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/04/AR2009080403132_4.html?sid=ST2009080502296</ref>

*[[Houston, Texas]] Mayor Bill White<ref>http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/firstreading/entries/2009/07/28/health_care_seems_the_next_fro.html</ref>

In her resignation letter, Mayor Patricia Shontz of Madeira Beach, Florida wrote, “I am withdrawing because I believe the MAIG is attempting to erode all gun ownership, not just illegal guns. Additionally, I have learned that the MAIG may be working on issues which conflict with legal gun ownership.” She added, “It appears the MAIG has misrepresented itself to the Mayors of America and its citizens. This is gun control, not crime prevention.”<ref name="urlGun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns">{{cite web |url=http://www.ammoland.com/2009/09/12/gun-owners-call-mayors-out-on-mayors-against-illegal-guns/ |title=AmmoLand.Com - Gun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns |format= |work= |accessdate=2009-09-12}}</ref>

In his resignation letter to Bloomberg, Mayor Harry Moore stated: "It is simply unconscionable that this coalition, under your leadership, would call for a repeal of the Shelby /Tiahrt amendment that helps to safeguard criminal investigations and the lives of law enforcement officers, witnesses and others by restricting access to firearms trace data solely to law enforcement. How anyone, least of all a public official, could be willing to sacrifice such a law enforcement lifeline in order to gain an edge in suing an industry they have political differences with is repugnant to me. The fact that your campaign against this protective language consisted of overheated rhetoric, deception and falsehoods is disturbing."<ref> http://www.nssf.org/share/PDF/070907_MooreResignationMAIG.pdf</ref>

The resignations of Kevin Jackson and Jared Fuhriman left the state of Idaho completely unrepresented in the organization, and Alaska with just one representative mayor. Since Mayor [[Rocky Anderson]] of [[Salt Lake City, Utah|Salt Lake City]] left office, it has also left Utah unrepresented. Mayor [[Kathy Taylor]] of [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]] has announced that she will not seek re-election<ref> http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/0609/629082.html</ref>, and as of September, 2009, her name has been removed from the coalition's roster. This also leaves Oklahoma unrepresented.
According to the U.S. [[Conference of Mayors]] there are 1,201 cities in the US with a population of 30,000 or more that are headed by mayors.<ref>http://usmayors.org/about/overview.asp</ref> Several of the mayors in the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition represent even smaller towns and cities--particularly in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, which are disproportionately represented.

==Legislative Initiatives==
With the stated goal of reducing the number of [[straw purchase]] of guns, the coalition has favored new legislation to require mandatory reporting of lost or stolen guns.<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/local/lost-stolen.shtml</ref> As of September, 2009, seven states (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island) and the District of Columbia have laws criminalizing failure to report lost and stolen guns to law enforcement. Several other states and local governments are working to pass similar laws.<ref>http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2009/03/gun_control_proposal_on_tonigh_1.html</ref> Critics counter that straw purchases are already illegal, and hence mandatory theft and loss reporting laws are redundant.<ref>http://www.pagunrights.com/2009/08/update-on-york-pennsylvania-lost-stolen-gun-reporting-proposal/</ref>

Former prosecuting attorney C.D. Michel analyzed mandatory reporting laws, using one in Ventura County, California as an example: "Ironically, the ordinance cannot be used against the real bad guys. No law can compel lawbreakers to report themselves. So a straw purchaser who legally buys a gun cannot be compelled to report that he resold it illegally. And since it wasn't actually lost or stolen, he hasn't violated the ordinance. Similarly, if a felon prohibited from possessing a gun illegally possesses one anyway, and it is lost or stolen, he can be prosecuted for having the gun in the first place, but cannot be prosecuted for failing to incriminate himself by reporting the loss. Enforcement of these ordinances places prosecutors in a precarious legal and ethical position. Say a straw-purchaser's gun is recovered at a crime scene and traced back to him. If he lies to police claiming his gun was "stolen" when he really sold it on the black market, will we nonetheless prosecute him for something he did not do (fail to report the "stolen" gun -- which wasn't actually stolen) but to which he "confessed"? Ethics and legality aside, securing a misdemeanor conviction for failing to report a theft (that never occurred) likely prohibits prosecuting the straw purchaser for the more serious felony black market sale or for making a false statement to police. Perhaps worse, gun owners who truly are burglary victims must now hesitate to speak with police if their stolen gun is recovered at a crime scene. If the gun owner failed to report the loss at all, or on time, she faces possible criminal prosecution if she cooperates with police investigating the recovered gun. She should remain silent, get a lawyer and seek immunity first. Legal representation may also be appropriate when a gun is first discovered missing. The owner can be prosecuted if the theft is not reported within 48 hours of when the owner "should have known" the gun was missing. Proponents have made clear they believe "responsible" gun owners should know where their gun is at every single moment and "should know" a gun is gone immediately. And the fear of prosecution will encourage those who miss the 48-hour window not to report the loss at all. Effectively, these ordinances place the legitimate gun owner in jeopardy of prosecution for becoming a victim of a crime. In light of these liabilities, gun-rights groups and the criminal-defense bar have begun advising gun owners -- who would ordinarily be happy to assist police with their investigation -- that they need a lawyer if they are contacted by police."<reF>http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/aug/10/why-pass-an-ineffective-law-on-guns/</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist | 2}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org Mayors Against Illegal Guns]

[[Category:Gun control]]
[[Category:Second Amendment]]
[[Category:Liberalism]]

{{Liberalism}}

Mayors Against Illegal Guns

2010-11-20T19:32:25Z

Fongman: /* Indicted, convicted, and scandalized members */ Details, with reference

The '''Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition''' is a leftist political coalition of mayors from about 400 United States cities, with a stated agenda of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The group was formed by [[Boston]] Mayor [[Thomas Menino]] and New York Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]]. The coalition's CEO is [[Chicago]] Mayor [[Richard M. Daley]].

The majority of members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition are Democrats.

==Criticism of Methods and Hypocrisy==

Bloomberg has been sued for defamation by a Smyrna, Georgia gun dealer represented by former congressman [[Bob Barr]].<ref>http://www.insidecounsel.com/Issues/2006/September%202006/Pages/Gun-Dealer-Shoots-Back-at-NY-Mayor.aspx</ref><ref>http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2006/07/17/daily39.html</ref>

===Indicted, convicted, and scandalized members===

A substantial number of member of the coalition have been indicted in recent months, on felony charges. Here in the US, conviction of felony means the immediate loss of both the right to vote and the right to own a gun for the rest of one's life. This is an organization that espouses doing away with "illegal guns", yet a surprising number of their members have made choices in their lives that have set themselves on the path to being disenfranchised from ever owning a gun.

Personal character and integrity are prerequisites for anyone entering public office, to serve in an elected position of "special trust and confidence", such as a mayorship. Abuses of that trust, gross lapses of integrity, and forays into criminal conduct are not tolerated in our society. If anything, elected politicians are held to a higher standard than the general public, and their actions are closely watched. For an elected official to become a criminal, when they themselves are entrusted to protect us from criminals is nearly the most heinous and unforgivable thing imaginable in a democratically-ruled republic. For some of these same individuals to continue to be considered members in good standing of a "crime-fighting" organization--and not even censured by the organization--has been criticized as being hypocritical.

Three current and former members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition are currently under felony indictments, six others were recently convicted of felonies, one indicted member died of a heart attack before completion of his trial, and one member was recently convicted of a violent misdemeanor. The indicted and convicted members and former members include:
*Former Mayor Gary Becker<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/letter_to_congress_101707.pdf</ref> of Racine, Wisconsin is under five felony indictments for child pornography, attempted child sexual assault and child enticement.<ref>http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/37649499.html</ref> He resigned after pleading not guilty and being released on bond.<ref> http://www.nbc15.com/state/headlines/37567789.html</ref>He was later convicted and received a three year felony sentence in prison. <ref>http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/86273007.html</ref>
*Former Mayor David Della Donna<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/letter_to_congress_101707.pdf</ref>, of Guttenberg, New Jersey was indicted under a Federal extortion and mail fraud charges.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/29/nyregion/29fraud.html?_r=1</ref> He was convicted in 2008<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/04/jurors_in_the_federal_corrupti.html</ref> and sentenced to four years and three months in federal prison.<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/guttenberg/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1224916016161280.xml&coll=3</ref>
*Mayor [[Sheila Dixon]] was indicted in 2009 on twelve counts<ref> http://www.baltimoresun.com/media/acrobat/2009-07/48351943.pdf</ref>, comprising four counts of perjury, two counts of misconduct, three counts of theft, and three counts of fraudulent misappropriations.<ref>http://breakingnews.baltimoresun.com/2009/01/09/mayor-dixon-indicted-by-grand-jury/</ref> The felony theft charges stem partly from incidents in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 in which she allegedly misappropriated gift cards intended for the poor and used them for personal purchases.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/10/us/10baltimore.html?_r=1</ref><ref>http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/07/30/Mayor-indicted-for-theft-perjury-again/UPI-93311248967375/</ref> Dixon was eventually convicted, but on January 6, 2010, under a pre-arranged plea agreement reached with prosecutors, Dixon announced that she was resigning as Mayor, effective February 4, 2010. Under the terms of the agreement Dixon got "probation before judgment" (PBJ). A PBJ is not considered a "conviction", thus enabling her to keep her $83,000 pension.<ref>http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/business/hancock/blog/2010/01/why_sheila_dixons_pension_is_8.html</ref>
*Mayor [[Jerramiah Healy]] was convicted for obstruction of justice in 2007<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/07/jersey_city_mayor_jerramiah_he.html</ref> and more recently was implicated in the corruption sweep in New Jersey involving the sale of body parts and money laundering. In all, 44 individuals were indicted. (Healy was named as "JC Official 4" and implicated, but was not indicted, in the probe.)<ref>http://www.northjersey.com/hudson_essex/HEALY0725.html</ref><ref>http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Key-Player-in-Jersey-Corruption-Probe-Found-Dead.html</ref><ref>http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=6931021</ref>
*Former Mayor [[Kwame Kilpatrick]] was indicted, arrested, and convicted. and subsequently jailed for 99 days. Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to two felony obstruction of justice charges stemming from his efforts to cover up an extramarital affair. He also pleaded no contest to charges of assaulting a police officer attempting to serve a subpoena on a Kilpatrick friend in that case.<ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/03/national/main4771394.shtml</ref> The charges and allegations (not all against Kilpatrick himself) were of marital infidelity, conspiracy, perjury, corruption and murder.<ref>http://www.wxyz.com/content/news/detroitmayorinvestigation/default.aspx</ref> Following Kilpatrick's conviction, the [[Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms]] called on Kilpatrick to resign from the Coalition.<ref>[http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/bloomberg-anti-gun-soul-mate-kilpatrick-now/story.aspx?guid={4D97B9A9-CC96-4AEE-9547-8047955BB209}&dist=hppr Bloomberg Anti-Gun "Soul-Mate" Kilpatrick Now a Cellmate; Should Resign, Says CCRKBA - MarketWatch]</ref>
*Mayor [[Larry Langford]] was investigated in 2007 by the [[Securities and Exchange Commission|SEC]] on corruption charges. In 2008 a lawsuit was filed against him for illegally accepting $156,000 in cash and benefits. On December 1, 2008, Larry Langford was arrested by the [[FBI]] on a 101 count indictment<ref>[http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/12/0006_001.pdf Copy of indictment, via the Birmingham News]</ref> alleging conspiracy, bribery, fraud, money laundering, and filing false tax returns<ref>http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/12/0006_001.pdf</ref> in connection with a long-running bribery scheme.<ref>[http://www.myfoxal.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=7976053&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1]</ref><ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/12/01/birmingham-mayor-arrested-federal-charges/</ref><ref>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28001239/</ref> On December 1, 2008, Langford, along with [[William B. Blount]] and Al LaPierre, was arrested by the [[FBI]] on a 101-count [[indictment]] alleging [[Conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]], [[bribery]], [[fraud]], [[money laundering]], and filing false tax returns in connection with a long-running bribery scheme.<ref>[http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/12/0006_001.pdf USA vs Larry P Langford, William B Blount, Blount Parrish & Co. Inc, and Albert W Lapierre]</ref> His public corruption trial ended on October 28, 2009 with convictions on 60 counts, and resulted in his automatic removal from office.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/10/larry_langford_found_guilty.html|publisher=[[Birmingham News]]|date=2009-10-28|Larry Langford found guilty on all 60 counts}}</ref>
*Deceased Mayor [[Frank Melton]] at the time of his death was under felony indictment on civil rights charges.<ref>http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/index.php/site/comments/breaking_frank_melton_indicted_on_felony_charges/</ref> (He died before a scheduled re-trial, following a mistrial.) In 2006, Melton pled guilty to a firearms charge, stemming from a raid (in which he was armed with a concealed pistol) on a suspected crack house. Melton conducted the extra-official [[Buford Pusser]]-style raid without a warrant to "bust up" a duplex apartment, accompanied by a group of youths that were not sworn law enforcement officers. That same event led to Melton's civil rights indictment. In November 2006, he pleaded no contest to three misdemeanor charges: carrying a gun in a park and in a church, and carrying a concealed weapon.<ref>v</ref>
*Mayor [[Eddie Pérez (politician)|Eddie Perez]] was indicted on bribery, fabricating evidence, and conspiracy to fabricate evidence felony charges.<ref>http://www.inqnews.com/Article.php?id=883</ref> Perez turned himself in to state police, stating that he had a lapse in judgment but did nothing illegal, and vowed that he would not step down as Hartford's mayor.<ref>{{cite news|title=Statement By Mayor Eddie Perez|url=http://www.courant.com/news/custom/topnews/hc-webstatement0127jan27,0,2148065.story|publisher=The Hartford Courant|accessdate=2009-01-29 |date=2009-01-27}}</ref> He was arraigned on September 8, 2009.<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-09-08-hartford-mayor_N.htm</ref> His trial date was postponed to November 2009<ref>http://www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-hartford-perez-court-0825.artaug25,0,6295095.story</ref>, and then to February, 2010.<ref>http://www.1010wins.com/Judge-Delays-Corruption-Trial-of-Hartford-Mayor/5152594</ref> On September 2, 2009 Perez was again arrested, and additionally charged with first-degree larceny by extortion, stemming from a no-bid parking lot deal, unrelated to the other corruption charges.<ref>http://www.wfsb.com/politics/20685092/detail.html</ref> He again proclaimed that he would stay in office, despite these new felony charges.<ref>http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Mayor-Could-Be-Charged-Today-56711267.html</ref>
*Former Mayor [[Samuel Rivera]], of Passaic, New Jersey was convicted of corruption, influence peddling, and extortion charges.<ref>http://patersononline.net/potm/2008/01/16/sammy-rivera-mayor-of-passaic-indicted/</ref><ref>http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nj/press/files/pdffiles/RiveracomplaintFINAL.pdf</ref> In August 2008 he pled guilty,and was sentenced to 21 months in prison.<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/08/former_passaic_mayor_sentenced.html</ref>
*In 2008, former Mayor [[Will Wynn]] was convicted of Class C misdemeanor, for a choking assault on a man who had crashed a party.<ref>http://www.dailytexanonline.com/state-local/will-wynn-charged-with-assault-sentenced-to-community-service-1.949829</ref>

Five current members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition have been troubled by scandals that involved firearms:
*As New York Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]] came into office, he inherited a chronic firearms permit favoritism scandal from his predecessors that still remains an unresolved issue. Writing in the New York Sun, attorney [[David Kopel]] observed: "The problem is acute in New York City. Celebrities, the ultra-wealthy, and the politically influential get carry permits. But many of the people who need them the most — such as stalking victims, or crime witnesses who have been threatened by the criminal's friends — often do not."<ref>http://www.nysun.com/opinion/hellers-kitchen/80928/</ref> There are currently only about 36,169 permits to keep firearms in private homes in New York City, with the majority issued to retired police officers. Of these permit holders, only 2,516 are more liberally licensed for [[concealed carry]] outside their homes. The issuance of permits is discretionary in New York City, per Penal Law 400<ref>http://www.saf.org/LawReviews/Novak1.html</ref>. (It is considered a "may issue" locality, unlike the "shall issue" policy used for concealed carry in most other localities.) Despite "tight" restrictions on "demonstrated need or special danger", a who’s-who list of celebrities, billionaires<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/08292007/news/regionalnews/trump_junior_packin.htm</ref>, entertainers<ref>http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nypost/access/246975111.html?did=246975111&FMT=ABS&FMTS=FT&PMID=42522&desc=NYPD+BIG+UNDER+FIRE+IN+AEROSMITH+%27GOT+A+GUN%27+SCANDAL</ref>, professional athletes<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/10262008/news/regionalnews/the_mets_are_loaded_135381.htm</ref>, and politicians<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/10262008/news/regionalnews/the_mets_are_loaded_135381.htm</ref> has somehow managed to get firearms permits. This list includes New York Times publisher [[Arthur Ochs Sulzberger]], publisher [[Michael Korda]], and talk show host [[Howard Stern]].<ref>http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=1143&full=1</ref> In 2007, The New York Post reported that gun license holders include financier [[Donald Trump]], his son [[Donald Trump Jr.]], Queens district attorney Richard A. Brown, Westchester County district attorney, Janet DiFiore, music executive [[Tommy Mottola]], chief executive of Marvel Comics, [[Isaac Perlmutter]], radio show host [[Don Imus]], lawyer [[Barry Slotnick]], lawyer [[Raoul Felder]]; publisher Robert Forbes, the cab-driving political activist [[Fernando Mateo]], former new York Senate Majority Leader [[Joe Bruno]] (recently indicted for fraud), actor [[Robert De Niro]], actor [[Harvey Keitel]], film producer Martin Bregman, cosmetics heir [[Ronald Lauder]], and [[Aerosmith]] singer [[Steven Tyler]].<ref>http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nypost/access/246975111.html?did=246975111&FMT=ABS&FMTS=FT&PMID=42522&desc=NYPD+BIG+UNDER+FIRE+IN+AEROSMITH+%27GOT+A+GUN%27+SCANDAL</ref><ref>http://www.nndb.com/event/349/000172830/</ref> All of these individuals have retained their gun licenses under Bloomberg's "tough on guns" administration. The New York Post noted: "Television news anchor [[John Roland]], who let his license lapse in 2006, got his gun permit back in 2007."<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/08292007/news/regionalnews/trump_junior_packin.htm</ref> A surprisingly high number of celebrities have concealed carry permits, rather than the more common "keep at home" (premise) permits. According to The New York Times, "Mr. Bloomberg asked Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly to look at the issue, and added: 'If you want a gun permit, you should have to really show that your life is in danger, and that having a gun will protect you, will improve the chances of you surviving.'"<ref>http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/02/a-guide-to-city-gun-licenses/</ref> But despite Bloomberg's publicly-stated concern, there have been no announcements of any celebrity gun permits being rescinded, or any reforms to prevent favoritism, cronyism, bribes, or other abuse of discretion in license issuance. With a city population of 8.3 million, the 36,169 gun permit holders represent just .043% of the population and the 2,516 concealed carry permit holders represent a scant .003% of the population.
*Mayor [[Richard M. Daley]] has been criticized for the city of Chicago's long-standing practice of providing armed bodyguards for a number of city politicians, including city clerk James "Jim" Laski. In the city clerk scandal, Daley was shamed into removing the perk of the armed bodyguards for the clerk. The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' reported: "The decision was made almost immediately after Laski became the first elected official to be caught up in the Hired Truck scandal. But Daley insisted that the bribery and extortion charges against Laski were not the trigger. It was the fact that, until this week, Laski had not been showing up for work."<ref>http://www.suntimes.com/news/hired/31589,cst-nws-laski19.article</ref> Laski was later convicted of taking $48,000 in bribes and received a two year sentence.<ref>http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1621311.html</ref> Former Mayor Eugene Sawyer, City Treasurer Judy Rice and Alderman Edward M. Burke, chairman of the City Council's Finance Committee still have armed bodyguards.<ref>http://www.suntimes.com/news/hired/31589,cst-nws-laski19.article</ref>
*Mayor [[Gerald Jennings]] of Albany, New York was implicated in a scandal regarding the alleged illegal purchase of 52 machine guns.<ref>http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=773606</ref> It is unclear whether the weapons were purchased for departmental use or for the use of private individuals. Weapons were delivered to Police Department addresses but apparently paid for with private funds. The Department has not produced a list of weapons, their location, the names of the individuals who purchased them, or their disposition or destruction. At least one later turned up, illegally for sale to the public, in an area gun store. The police officer who sold the gun to the store has testified that he bought it from a Police Union official who was also the Department's armorer.<ref>http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=773606</ref> The current Chief of Police is the fifth appointed by Jennings.<ref>[http://timesunion.com/ASPStories/storyprint.asp?StoryID=630735]</ref> The case is still open.<ref> http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=773606&category=REGION</ref>
*Following the illegal seizure of firearms in the wake of [[Hurricane Katrina]], Mayor [[Ray Nagin]] settled a lawsuit and had a permanent injunction issued prohibiting Nagin or any New Orleans employee from confiscating any lawfully possessed firearm and ordering the return of hundreds of illegally confiscated firearms. (They had been confiscated at Mayor Nagin's order.).<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-10-08-nra-katrina_N.htm</ref> Nagin's administration has also been troubled by reports of improprieties with the police department evidence rooms, where guns were stolen, guns were allowed to rust, and $200,000 in cash was stolen.<ref>http://www.wwltv.com/topstories/stories/wwl011409mlevidencce.3cc661c.html</ref><ref>http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/state_auditors_report_cites_pr.html</ref>
*Mayor [[Bill White (mayor)|Bill White]]'s administration has been embarrassed by an ongoing scandal involving guns stolen from the Houston Police Department's evidence room. In January 2009, the [[Houston Chronicle]] reported: "For months, maybe years, people with criminal backgrounds had access to secure areas of the police station, including a property room from which 30 guns disappeared within six months, according to internal police documents. The documents, obtained by the Houston Chronicle, indicated that lax security created an environment ripe for theft. No one has been charged in the gun thefts, although police suspected telephone repairmen who admitted stealing other items, and a temporary employee who had access to the property room while awaiting trial on aggravated robbery charges."<ref>Houston Chronicle, "Room for Doubt", January 22, 2009</ref><ref>http://www.uslaw.com/library/Criminal_Law/Houston_Chronicle_Room_doubt.php?item=359041</ref>

==Resignations from the coalition==

===Announced resignations===

Twelve mayors that had been members<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/7_14_09_maig_letter.pdf</ref> have withdrawn from the organization, claiming either that they were misled about the group's anti-gun platform, or that they were enrolled in the coalition without their knowledge.<ref>Mayor Withdraws from anti-gun coalition, The Indianapolis Star, June 27, 2007 By: Tania E. Lopez http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070627/LOCAL0101/706270329/1015/LOCAL01</ref><ref>Letter to the Editor, Anchorage Daily News, February 4, 2007 by Mayor Mark Begich http://www.adn.com/opinion/letters/story/8614932p-8507468c.html</ref><ref>An Idaho Mayor Withdraws From Bloomberg's Gun Group, The New York Sun, January 17, 2007 By: Bradley Hope http://www.nysun.com/article/46799</ref> They are:

*[[Idaho Falls, Idaho]] Mayor Jared Fuhriman<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref>

*[[Carmel, Indiana]] Mayor James Brainard

*[[Rio Rancho, New Mexico]] Mayor Kevin Jackson<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref>

*[[Anchorage, Alaska]] Mayor Mark Begich<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref>

*[[Oldmans Township, New Jersey]] Mayor Harry Moore<ref>http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_11_53/ai_n20512691/</ref><ref>[http://sev.prnewswire.com/sports/20070709/NYM15609072007-1.html National Shooting Sports Foundation: Firearms Industry Hails New Jersey Mayor Following Resignation from Bloomberg Coalition]</ref><ref>http://www.nssf.org/share/PDF/070907_MooreResignationMAIG.pdf</ref>

*[[Walton Hills, Ohio]] Mayor Marlene Anielski,<ref>http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/printable/node/6840</ref>

*[[Williamsport, Pennsylvania]] Mayor Mary B. Wolf<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref><ref>http://www.saf.org/viewpr-new.asp?id=215</ref>

*[[ Madeira Beach, Florida]] Mayor Patricia Shontz<ref name="urlGun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns">{{cite web |url=http://www.ammoland.com/2009/09/12/gun-owners-call-mayors-out-on-mayors-against-illegal-guns/ |title=AmmoLand.Com - Gun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns |format= |work= |accessdate=2009-09-12}}</ref>

*[[Knoxville, Tennessee]] Mayor Bill Haslam<ref>http://politics.nashvillepost.com/2009/04/09/bill-haslam-joined-the-nra-in-late-february-or-early-march/</ref><ref>http://politics.nashvillepost.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/maig-2.pdf</ref>

*[[Warsaw, Indiana]] Mayor Ernest B. Wiggins<ref>http://www.timesuniononline.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=224&ArticleID=4255</ref>

*[[Sioux Falls, South Dakota]] Mayor Dave Munson<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/04/AR2009080403132_4.html?sid=ST2009080502296</ref>

*[[Houston, Texas]] Mayor Bill White<ref>http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/firstreading/entries/2009/07/28/health_care_seems_the_next_fro.html</ref>

In her resignation letter, Mayor Patricia Shontz of Madeira Beach, Florida wrote, “I am withdrawing because I believe the MAIG is attempting to erode all gun ownership, not just illegal guns. Additionally, I have learned that the MAIG may be working on issues which conflict with legal gun ownership.” She added, “It appears the MAIG has misrepresented itself to the Mayors of America and its citizens. This is gun control, not crime prevention.”<ref name="urlGun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns">{{cite web |url=http://www.ammoland.com/2009/09/12/gun-owners-call-mayors-out-on-mayors-against-illegal-guns/ |title=AmmoLand.Com - Gun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns |format= |work= |accessdate=2009-09-12}}</ref>

In his resignation letter to Bloomberg, Mayor Harry Moore stated: "It is simply unconscionable that this coalition, under your leadership, would call for a repeal of the Shelby /Tiahrt amendment that helps to safeguard criminal investigations and the lives of law enforcement officers, witnesses and others by restricting access to firearms trace data solely to law enforcement. How anyone, least of all a public official, could be willing to sacrifice such a law enforcement lifeline in order to gain an edge in suing an industry they have political differences with is repugnant to me. The fact that your campaign against this protective language consisted of overheated rhetoric, deception and falsehoods is disturbing."<ref> http://www.nssf.org/share/PDF/070907_MooreResignationMAIG.pdf</ref>

The resignations of Kevin Jackson and Jared Fuhriman left the state of Idaho completely unrepresented in the organization, and Alaska with just one representative mayor. Since Mayor [[Rocky Anderson]] of [[Salt Lake City, Utah|Salt Lake City]] left office, it has also left Utah unrepresented. Mayor [[Kathy Taylor]] of [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]] has announced that she will not seek re-election<ref> http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/0609/629082.html</ref>, and as of September, 2009, her name has been removed from the coalition's roster. This also leaves Oklahoma unrepresented.
According to the U.S. [[Conference of Mayors]] there are 1,201 cities in the US with a population of 30,000 or more that are headed by mayors.<ref>http://usmayors.org/about/overview.asp</ref> Several of the mayors in the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition represent even smaller towns and cities--particularly in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, which are disproportionately represented.

==Legislative Initiatives==
With the stated goal of reducing the number of [[straw purchase]] of guns, the coalition has favored new legislation to require mandatory reporting of lost or stolen guns.<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/local/lost-stolen.shtml</ref> As of September, 2009, seven states (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island) and the District of Columbia have laws criminalizing failure to report lost and stolen guns to law enforcement. Several other states and local governments are working to pass similar laws.<ref>http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2009/03/gun_control_proposal_on_tonigh_1.html</ref> Critics counter that straw purchases are already illegal, and hence mandatory theft and loss reporting laws are redundant.<ref>http://www.pagunrights.com/2009/08/update-on-york-pennsylvania-lost-stolen-gun-reporting-proposal/</ref>

Former prosecuting attorney C.D. Michel analyzed mandatory reporting laws, using one in Ventura County, California as an example: "Ironically, the ordinance cannot be used against the real bad guys. No law can compel lawbreakers to report themselves. So a straw purchaser who legally buys a gun cannot be compelled to report that he resold it illegally. And since it wasn't actually lost or stolen, he hasn't violated the ordinance. Similarly, if a felon prohibited from possessing a gun illegally possesses one anyway, and it is lost or stolen, he can be prosecuted for having the gun in the first place, but cannot be prosecuted for failing to incriminate himself by reporting the loss. Enforcement of these ordinances places prosecutors in a precarious legal and ethical position. Say a straw-purchaser's gun is recovered at a crime scene and traced back to him. If he lies to police claiming his gun was "stolen" when he really sold it on the black market, will we nonetheless prosecute him for something he did not do (fail to report the "stolen" gun -- which wasn't actually stolen) but to which he "confessed"? Ethics and legality aside, securing a misdemeanor conviction for failing to report a theft (that never occurred) likely prohibits prosecuting the straw purchaser for the more serious felony black market sale or for making a false statement to police. Perhaps worse, gun owners who truly are burglary victims must now hesitate to speak with police if their stolen gun is recovered at a crime scene. If the gun owner failed to report the loss at all, or on time, she faces possible criminal prosecution if she cooperates with police investigating the recovered gun. She should remain silent, get a lawyer and seek immunity first. Legal representation may also be appropriate when a gun is first discovered missing. The owner can be prosecuted if the theft is not reported within 48 hours of when the owner "should have known" the gun was missing. Proponents have made clear they believe "responsible" gun owners should know where their gun is at every single moment and "should know" a gun is gone immediately. And the fear of prosecution will encourage those who miss the 48-hour window not to report the loss at all. Effectively, these ordinances place the legitimate gun owner in jeopardy of prosecution for becoming a victim of a crime. In light of these liabilities, gun-rights groups and the criminal-defense bar have begun advising gun owners -- who would ordinarily be happy to assist police with their investigation -- that they need a lawyer if they are contacted by police."<reF>http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/aug/10/why-pass-an-ineffective-law-on-guns/</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist | 2}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org Mayors Against Illegal Guns]

[[Category:Gun control]]
[[Category:Second Amendment]]
[[Category:Liberalism]]

{{Liberalism}}

Mayors Against Illegal Guns

2010-11-20T19:20:56Z

Fongman: Update, with reference

The '''Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition''' is a leftist political coalition of mayors from about 400 United States cities, with a stated agenda of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The group was formed by [[Boston]] Mayor [[Thomas Menino]] and New York Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]]. The coalition's CEO is [[Chicago]] Mayor [[Richard M. Daley]].

The majority of members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition are Democrats.

==Criticism of Methods and Hypocrisy==

Bloomberg has been sued for defamation by a Smyrna, Georgia gun dealer represented by former congressman [[Bob Barr]].<ref>http://www.insidecounsel.com/Issues/2006/September%202006/Pages/Gun-Dealer-Shoots-Back-at-NY-Mayor.aspx</ref><ref>http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2006/07/17/daily39.html</ref>

===Indicted, convicted, and scandalized members===

A substantial number of member of the coalition have been indicted in recent months, on felony charges. Here in the US, conviction of felony means the immediate loss of both the right to vote and the right to own a gun for the rest of one's life. This is an organization that espouses doing away with "illegal guns", yet a surprising number of their members have made choices in their lives that have set themselves on the path to being disenfranchised from ever owning a gun.

Personal character and integrity are prerequisites for anyone entering public office, to serve in an elected position of "special trust and confidence", such as a mayorship. Abuses of that trust, gross lapses of integrity, and forays into criminal conduct are not tolerated in our society. If anything, elected politicians are held to a higher standard than the general public, and their actions are closely watched. For an elected official to become a criminal, when they themselves are entrusted to protect us from criminals is nearly the most heinous and unforgivable thing imaginable in a democratically-ruled republic. For some of these same individuals to continue to be considered members in good standing of a "crime-fighting" organization--and not even censured by the organization--has been criticized as being hypocritical.

Three current and former members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition are currently under felony indictments, six others were recently convicted of felonies, one indicted member died of a heart attack before completion of his trial, and one member was recently convicted of a violent misdemeanor. The indicted and convicted members and former members include:
*Former Mayor Gary Becker<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/letter_to_congress_101707.pdf</ref> of Racine, Wisconsin is under five felony indictments for child pornography, attempted child sexual assault and child enticement.<ref>http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/37649499.html</ref> He resigned after pleading not guilty and being released on bond.<ref> http://www.nbc15.com/state/headlines/37567789.html</ref>He was later convicted and received a three year felony sentence in prison. <ref>http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/86273007.html</ref>
*Former Mayor David Della Donna<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/letter_to_congress_101707.pdf</ref>, of Guttenberg, New Jersey was indicted under a Federal extortion and mail fraud charges.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/29/nyregion/29fraud.html?_r=1</ref> He was convicted in 2008<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/04/jurors_in_the_federal_corrupti.html</ref> and sentenced to four years and three months in federal prison.<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/guttenberg/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1224916016161280.xml&coll=3</ref>
*Mayor [[Sheila Dixon]] was indicted in 2009 on twelve counts<ref> http://www.baltimoresun.com/media/acrobat/2009-07/48351943.pdf</ref>, comprising four counts of perjury, two counts of misconduct, three counts of theft, and three counts of fraudulent misappropriations.<ref>http://breakingnews.baltimoresun.com/2009/01/09/mayor-dixon-indicted-by-grand-jury/</ref> The felony theft charges stem partly from incidents in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 in which she allegedly misappropriated gift cards intended for the poor and used them for personal purchases.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/10/us/10baltimore.html?_r=1</ref><ref>http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/07/30/Mayor-indicted-for-theft-perjury-again/UPI-93311248967375/</ref> Dixon's trial, originally scheduled for September 8, 2009, was postponed to November 9, 2009.<ref>[http://breakingnews.baltimoresun.com/2009/08/05/dixons-trial-postponed-until-november/]</ref>
*Mayor [[Jerramiah Healy]] was convicted for obstruction of justice in 2007<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/07/jersey_city_mayor_jerramiah_he.html</ref> and more recently was implicated in the corruption sweep in New Jersey involving the sale of body parts and money laundering. In all, 44 individuals were indicted. (Healy was named as "JC Official 4" and implicated, but was not indicted, in the probe.)<ref>http://www.northjersey.com/hudson_essex/HEALY0725.html</ref><ref>http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Key-Player-in-Jersey-Corruption-Probe-Found-Dead.html</ref><ref>http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=6931021</ref>
*Former Mayor [[Kwame Kilpatrick]] was indicted, arrested, and convicted. and subsequently jailed for 99 days. Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to two felony obstruction of justice charges stemming from his efforts to cover up an extramarital affair. He also pleaded no contest to charges of assaulting a police officer attempting to serve a subpoena on a Kilpatrick friend in that case.<ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/03/national/main4771394.shtml</ref> The charges and allegations (not all against Kilpatrick himself) were of marital infidelity, conspiracy, perjury, corruption and murder.<ref>http://www.wxyz.com/content/news/detroitmayorinvestigation/default.aspx</ref> Following Kilpatrick's conviction, the [[Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms]] called on Kilpatrick to resign from the Coalition.<ref>[http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/bloomberg-anti-gun-soul-mate-kilpatrick-now/story.aspx?guid={4D97B9A9-CC96-4AEE-9547-8047955BB209}&dist=hppr Bloomberg Anti-Gun "Soul-Mate" Kilpatrick Now a Cellmate; Should Resign, Says CCRKBA - MarketWatch]</ref>
*Mayor [[Larry Langford]] was investigated in 2007 by the [[Securities and Exchange Commission|SEC]] on corruption charges. In 2008 a lawsuit was filed against him for illegally accepting $156,000 in cash and benefits. On December 1, 2008, Larry Langford was arrested by the [[FBI]] on a 101 count indictment<ref>[http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/12/0006_001.pdf Copy of indictment, via the Birmingham News]</ref> alleging conspiracy, bribery, fraud, money laundering, and filing false tax returns<ref>http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/12/0006_001.pdf</ref> in connection with a long-running bribery scheme.<ref>[http://www.myfoxal.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=7976053&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1]</ref><ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/12/01/birmingham-mayor-arrested-federal-charges/</ref><ref>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28001239/</ref> On December 1, 2008, Langford, along with [[William B. Blount]] and Al LaPierre, was arrested by the [[FBI]] on a 101-count [[indictment]] alleging [[Conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]], [[bribery]], [[fraud]], [[money laundering]], and filing false tax returns in connection with a long-running bribery scheme.<ref>[http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/12/0006_001.pdf USA vs Larry P Langford, William B Blount, Blount Parrish & Co. Inc, and Albert W Lapierre]</ref> His public corruption trial ended on October 28, 2009 with convictions on 60 counts, and resulted in his automatic removal from office.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/10/larry_langford_found_guilty.html|publisher=[[Birmingham News]]|date=2009-10-28|Larry Langford found guilty on all 60 counts}}</ref>
*Deceased Mayor [[Frank Melton]] at the time of his death was under felony indictment on civil rights charges.<ref>http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/index.php/site/comments/breaking_frank_melton_indicted_on_felony_charges/</ref> (He died before a scheduled re-trial, following a mistrial.) In 2006, Melton pled guilty to a firearms charge, stemming from a raid (in which he was armed with a concealed pistol) on a suspected crack house. Melton conducted the extra-official [[Buford Pusser]]-style raid without a warrant to "bust up" a duplex apartment, accompanied by a group of youths that were not sworn law enforcement officers. That same event led to Melton's civil rights indictment. In November 2006, he pleaded no contest to three misdemeanor charges: carrying a gun in a park and in a church, and carrying a concealed weapon.<ref>v</ref>
*Mayor [[Eddie Pérez (politician)|Eddie Perez]] was indicted on bribery, fabricating evidence, and conspiracy to fabricate evidence felony charges.<ref>http://www.inqnews.com/Article.php?id=883</ref> Perez turned himself in to state police, stating that he had a lapse in judgment but did nothing illegal, and vowed that he would not step down as Hartford's mayor.<ref>{{cite news|title=Statement By Mayor Eddie Perez|url=http://www.courant.com/news/custom/topnews/hc-webstatement0127jan27,0,2148065.story|publisher=The Hartford Courant|accessdate=2009-01-29 |date=2009-01-27}}</ref> He was arraigned on September 8, 2009.<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-09-08-hartford-mayor_N.htm</ref> His trial date was postponed to November 2009<ref>http://www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-hartford-perez-court-0825.artaug25,0,6295095.story</ref>, and then to February, 2010.<ref>http://www.1010wins.com/Judge-Delays-Corruption-Trial-of-Hartford-Mayor/5152594</ref> On September 2, 2009 Perez was again arrested, and additionally charged with first-degree larceny by extortion, stemming from a no-bid parking lot deal, unrelated to the other corruption charges.<ref>http://www.wfsb.com/politics/20685092/detail.html</ref> He again proclaimed that he would stay in office, despite these new felony charges.<ref>http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Mayor-Could-Be-Charged-Today-56711267.html</ref>
*Former Mayor [[Samuel Rivera]], of Passaic, New Jersey was convicted of corruption, influence peddling, and extortion charges.<ref>http://patersononline.net/potm/2008/01/16/sammy-rivera-mayor-of-passaic-indicted/</ref><ref>http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nj/press/files/pdffiles/RiveracomplaintFINAL.pdf</ref> In August 2008 he pled guilty,and was sentenced to 21 months in prison.<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/08/former_passaic_mayor_sentenced.html</ref>
*In 2008, former Mayor [[Will Wynn]] was convicted of Class C misdemeanor, for a choking assault on a man who had crashed a party.<ref>http://www.dailytexanonline.com/state-local/will-wynn-charged-with-assault-sentenced-to-community-service-1.949829</ref>

Five current members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition have been troubled by scandals that involved firearms:
*As New York Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]] came into office, he inherited a chronic firearms permit favoritism scandal from his predecessors that still remains an unresolved issue. Writing in the New York Sun, attorney [[David Kopel]] observed: "The problem is acute in New York City. Celebrities, the ultra-wealthy, and the politically influential get carry permits. But many of the people who need them the most — such as stalking victims, or crime witnesses who have been threatened by the criminal's friends — often do not."<ref>http://www.nysun.com/opinion/hellers-kitchen/80928/</ref> There are currently only about 36,169 permits to keep firearms in private homes in New York City, with the majority issued to retired police officers. Of these permit holders, only 2,516 are more liberally licensed for [[concealed carry]] outside their homes. The issuance of permits is discretionary in New York City, per Penal Law 400<ref>http://www.saf.org/LawReviews/Novak1.html</ref>. (It is considered a "may issue" locality, unlike the "shall issue" policy used for concealed carry in most other localities.) Despite "tight" restrictions on "demonstrated need or special danger", a who’s-who list of celebrities, billionaires<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/08292007/news/regionalnews/trump_junior_packin.htm</ref>, entertainers<ref>http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nypost/access/246975111.html?did=246975111&FMT=ABS&FMTS=FT&PMID=42522&desc=NYPD+BIG+UNDER+FIRE+IN+AEROSMITH+%27GOT+A+GUN%27+SCANDAL</ref>, professional athletes<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/10262008/news/regionalnews/the_mets_are_loaded_135381.htm</ref>, and politicians<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/10262008/news/regionalnews/the_mets_are_loaded_135381.htm</ref> has somehow managed to get firearms permits. This list includes New York Times publisher [[Arthur Ochs Sulzberger]], publisher [[Michael Korda]], and talk show host [[Howard Stern]].<ref>http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=1143&full=1</ref> In 2007, The New York Post reported that gun license holders include financier [[Donald Trump]], his son [[Donald Trump Jr.]], Queens district attorney Richard A. Brown, Westchester County district attorney, Janet DiFiore, music executive [[Tommy Mottola]], chief executive of Marvel Comics, [[Isaac Perlmutter]], radio show host [[Don Imus]], lawyer [[Barry Slotnick]], lawyer [[Raoul Felder]]; publisher Robert Forbes, the cab-driving political activist [[Fernando Mateo]], former new York Senate Majority Leader [[Joe Bruno]] (recently indicted for fraud), actor [[Robert De Niro]], actor [[Harvey Keitel]], film producer Martin Bregman, cosmetics heir [[Ronald Lauder]], and [[Aerosmith]] singer [[Steven Tyler]].<ref>http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nypost/access/246975111.html?did=246975111&FMT=ABS&FMTS=FT&PMID=42522&desc=NYPD+BIG+UNDER+FIRE+IN+AEROSMITH+%27GOT+A+GUN%27+SCANDAL</ref><ref>http://www.nndb.com/event/349/000172830/</ref> All of these individuals have retained their gun licenses under Bloomberg's "tough on guns" administration. The New York Post noted: "Television news anchor [[John Roland]], who let his license lapse in 2006, got his gun permit back in 2007."<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/08292007/news/regionalnews/trump_junior_packin.htm</ref> A surprisingly high number of celebrities have concealed carry permits, rather than the more common "keep at home" (premise) permits. According to The New York Times, "Mr. Bloomberg asked Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly to look at the issue, and added: 'If you want a gun permit, you should have to really show that your life is in danger, and that having a gun will protect you, will improve the chances of you surviving.'"<ref>http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/02/a-guide-to-city-gun-licenses/</ref> But despite Bloomberg's publicly-stated concern, there have been no announcements of any celebrity gun permits being rescinded, or any reforms to prevent favoritism, cronyism, bribes, or other abuse of discretion in license issuance. With a city population of 8.3 million, the 36,169 gun permit holders represent just .043% of the population and the 2,516 concealed carry permit holders represent a scant .003% of the population.
*Mayor [[Richard M. Daley]] has been criticized for the city of Chicago's long-standing practice of providing armed bodyguards for a number of city politicians, including city clerk James "Jim" Laski. In the city clerk scandal, Daley was shamed into removing the perk of the armed bodyguards for the clerk. The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' reported: "The decision was made almost immediately after Laski became the first elected official to be caught up in the Hired Truck scandal. But Daley insisted that the bribery and extortion charges against Laski were not the trigger. It was the fact that, until this week, Laski had not been showing up for work."<ref>http://www.suntimes.com/news/hired/31589,cst-nws-laski19.article</ref> Laski was later convicted of taking $48,000 in bribes and received a two year sentence.<ref>http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1621311.html</ref> Former Mayor Eugene Sawyer, City Treasurer Judy Rice and Alderman Edward M. Burke, chairman of the City Council's Finance Committee still have armed bodyguards.<ref>http://www.suntimes.com/news/hired/31589,cst-nws-laski19.article</ref>
*Mayor [[Gerald Jennings]] of Albany, New York was implicated in a scandal regarding the alleged illegal purchase of 52 machine guns.<ref>http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=773606</ref> It is unclear whether the weapons were purchased for departmental use or for the use of private individuals. Weapons were delivered to Police Department addresses but apparently paid for with private funds. The Department has not produced a list of weapons, their location, the names of the individuals who purchased them, or their disposition or destruction. At least one later turned up, illegally for sale to the public, in an area gun store. The police officer who sold the gun to the store has testified that he bought it from a Police Union official who was also the Department's armorer.<ref>http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=773606</ref> The current Chief of Police is the fifth appointed by Jennings.<ref>[http://timesunion.com/ASPStories/storyprint.asp?StoryID=630735]</ref> The case is still open.<ref> http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=773606&category=REGION</ref>
*Following the illegal seizure of firearms in the wake of [[Hurricane Katrina]], Mayor [[Ray Nagin]] settled a lawsuit and had a permanent injunction issued prohibiting Nagin or any New Orleans employee from confiscating any lawfully possessed firearm and ordering the return of hundreds of illegally confiscated firearms. (They had been confiscated at Mayor Nagin's order.).<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-10-08-nra-katrina_N.htm</ref> Nagin's administration has also been troubled by reports of improprieties with the police department evidence rooms, where guns were stolen, guns were allowed to rust, and $200,000 in cash was stolen.<ref>http://www.wwltv.com/topstories/stories/wwl011409mlevidencce.3cc661c.html</ref><ref>http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/state_auditors_report_cites_pr.html</ref>
*Mayor [[Bill White (mayor)|Bill White]]'s administration has been embarrassed by an ongoing scandal involving guns stolen from the Houston Police Department's evidence room. In January 2009, the [[Houston Chronicle]] reported: "For months, maybe years, people with criminal backgrounds had access to secure areas of the police station, including a property room from which 30 guns disappeared within six months, according to internal police documents. The documents, obtained by the Houston Chronicle, indicated that lax security created an environment ripe for theft. No one has been charged in the gun thefts, although police suspected telephone repairmen who admitted stealing other items, and a temporary employee who had access to the property room while awaiting trial on aggravated robbery charges."<ref>Houston Chronicle, "Room for Doubt", January 22, 2009</ref><ref>http://www.uslaw.com/library/Criminal_Law/Houston_Chronicle_Room_doubt.php?item=359041</ref>

==Resignations from the coalition==

===Announced resignations===

Twelve mayors that had been members<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/7_14_09_maig_letter.pdf</ref> have withdrawn from the organization, claiming either that they were misled about the group's anti-gun platform, or that they were enrolled in the coalition without their knowledge.<ref>Mayor Withdraws from anti-gun coalition, The Indianapolis Star, June 27, 2007 By: Tania E. Lopez http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070627/LOCAL0101/706270329/1015/LOCAL01</ref><ref>Letter to the Editor, Anchorage Daily News, February 4, 2007 by Mayor Mark Begich http://www.adn.com/opinion/letters/story/8614932p-8507468c.html</ref><ref>An Idaho Mayor Withdraws From Bloomberg's Gun Group, The New York Sun, January 17, 2007 By: Bradley Hope http://www.nysun.com/article/46799</ref> They are:

*[[Idaho Falls, Idaho]] Mayor Jared Fuhriman<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref>

*[[Carmel, Indiana]] Mayor James Brainard

*[[Rio Rancho, New Mexico]] Mayor Kevin Jackson<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref>

*[[Anchorage, Alaska]] Mayor Mark Begich<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref>

*[[Oldmans Township, New Jersey]] Mayor Harry Moore<ref>http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_11_53/ai_n20512691/</ref><ref>[http://sev.prnewswire.com/sports/20070709/NYM15609072007-1.html National Shooting Sports Foundation: Firearms Industry Hails New Jersey Mayor Following Resignation from Bloomberg Coalition]</ref><ref>http://www.nssf.org/share/PDF/070907_MooreResignationMAIG.pdf</ref>

*[[Walton Hills, Ohio]] Mayor Marlene Anielski,<ref>http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/printable/node/6840</ref>

*[[Williamsport, Pennsylvania]] Mayor Mary B. Wolf<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref><ref>http://www.saf.org/viewpr-new.asp?id=215</ref>

*[[ Madeira Beach, Florida]] Mayor Patricia Shontz<ref name="urlGun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns">{{cite web |url=http://www.ammoland.com/2009/09/12/gun-owners-call-mayors-out-on-mayors-against-illegal-guns/ |title=AmmoLand.Com - Gun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns |format= |work= |accessdate=2009-09-12}}</ref>

*[[Knoxville, Tennessee]] Mayor Bill Haslam<ref>http://politics.nashvillepost.com/2009/04/09/bill-haslam-joined-the-nra-in-late-february-or-early-march/</ref><ref>http://politics.nashvillepost.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/maig-2.pdf</ref>

*[[Warsaw, Indiana]] Mayor Ernest B. Wiggins<ref>http://www.timesuniononline.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=224&ArticleID=4255</ref>

*[[Sioux Falls, South Dakota]] Mayor Dave Munson<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/04/AR2009080403132_4.html?sid=ST2009080502296</ref>

*[[Houston, Texas]] Mayor Bill White<ref>http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/firstreading/entries/2009/07/28/health_care_seems_the_next_fro.html</ref>

In her resignation letter, Mayor Patricia Shontz of Madeira Beach, Florida wrote, “I am withdrawing because I believe the MAIG is attempting to erode all gun ownership, not just illegal guns. Additionally, I have learned that the MAIG may be working on issues which conflict with legal gun ownership.” She added, “It appears the MAIG has misrepresented itself to the Mayors of America and its citizens. This is gun control, not crime prevention.”<ref name="urlGun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns">{{cite web |url=http://www.ammoland.com/2009/09/12/gun-owners-call-mayors-out-on-mayors-against-illegal-guns/ |title=AmmoLand.Com - Gun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns |format= |work= |accessdate=2009-09-12}}</ref>

In his resignation letter to Bloomberg, Mayor Harry Moore stated: "It is simply unconscionable that this coalition, under your leadership, would call for a repeal of the Shelby /Tiahrt amendment that helps to safeguard criminal investigations and the lives of law enforcement officers, witnesses and others by restricting access to firearms trace data solely to law enforcement. How anyone, least of all a public official, could be willing to sacrifice such a law enforcement lifeline in order to gain an edge in suing an industry they have political differences with is repugnant to me. The fact that your campaign against this protective language consisted of overheated rhetoric, deception and falsehoods is disturbing."<ref> http://www.nssf.org/share/PDF/070907_MooreResignationMAIG.pdf</ref>

The resignations of Kevin Jackson and Jared Fuhriman left the state of Idaho completely unrepresented in the organization, and Alaska with just one representative mayor. Since Mayor [[Rocky Anderson]] of [[Salt Lake City, Utah|Salt Lake City]] left office, it has also left Utah unrepresented. Mayor [[Kathy Taylor]] of [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]] has announced that she will not seek re-election<ref> http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/0609/629082.html</ref>, and as of September, 2009, her name has been removed from the coalition's roster. This also leaves Oklahoma unrepresented.
According to the U.S. [[Conference of Mayors]] there are 1,201 cities in the US with a population of 30,000 or more that are headed by mayors.<ref>http://usmayors.org/about/overview.asp</ref> Several of the mayors in the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition represent even smaller towns and cities--particularly in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, which are disproportionately represented.

==Legislative Initiatives==
With the stated goal of reducing the number of [[straw purchase]] of guns, the coalition has favored new legislation to require mandatory reporting of lost or stolen guns.<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/local/lost-stolen.shtml</ref> As of September, 2009, seven states (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island) and the District of Columbia have laws criminalizing failure to report lost and stolen guns to law enforcement. Several other states and local governments are working to pass similar laws.<ref>http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2009/03/gun_control_proposal_on_tonigh_1.html</ref> Critics counter that straw purchases are already illegal, and hence mandatory theft and loss reporting laws are redundant.<ref>http://www.pagunrights.com/2009/08/update-on-york-pennsylvania-lost-stolen-gun-reporting-proposal/</ref>

Former prosecuting attorney C.D. Michel analyzed mandatory reporting laws, using one in Ventura County, California as an example: "Ironically, the ordinance cannot be used against the real bad guys. No law can compel lawbreakers to report themselves. So a straw purchaser who legally buys a gun cannot be compelled to report that he resold it illegally. And since it wasn't actually lost or stolen, he hasn't violated the ordinance. Similarly, if a felon prohibited from possessing a gun illegally possesses one anyway, and it is lost or stolen, he can be prosecuted for having the gun in the first place, but cannot be prosecuted for failing to incriminate himself by reporting the loss. Enforcement of these ordinances places prosecutors in a precarious legal and ethical position. Say a straw-purchaser's gun is recovered at a crime scene and traced back to him. If he lies to police claiming his gun was "stolen" when he really sold it on the black market, will we nonetheless prosecute him for something he did not do (fail to report the "stolen" gun -- which wasn't actually stolen) but to which he "confessed"? Ethics and legality aside, securing a misdemeanor conviction for failing to report a theft (that never occurred) likely prohibits prosecuting the straw purchaser for the more serious felony black market sale or for making a false statement to police. Perhaps worse, gun owners who truly are burglary victims must now hesitate to speak with police if their stolen gun is recovered at a crime scene. If the gun owner failed to report the loss at all, or on time, she faces possible criminal prosecution if she cooperates with police investigating the recovered gun. She should remain silent, get a lawyer and seek immunity first. Legal representation may also be appropriate when a gun is first discovered missing. The owner can be prosecuted if the theft is not reported within 48 hours of when the owner "should have known" the gun was missing. Proponents have made clear they believe "responsible" gun owners should know where their gun is at every single moment and "should know" a gun is gone immediately. And the fear of prosecution will encourage those who miss the 48-hour window not to report the loss at all. Effectively, these ordinances place the legitimate gun owner in jeopardy of prosecution for becoming a victim of a crime. In light of these liabilities, gun-rights groups and the criminal-defense bar have begun advising gun owners -- who would ordinarily be happy to assist police with their investigation -- that they need a lawyer if they are contacted by police."<reF>http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/aug/10/why-pass-an-ineffective-law-on-guns/</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist | 2}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org Mayors Against Illegal Guns]

[[Category:Gun control]]
[[Category:Second Amendment]]
[[Category:Liberalism]]

{{Liberalism}}

George Nonte

2010-03-07T21:52:11Z

Fongman: I was the SIOLE author of this draft article. I'm copying it to Conservapedia in case it gets zapped as "non-notable" at WP

'''Major George C. Nonte Jr.''' (February 9, 1926 – June 30, 1978) was an [[United States|American]] expert on [[firearms]] and [[handloading]] a prolific magazine writer, and the author of more than a dozen books.

Nonte was born on February 9, 1926 in Monticello, Illinois.<ref>http://shootingwithhobie.blogspot.com/2008_06_01_archive.html</ref> He was the son of George C. Nonte Sr., (b. Dec. 17, 1898 d. Oct. 6, 1959.) George Jr. entered the U.S. Army late in WWII and retired 20 years later, in 1964, as an [[Ordnance Corps]] Major. He was stationed in Europe, the Middle East, and in the United States. Following his retirement from the Army, he sporadically did private contract consulting work for a US government agency, throughout the 1960s and 1970s, much of it overseas. Nonte authored more than a thousand magazine articles that were published in dozens of outdoor and gun magazines, including ''The [[American Rifleman]]'', ''[[Guns & Ammo]]'', and ''[[Shooting Times]]''.

He was a recognized expert in the firearms field. In the 1950s he began a long career as a writer on handloading and [[guns]], and was listed in the mastheads of more than ten firearms publications.

Nonte frequently gave court testimony as an expert witness on firearms.

Nonte was peripherially involved in the investigation of the asassination of [[John F. Kennedy]]. At the time or Kennedy's death, Nonte was an Ordnance Corps Captain, stationed at [[Fort Sill]], [[Oklahoma]]. An investigative report by Ray and Mary La Fontaine, published by the [[Washington Post]] in August, 1994 mentioned Nonte, and alluded to him running guns with [[Jack Ruby]], but provided no conclusive evidence. Reports identified Nonte as "cooperative" with the FBI in the Kennedy asassination investigation, and that he assisted the FBI with information about a renegade operation by Cuban exiles that planned to invade [[Cuba]], following the [[Bay of Pigs]] invasion. The same information was repeated in Ray and Mary La Fontaine's book ''Oswald Talked'', published in 1996.

Nonte died in his office at work June 30, 1978.

The Major George C. Nonte Award for Excellence in Firearms Journalism is awarded annually, in Nonte's memory, by ''American Handgunner'' magazine. The first recipient of the award was [[Massad Ayoob]].

His wife was Theresa England Nonte.<ref>http://www.chillicotheindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=253:us-army-honors-ivc-graduate&catid=7:features&Itemid=5</ref>

One of his daughters, Yvette, became a US Army Intelligence officer, and retired as a full Colonel.<ref>http://www.chillicotheindependent.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=253:us-army-honors-ivc-graduate&catid=7:features&Itemid=5</ref>

==Partial bibliography==

* Combat Handguns (Co-authored with [[Edward C. Ezell]]) - March, 1980

* Pistol Guide ~ Complete, Fully Illustrated Guide to Selecting, Shooting, Caring for and Collecting Pistols of All Types - 1980

* Handgun Competition: A comprehensive sourcebook covering all aspects of modern competitive pistol and revolver shooting - July 1978

* Handloading for Handgunners - 1978

* Handgun Hunting (Co-authored with [[Lee E. Jurras]]) - October 1975

* Handgun Hunting (Co-authored with [[Lee E. Jurras]]) - 1975

* Walther P-38 Pistol Manual - 1975

* Pistol & Revolver Guide - 1975

* Home Guide to Muzzle-Loaders - 1974

* To Stop a Thief: The Complete Guide to House, Apartment and Property Protection - 1974

* Pistolsmithing - 1974 (slightly revised and reprinted in 1977 and 1981)

* Firearms Encyclopedia - Various iterative editions starting in 1973

* Modern Handloading - 1972

* Complete Book of the Air Gun 1970

* Gunsight Guide (Complete, Photographically illustrated Guide to the selection, mounting & use of sights and scopes.) - 1968

* The Home Guide to Cartridge Conversions - 1967, revised 1986

* Cartridge Conversions - 1961

== References ==
{{reflist|refs=

}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nonte, George}}

James Wesley Rawles

2010-03-07T15:00:15Z

Fongman: /* Books */ Closing itals

'''James Wesley Rawles''' (born 1960) is a non-fiction author,
survivalist-fiction author, [[economist]], blogger, and [[Retreat|survival retreat]] consultant. He has been called an expert<ref>[http://derekclontz.wordpress.com/2007/09/10/second-great-depression-just-weeks-away-warns-expert/ Second Great Depression just weeks away, warns expert] by Derek Clontz</ref> on survival and preparedness topics.<ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/13/MNIL1008L2.DTL</ref> Rawles is a [[Christian]] who is a [[conservative]], [[Constitutionalism|constitutionalist]] [[Libertarianism|libertarian]].<ref name="blogbio">[http://www.survivalblog.com/biographies.html SurvivalBlog Staff Biographies]</ref>

==Biography==
Rawles was born in Livermore, California in 1960 and received a Bachelor of Arts|BA degree from San Jose State University. He was a [[United States Army]] Military Intelligence officer, serving from 1984 to 1993.<ref>[http://www.rawles.to/miobc/index.html]</ref> He resigned his commission as an army Captain, immediately after [[Bill Clinton]] was sworn in as President of the United States.<ref>[http://www.rawles.to/miobc/index.html]</ref> Rawles worked as an Associate Editor with ''Defense Electronics'' magazine in the late 1980s<ref>[http://www.fas.org/spp/military/docops/operate/ds/signals.htm]</ref>, and was the managing editor of ''The C3I Handbook'' and ''The International Countermeasures Handbook''.<ref>[http://www.mpr.co.uk/scripts/sweb.dll/li_archive_item?method=GET&object=DELEC_1988_20_12_NOV]</ref> He worked as a technical writer through most of the 1990s with a variety of California and Nevada companies including DAZIX, Grass Valley Group, Oracle Corporation<ref>[http://download-uk.oracle.com/docs/cd/A91202_01/901_doc/appdev.901/a89865/title.htm]</ref>, and Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC). In 2005 he began full-time blogging. <ref>[http://www.cafepress.com/clearwaterpress.112283261]</ref> Sometime after 2001 he relocated to a remote ranch at an undisclosed location "Somewhere West of the Rockies". <ref>[http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/AUVJYOISOM0TT]</ref>

He is now a freelance writer, blogger and [[Retreat|retreat]] consultant. His children are home schooled.<ref name="blogbio"/>

==Philosophical and political views==

Rawles is an outspoken proponent of family preparedness, especially regarding food storage and his advocacy of relocating to lightly populated rural "retreat" areas.

Rawles warned about possible disruption that could be caused by the Year 2000 (Y2K) problem, and urged "an all-out effort" by programmers to be ready for the four digit date rollover.<ref>[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SB&p_theme=sb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1& p_text_direct-0=0EB0477D786595EE&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM THURSDAY OFFERS A MINI-Y2K SITUATION, EXPERTS SAY] The Sacramento Bee, September 8, 1999</ref><ref>[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LB&p_theme=lb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAE929EEB312718&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM GETTING IN TOUCH WITH Y2K AND THE PROPHETS OF DOOM] Press-Telegram, January 7, 1999</ref><ref>"Do you live in fear of the millennium?", South China Morning Post, April 6, 1999</ref>

Rawles credits Mel Tappan as the primary influence in the development of his survivalist philosophy as well as the impetus for launching SurvivalBlog.com.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/kudos.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>. Rawles has been called "The intellectual heir of Mel Tappan", and has been described as "...the survivalist voice of reason, following in the footsteps of Mel Tappan." <ref>http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/03/four_letters_re_use_of_force_i.html</ref>

Rawles was quoted by the ''New York Times'' in April of 2008 that "interest in the survivalist movement 'is experiencing its largest growth since the late 1970s'”. He also stated that his blog's conservative core readership has been supplemented with "an increasing number of stridently green and left-of-center readers."<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Economic views==
In a [[Usenet]] post in February of 2001, Rawles fairly accurately called the bottom of the two-decade long bear market in the price of silver that had brought silver down from a high of $50 per ounce, to under $5 per ounce.<ref>http://groups.google.com/group/misc.survivalism/browse_thread/thread/91d596201f5f4099/00bfb0230b744507?hl=en&lnk=st&q=Rawles%2BCall%2BBottom%2Bsilver#00bfb0230b744507</ref> In the post, Rawles mentioned a low of $4.25 per ounce. It actually bottomed just a few months later (intraday) at $4.03 per ounce.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/01/notes_from_jwr_98.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>

As of January, 2008, Rawles stills sees silver and gold in "primary bull markets."<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/01/the_precious_metals_bull_charg.html]</ref>

Rawles predicts a deep recession or possibly a depression in the near future<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/03/news_from_wall_street_and_capi.html]</ref>, triggered by a housing market collapse and an "implosion" of global credit and the derivatives market.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/derivatives.html SurvivalBlog.com - Derivatives]</ref>

==Blog presence==
Rawles is the editor of SurvivalBlog.com, a very widely-read and cited <ref>[http://charts.technorati.com/blogs/www.survivalblog.com?reactionsdaily</ref> [[blog]] on survival and preparedness topics. According to its statistics page, it has more than 220,000 unique visitors per week.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/ SurvivalBlog home page]</ref> <ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/cgi-bin/awstats.pl]</ref> The main focus of his blog is family preparedness for disasters. In his blog writings, Rawles recommends that investors put at least 25% of their portfolios into [[gold]], [[silver]], and [[barter]] goods.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2007/12/coping_with_inflationsome_stra.html]</ref> He also advises his blog readers to store four year's supply of food<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/01/a_honeybee_ccd_disaster_soonbe.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> in preparation for future hard times, and "double up" with other families<ref>[http://www.shtfblog.com/wealth-war-and-wisdom-by-barton-biggs-a-book-review/]</ref> to establish [[Retreat|survival retreats]]. Rawles believes (as of his 2005-2008 writings) that the United States is headed for a hyperinflationary economic depression.<ref>[http://www.peakoilstore.com/forum/index.php/topic,13888.0.html]</ref> Rawles favors the abolition of the fractional-reserve banking system, and a return to the [[gold standard]].<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/02/are_simultaneous_inflation_and.html]</ref> Rawles is also a proponent of [[Home schooling]].<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/home_schooling/]</ref>

==Published works==

His first book, ''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'', a novel, was first released in 1998. It was first released as Internet shareware in the early 1990s, and later published in interim form as ''TEOTWAWKI: The End of The World as We Know It'', in the late 1990s.<ref>[http://www.weyrich.com/book_reviews/teotwawki.html]</ref> The story is set in the near future and describes a period of hyperinflation and a socio-economic collapse. While it is a fictional story, it is essentially a survival manual dressed as fiction.<ref>[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=14119 WND Commentary Five novels of freedom] by Claire Wolfe, WorldNetDaily, September 30, 1999</ref> It was re-released in December, 2006 in expanded form. One early reviewer of the novel commented: "While it is true that the protagonists appear to be part of the religious right, it is clearly incorrect to stereotype them as intolerant racists or anti-government zealots."<ref>[http://www.weyrich.com/book_reviews/teotwawki.html]</ref>. The publisher's synopsis describes the novel as "distinctly pro-Christian, pro-preparedness, pro-gun ownership, and anti-racist." <ref>[http://www.powells.com/biblio/61-1425734073-0]</ref>

His second book, ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'', was non-fiction. It describes how to geographically select a [[Retreat|survival retreat]] and stock it with key logistics.

His third book, ''SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog, Volume 1'', was non-fiction. It is a compendium of posts and letters from the first six months of SurvivalBlog.

He also authored an action-adventure screenplay, loosely based on his novel ''Patriots''.

Rawles also co-authored the ''Rawles Gets You Ready'' preparedness course, released in August, 2006.

He is also the author of numerous Internet FAQs, primarily on firearms topics.

===Books===
*''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' from Huntington House Publishers, ISBN 978-1563841552 (November 1998)
*''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' (33 chapter expanded edition) from Xlibris, ISBN 978-1425734077 (December 2006)
*''Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse'' (33 chapter edition with Glossary and Index) from Ulysses Press. (April 2009)
*''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' from CafePress, No ISBN (January 2007)
*''SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog, Volume 1'' from CafePress, No ISBN (February 2007)
*''How to Survive the End of The World as We Know It'' from Plume/Penguin Books (October 2009)

===Screenplays===
* ''Pulling Through'' (A feature-length action-adventure "spec" screenplay) WGAw (WGA West script registration service) #714352 (April, 2007) <ref>[http://www.rawles.to/Screenplay.html "Pulling Through" Screenplay]</ref>

=== Courseware===
*''Rawles Gets You Ready'' from Arbogast Publishing, No ISBN (August 2006)

===Articles===
Some Internet FAQs and Reference Articles by Rawles.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/faqs.html SurvivalBlog.com FAQ list]</ref>
*[http://www.rawles.to/AR-15_M16_Magazine_FAQ.html ''AR-15 Magazine FAQ''] <ref>[http://www.fulton-armory.com/ARMags.htm The Lowdown on AR-15/M16 Magazines] by James Wesley Rawles, Fulton Armory</ref>
*[http://www.rawles.to/http://www.rawles.to/M1_Carbine_Mag_FAQ.html ''M1 Carbine Magazine FAQ''] <ref>[http://www.fulton-armory.com/Carbinemags.htm The Lowdown on M1 Carbine Magazines] by James Wesley Rawles, Fulton Armory, February 1998</ref>
*[http://www.rawles.to/M1911_Mag_FAQ.html ''M1911 Magazine FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/M14%20Magazine_FAQ.html ''M14/M1A Magazine FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/FAL_FAQ.html ''The FN/FAL & L1A1 FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/Mauser_FAQ.html ''The Mauser Bolt Rifle FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/Pre-1899_FAQ.html ''The Pre-1899 Antique Guns FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/Euro_Box_FAQ.html ''European Ammo Box Translations''] (editor)
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/noncorrosive.html ''Noncorrosive Priming Information for U.S. Military Small Arms Ammunition''](editor)
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/asianflu.html ''Protecting Your Family From an Influenza Pandemic'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html ''Recommended Retreat Areas'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/profiles.html ''Retreat Owner Profiles'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/survivalguns.html ''Survival Gun Selection'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/derivatives.html ''Derivatives'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/nais.html ''The National Animal Identification System (NAIS)'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/peakoil.html ''Peak Oil: Implications for Preparedness and Self-Sufficiency'']

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rawles, James Wesley}}

[[Category:Economists]]
[[Category:Authors]]
[[Category:Survivalism]]

James Wesley Rawles

2010-03-07T14:58:55Z

Fongman: /* Books */ His new book titles (Need to add ISBNs)

'''James Wesley Rawles''' (born 1960) is a non-fiction author,
survivalist-fiction author, [[economist]], blogger, and [[Retreat|survival retreat]] consultant. He has been called an expert<ref>[http://derekclontz.wordpress.com/2007/09/10/second-great-depression-just-weeks-away-warns-expert/ Second Great Depression just weeks away, warns expert] by Derek Clontz</ref> on survival and preparedness topics.<ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/13/MNIL1008L2.DTL</ref> Rawles is a [[Christian]] who is a [[conservative]], [[Constitutionalism|constitutionalist]] [[Libertarianism|libertarian]].<ref name="blogbio">[http://www.survivalblog.com/biographies.html SurvivalBlog Staff Biographies]</ref>

==Biography==
Rawles was born in Livermore, California in 1960 and received a Bachelor of Arts|BA degree from San Jose State University. He was a [[United States Army]] Military Intelligence officer, serving from 1984 to 1993.<ref>[http://www.rawles.to/miobc/index.html]</ref> He resigned his commission as an army Captain, immediately after [[Bill Clinton]] was sworn in as President of the United States.<ref>[http://www.rawles.to/miobc/index.html]</ref> Rawles worked as an Associate Editor with ''Defense Electronics'' magazine in the late 1980s<ref>[http://www.fas.org/spp/military/docops/operate/ds/signals.htm]</ref>, and was the managing editor of ''The C3I Handbook'' and ''The International Countermeasures Handbook''.<ref>[http://www.mpr.co.uk/scripts/sweb.dll/li_archive_item?method=GET&object=DELEC_1988_20_12_NOV]</ref> He worked as a technical writer through most of the 1990s with a variety of California and Nevada companies including DAZIX, Grass Valley Group, Oracle Corporation<ref>[http://download-uk.oracle.com/docs/cd/A91202_01/901_doc/appdev.901/a89865/title.htm]</ref>, and Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC). In 2005 he began full-time blogging. <ref>[http://www.cafepress.com/clearwaterpress.112283261]</ref> Sometime after 2001 he relocated to a remote ranch at an undisclosed location "Somewhere West of the Rockies". <ref>[http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/AUVJYOISOM0TT]</ref>

He is now a freelance writer, blogger and [[Retreat|retreat]] consultant. His children are home schooled.<ref name="blogbio"/>

==Philosophical and political views==

Rawles is an outspoken proponent of family preparedness, especially regarding food storage and his advocacy of relocating to lightly populated rural "retreat" areas.

Rawles warned about possible disruption that could be caused by the Year 2000 (Y2K) problem, and urged "an all-out effort" by programmers to be ready for the four digit date rollover.<ref>[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SB&p_theme=sb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1& p_text_direct-0=0EB0477D786595EE&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM THURSDAY OFFERS A MINI-Y2K SITUATION, EXPERTS SAY] The Sacramento Bee, September 8, 1999</ref><ref>[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LB&p_theme=lb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAE929EEB312718&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM GETTING IN TOUCH WITH Y2K AND THE PROPHETS OF DOOM] Press-Telegram, January 7, 1999</ref><ref>"Do you live in fear of the millennium?", South China Morning Post, April 6, 1999</ref>

Rawles credits Mel Tappan as the primary influence in the development of his survivalist philosophy as well as the impetus for launching SurvivalBlog.com.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/kudos.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>. Rawles has been called "The intellectual heir of Mel Tappan", and has been described as "...the survivalist voice of reason, following in the footsteps of Mel Tappan." <ref>http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/03/four_letters_re_use_of_force_i.html</ref>

Rawles was quoted by the ''New York Times'' in April of 2008 that "interest in the survivalist movement 'is experiencing its largest growth since the late 1970s'”. He also stated that his blog's conservative core readership has been supplemented with "an increasing number of stridently green and left-of-center readers."<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Economic views==
In a [[Usenet]] post in February of 2001, Rawles fairly accurately called the bottom of the two-decade long bear market in the price of silver that had brought silver down from a high of $50 per ounce, to under $5 per ounce.<ref>http://groups.google.com/group/misc.survivalism/browse_thread/thread/91d596201f5f4099/00bfb0230b744507?hl=en&lnk=st&q=Rawles%2BCall%2BBottom%2Bsilver#00bfb0230b744507</ref> In the post, Rawles mentioned a low of $4.25 per ounce. It actually bottomed just a few months later (intraday) at $4.03 per ounce.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/01/notes_from_jwr_98.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>

As of January, 2008, Rawles stills sees silver and gold in "primary bull markets."<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/01/the_precious_metals_bull_charg.html]</ref>

Rawles predicts a deep recession or possibly a depression in the near future<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/03/news_from_wall_street_and_capi.html]</ref>, triggered by a housing market collapse and an "implosion" of global credit and the derivatives market.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/derivatives.html SurvivalBlog.com - Derivatives]</ref>

==Blog presence==
Rawles is the editor of SurvivalBlog.com, a very widely-read and cited <ref>[http://charts.technorati.com/blogs/www.survivalblog.com?reactionsdaily</ref> [[blog]] on survival and preparedness topics. According to its statistics page, it has more than 220,000 unique visitors per week.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/ SurvivalBlog home page]</ref> <ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/cgi-bin/awstats.pl]</ref> The main focus of his blog is family preparedness for disasters. In his blog writings, Rawles recommends that investors put at least 25% of their portfolios into [[gold]], [[silver]], and [[barter]] goods.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2007/12/coping_with_inflationsome_stra.html]</ref> He also advises his blog readers to store four year's supply of food<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/01/a_honeybee_ccd_disaster_soonbe.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> in preparation for future hard times, and "double up" with other families<ref>[http://www.shtfblog.com/wealth-war-and-wisdom-by-barton-biggs-a-book-review/]</ref> to establish [[Retreat|survival retreats]]. Rawles believes (as of his 2005-2008 writings) that the United States is headed for a hyperinflationary economic depression.<ref>[http://www.peakoilstore.com/forum/index.php/topic,13888.0.html]</ref> Rawles favors the abolition of the fractional-reserve banking system, and a return to the [[gold standard]].<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/02/are_simultaneous_inflation_and.html]</ref> Rawles is also a proponent of [[Home schooling]].<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/home_schooling/]</ref>

==Published works==

His first book, ''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'', a novel, was first released in 1998. It was first released as Internet shareware in the early 1990s, and later published in interim form as ''TEOTWAWKI: The End of The World as We Know It'', in the late 1990s.<ref>[http://www.weyrich.com/book_reviews/teotwawki.html]</ref> The story is set in the near future and describes a period of hyperinflation and a socio-economic collapse. While it is a fictional story, it is essentially a survival manual dressed as fiction.<ref>[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=14119 WND Commentary Five novels of freedom] by Claire Wolfe, WorldNetDaily, September 30, 1999</ref> It was re-released in December, 2006 in expanded form. One early reviewer of the novel commented: "While it is true that the protagonists appear to be part of the religious right, it is clearly incorrect to stereotype them as intolerant racists or anti-government zealots."<ref>[http://www.weyrich.com/book_reviews/teotwawki.html]</ref>. The publisher's synopsis describes the novel as "distinctly pro-Christian, pro-preparedness, pro-gun ownership, and anti-racist." <ref>[http://www.powells.com/biblio/61-1425734073-0]</ref>

His second book, ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'', was non-fiction. It describes how to geographically select a [[Retreat|survival retreat]] and stock it with key logistics.

His third book, ''SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog, Volume 1'', was non-fiction. It is a compendium of posts and letters from the first six months of SurvivalBlog.

He also authored an action-adventure screenplay, loosely based on his novel ''Patriots''.

Rawles also co-authored the ''Rawles Gets You Ready'' preparedness course, released in August, 2006.

He is also the author of numerous Internet FAQs, primarily on firearms topics.

===Books===
*''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' from Huntington House Publishers, ISBN 978-1563841552 (November 1998)
*''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' (33 chapter expanded edition) from Xlibris, ISBN 978-1425734077 (December 2006)
*''Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse'' (33 chapter edition with Glossary and Index) from Ulysses Press. (April 2009)
*''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' from CafePress, No ISBN (January 2007)
*''SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog, Volume 1'' from CafePress, No ISBN (February 2007)
*''How to Survive the End of The World as We Know It" from Plume/Penguin Books (October 2009)

===Screenplays===
* ''Pulling Through'' (A feature-length action-adventure "spec" screenplay) WGAw (WGA West script registration service) #714352 (April, 2007) <ref>[http://www.rawles.to/Screenplay.html "Pulling Through" Screenplay]</ref>

=== Courseware===
*''Rawles Gets You Ready'' from Arbogast Publishing, No ISBN (August 2006)

===Articles===
Some Internet FAQs and Reference Articles by Rawles.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/faqs.html SurvivalBlog.com FAQ list]</ref>
*[http://www.rawles.to/AR-15_M16_Magazine_FAQ.html ''AR-15 Magazine FAQ''] <ref>[http://www.fulton-armory.com/ARMags.htm The Lowdown on AR-15/M16 Magazines] by James Wesley Rawles, Fulton Armory</ref>
*[http://www.rawles.to/http://www.rawles.to/M1_Carbine_Mag_FAQ.html ''M1 Carbine Magazine FAQ''] <ref>[http://www.fulton-armory.com/Carbinemags.htm The Lowdown on M1 Carbine Magazines] by James Wesley Rawles, Fulton Armory, February 1998</ref>
*[http://www.rawles.to/M1911_Mag_FAQ.html ''M1911 Magazine FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/M14%20Magazine_FAQ.html ''M14/M1A Magazine FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/FAL_FAQ.html ''The FN/FAL & L1A1 FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/Mauser_FAQ.html ''The Mauser Bolt Rifle FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/Pre-1899_FAQ.html ''The Pre-1899 Antique Guns FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/Euro_Box_FAQ.html ''European Ammo Box Translations''] (editor)
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/noncorrosive.html ''Noncorrosive Priming Information for U.S. Military Small Arms Ammunition''](editor)
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/asianflu.html ''Protecting Your Family From an Influenza Pandemic'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html ''Recommended Retreat Areas'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/profiles.html ''Retreat Owner Profiles'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/survivalguns.html ''Survival Gun Selection'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/derivatives.html ''Derivatives'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/nais.html ''The National Animal Identification System (NAIS)'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/peakoil.html ''Peak Oil: Implications for Preparedness and Self-Sufficiency'']

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rawles, James Wesley}}

[[Category:Economists]]
[[Category:Authors]]
[[Category:Survivalism]]

James Wesley Rawles

2010-03-07T14:54:49Z

Fongman: /* Blog presence */ Update on his stats

'''James Wesley Rawles''' (born 1960) is a non-fiction author,
survivalist-fiction author, [[economist]], blogger, and [[Retreat|survival retreat]] consultant. He has been called an expert<ref>[http://derekclontz.wordpress.com/2007/09/10/second-great-depression-just-weeks-away-warns-expert/ Second Great Depression just weeks away, warns expert] by Derek Clontz</ref> on survival and preparedness topics.<ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/13/MNIL1008L2.DTL</ref> Rawles is a [[Christian]] who is a [[conservative]], [[Constitutionalism|constitutionalist]] [[Libertarianism|libertarian]].<ref name="blogbio">[http://www.survivalblog.com/biographies.html SurvivalBlog Staff Biographies]</ref>

==Biography==
Rawles was born in Livermore, California in 1960 and received a Bachelor of Arts|BA degree from San Jose State University. He was a [[United States Army]] Military Intelligence officer, serving from 1984 to 1993.<ref>[http://www.rawles.to/miobc/index.html]</ref> He resigned his commission as an army Captain, immediately after [[Bill Clinton]] was sworn in as President of the United States.<ref>[http://www.rawles.to/miobc/index.html]</ref> Rawles worked as an Associate Editor with ''Defense Electronics'' magazine in the late 1980s<ref>[http://www.fas.org/spp/military/docops/operate/ds/signals.htm]</ref>, and was the managing editor of ''The C3I Handbook'' and ''The International Countermeasures Handbook''.<ref>[http://www.mpr.co.uk/scripts/sweb.dll/li_archive_item?method=GET&object=DELEC_1988_20_12_NOV]</ref> He worked as a technical writer through most of the 1990s with a variety of California and Nevada companies including DAZIX, Grass Valley Group, Oracle Corporation<ref>[http://download-uk.oracle.com/docs/cd/A91202_01/901_doc/appdev.901/a89865/title.htm]</ref>, and Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC). In 2005 he began full-time blogging. <ref>[http://www.cafepress.com/clearwaterpress.112283261]</ref> Sometime after 2001 he relocated to a remote ranch at an undisclosed location "Somewhere West of the Rockies". <ref>[http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/AUVJYOISOM0TT]</ref>

He is now a freelance writer, blogger and [[Retreat|retreat]] consultant. His children are home schooled.<ref name="blogbio"/>

==Philosophical and political views==

Rawles is an outspoken proponent of family preparedness, especially regarding food storage and his advocacy of relocating to lightly populated rural "retreat" areas.

Rawles warned about possible disruption that could be caused by the Year 2000 (Y2K) problem, and urged "an all-out effort" by programmers to be ready for the four digit date rollover.<ref>[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SB&p_theme=sb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1& p_text_direct-0=0EB0477D786595EE&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM THURSDAY OFFERS A MINI-Y2K SITUATION, EXPERTS SAY] The Sacramento Bee, September 8, 1999</ref><ref>[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LB&p_theme=lb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAE929EEB312718&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM GETTING IN TOUCH WITH Y2K AND THE PROPHETS OF DOOM] Press-Telegram, January 7, 1999</ref><ref>"Do you live in fear of the millennium?", South China Morning Post, April 6, 1999</ref>

Rawles credits Mel Tappan as the primary influence in the development of his survivalist philosophy as well as the impetus for launching SurvivalBlog.com.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/kudos.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>. Rawles has been called "The intellectual heir of Mel Tappan", and has been described as "...the survivalist voice of reason, following in the footsteps of Mel Tappan." <ref>http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/03/four_letters_re_use_of_force_i.html</ref>

Rawles was quoted by the ''New York Times'' in April of 2008 that "interest in the survivalist movement 'is experiencing its largest growth since the late 1970s'”. He also stated that his blog's conservative core readership has been supplemented with "an increasing number of stridently green and left-of-center readers."<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Economic views==
In a [[Usenet]] post in February of 2001, Rawles fairly accurately called the bottom of the two-decade long bear market in the price of silver that had brought silver down from a high of $50 per ounce, to under $5 per ounce.<ref>http://groups.google.com/group/misc.survivalism/browse_thread/thread/91d596201f5f4099/00bfb0230b744507?hl=en&lnk=st&q=Rawles%2BCall%2BBottom%2Bsilver#00bfb0230b744507</ref> In the post, Rawles mentioned a low of $4.25 per ounce. It actually bottomed just a few months later (intraday) at $4.03 per ounce.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/01/notes_from_jwr_98.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>

As of January, 2008, Rawles stills sees silver and gold in "primary bull markets."<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/01/the_precious_metals_bull_charg.html]</ref>

Rawles predicts a deep recession or possibly a depression in the near future<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/03/news_from_wall_street_and_capi.html]</ref>, triggered by a housing market collapse and an "implosion" of global credit and the derivatives market.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/derivatives.html SurvivalBlog.com - Derivatives]</ref>

==Blog presence==
Rawles is the editor of SurvivalBlog.com, a very widely-read and cited <ref>[http://charts.technorati.com/blogs/www.survivalblog.com?reactionsdaily</ref> [[blog]] on survival and preparedness topics. According to its statistics page, it has more than 220,000 unique visitors per week.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/ SurvivalBlog home page]</ref> <ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/cgi-bin/awstats.pl]</ref> The main focus of his blog is family preparedness for disasters. In his blog writings, Rawles recommends that investors put at least 25% of their portfolios into [[gold]], [[silver]], and [[barter]] goods.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2007/12/coping_with_inflationsome_stra.html]</ref> He also advises his blog readers to store four year's supply of food<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/01/a_honeybee_ccd_disaster_soonbe.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> in preparation for future hard times, and "double up" with other families<ref>[http://www.shtfblog.com/wealth-war-and-wisdom-by-barton-biggs-a-book-review/]</ref> to establish [[Retreat|survival retreats]]. Rawles believes (as of his 2005-2008 writings) that the United States is headed for a hyperinflationary economic depression.<ref>[http://www.peakoilstore.com/forum/index.php/topic,13888.0.html]</ref> Rawles favors the abolition of the fractional-reserve banking system, and a return to the [[gold standard]].<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/02/are_simultaneous_inflation_and.html]</ref> Rawles is also a proponent of [[Home schooling]].<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/home_schooling/]</ref>

==Published works==

His first book, ''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'', a novel, was first released in 1998. It was first released as Internet shareware in the early 1990s, and later published in interim form as ''TEOTWAWKI: The End of The World as We Know It'', in the late 1990s.<ref>[http://www.weyrich.com/book_reviews/teotwawki.html]</ref> The story is set in the near future and describes a period of hyperinflation and a socio-economic collapse. While it is a fictional story, it is essentially a survival manual dressed as fiction.<ref>[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=14119 WND Commentary Five novels of freedom] by Claire Wolfe, WorldNetDaily, September 30, 1999</ref> It was re-released in December, 2006 in expanded form. One early reviewer of the novel commented: "While it is true that the protagonists appear to be part of the religious right, it is clearly incorrect to stereotype them as intolerant racists or anti-government zealots."<ref>[http://www.weyrich.com/book_reviews/teotwawki.html]</ref>. The publisher's synopsis describes the novel as "distinctly pro-Christian, pro-preparedness, pro-gun ownership, and anti-racist." <ref>[http://www.powells.com/biblio/61-1425734073-0]</ref>

His second book, ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'', was non-fiction. It describes how to geographically select a [[Retreat|survival retreat]] and stock it with key logistics.

His third book, ''SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog, Volume 1'', was non-fiction. It is a compendium of posts and letters from the first six months of SurvivalBlog.

He also authored an action-adventure screenplay, loosely based on his novel ''Patriots''.

Rawles also co-authored the ''Rawles Gets You Ready'' preparedness course, released in August, 2006.

He is also the author of numerous Internet FAQs, primarily on firearms topics.

===Books===
*''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' from Huntington House Publishers, ISBN 978-1563841552 (November 1998)
*''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' (33 chapter expanded edition) from Xlibris, ISBN 978-1425734077 (December 2006)
*''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' from CafePress, No ISBN (January 2007)
*''SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog, Volume 1'' from CafePress, No ISBN (February 2007)

===Screenplays===
* ''Pulling Through'' (A feature-length action-adventure "spec" screenplay) WGAw (WGA West script registration service) #714352 (April, 2007) <ref>[http://www.rawles.to/Screenplay.html "Pulling Through" Screenplay]</ref>

=== Courseware===
*''Rawles Gets You Ready'' from Arbogast Publishing, No ISBN (August 2006)

===Articles===
Some Internet FAQs and Reference Articles by Rawles.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/faqs.html SurvivalBlog.com FAQ list]</ref>
*[http://www.rawles.to/AR-15_M16_Magazine_FAQ.html ''AR-15 Magazine FAQ''] <ref>[http://www.fulton-armory.com/ARMags.htm The Lowdown on AR-15/M16 Magazines] by James Wesley Rawles, Fulton Armory</ref>
*[http://www.rawles.to/http://www.rawles.to/M1_Carbine_Mag_FAQ.html ''M1 Carbine Magazine FAQ''] <ref>[http://www.fulton-armory.com/Carbinemags.htm The Lowdown on M1 Carbine Magazines] by James Wesley Rawles, Fulton Armory, February 1998</ref>
*[http://www.rawles.to/M1911_Mag_FAQ.html ''M1911 Magazine FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/M14%20Magazine_FAQ.html ''M14/M1A Magazine FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/FAL_FAQ.html ''The FN/FAL & L1A1 FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/Mauser_FAQ.html ''The Mauser Bolt Rifle FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/Pre-1899_FAQ.html ''The Pre-1899 Antique Guns FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/Euro_Box_FAQ.html ''European Ammo Box Translations''] (editor)
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/noncorrosive.html ''Noncorrosive Priming Information for U.S. Military Small Arms Ammunition''](editor)
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/asianflu.html ''Protecting Your Family From an Influenza Pandemic'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html ''Recommended Retreat Areas'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/profiles.html ''Retreat Owner Profiles'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/survivalguns.html ''Survival Gun Selection'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/derivatives.html ''Derivatives'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/nais.html ''The National Animal Identification System (NAIS)'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/peakoil.html ''Peak Oil: Implications for Preparedness and Self-Sufficiency'']

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rawles, James Wesley}}

[[Category:Economists]]
[[Category:Authors]]
[[Category:Survivalism]]

Open carry

2010-03-07T03:50:55Z

Fongman: Bringing in a section that I created in WP that just got zapped by the liberal anti-gun cabal. I was the sole author of the first draft, and aI found nearly all the references

'''Open carry''' laws guarantee the right of citizens to openly carry a gun virtually anywhere, provided they have the right to own a gun. Note that it may be necessary to obtain a permit first.

More than 20% of the [[United States]] have open-carry laws:

*Alaska
*Arizona
*Idaho
*Kentucky
*Montana
*New Mexico
*Nevada
*South Dakota
*Vermont
*Virginia
*Wyoming

=Open carry around the world=

There are millions of privately owned guns, in the majority of countries (see: [[List of countries by gun ownership]], for details), but national and local gun laws vary widely. In some countries, open carry has a long-standing tradition, is legal, and is still a commonplace sight in rural areas, as part of "strong hunting traditions." But elsewhere, such as in most of Europe except Finland and Switzerland, laws have been enacted to require registration of firearms.<ref>http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/the-killing-fields-europes-hunting-season-begins-861133.html</ref><ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/29/AR2007042900133.html</ref> Social stigma<ref>http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/112417623/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0</ref><ref>http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=15693719M</ref> is also a factor in Europe, where gun owners are often distrusted by both government leaders and fellow citizens.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/29/world/europe/29iht-29union.4.8530991.html?_r=1</ref><ref>http://lawreview.wustl.edu/inprint/75-3/753-4.html,</ref><ref>http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-492612/Your-guns-violent-Remembrance-Day-mayor-tells-rifle-regiment.html</ref> Tens of millions of guns are held privately and kept hidden in defiance of registration laws in Europe, with many of them dating back to World War II<ref>http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/files/sas/publications/year_b_pdf/2003/2003SASCh2_full_en.pdf</ref><ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/dec/31/finland-shooting-gun-laws</ref>. But, obviously, those cannot be carried publicly or taken to a public shooting range.<ref>http://www.examner.com/x-536-Civil-Liberties-Examiner~y2008m12d22-Gun-laws-and-crime-rates-dont-always-mix-the-way-you-expect</ref><ref>http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100014_16/08/2005_59656</ref>

In some countries, firearms laws are consciously and even contemptuously ignored by the citizenry, who see the right to own and carry firearms as a traditional right that pre-dates the advent of government.<ref>http://www.al-bab.com/yemen/artic/gdn30.htm</ref> The latter is typified in the Philippines<ref>http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/views-and-analysis/07/16/09/guns-galore-miriam-coronel-ferrer</ref> and in Yemen<ref name="arabinsight.org">http://www.arabinsight.org/aiarticles/182.pdf</ref>, where there are millions of unregistered firearms, and where provincial law enforcement officers often make no attempt to enforce national firearms laws, with many considering the laws intrusive and dictatorial.<ref>http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/MAN480485.htm</ref><ref>[http://www.upi.com/Emerging_Threats/2009/08/05/Gun-ban-in-Yemen-ineffective/UPI-13171249492827/ "Gun ban in Yemen ineffective" UPI online edition]</ref>

=== Open carry in Africa ===

The private ownership and open carry of small arms is commonly seen in a number of African countries including Burundi<ref>http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol15no4/154arms.htm,</ref>, Chad<ref>http://select.nytimes.com/2006/11/14/opinion/14kristof.html?_r=1</ref>, the Democratic Republic of Congo,<ref>[http://www.examner.com/x-18149-SelfDefense-Examiner~y2009m8d16-An-African-villages-armed-self-defense-story "An African village’s armed self defense story" exainer.com]</ref><ref>http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/rough/2007/08/congo_on_the_trgen.html</ref> Eritrea<ref>http://www.awate.com/portal/content/view/926/2/</ref>, Ethiopia<ref>http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=35148&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=7&cHash=83faf38f19</ref>, Kenya,<ref>http://www.afrika.no/Detailed/10361.html</ref><ref name="allafrica.com">http://allafrica.com/stories/200804250081.html</ref> Mali<ref>http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol15no4/154arms.htm</ref>, Niger<ref>http://www.the-diplomat.com/article.aspx?aeid=3608</ref>, Rwanda<ref>[http://www.defense-aerospace.com/article-view/verbatim/16134/arms-transfers-and-trafficking-in-africa.html "Arms Transfers and Trafficking in Africa" www.defense-aerospace.com]</ref><ref>http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Rwanda/Province-du-Sud/blog-274047.html</ref>, Sierra Leone,<ref>http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/choices-choosing-development-over-guns-in-sierra-leone-2004-12.en;jsessionid=ax8XXhk63Co_?categoryID=349627&lang=en</ref> Somalia,<ref>http://huwu.org/webcast/pdfs/wc969.pdf</ref> South Africa,<ref>http://www.examner.com/x-1417-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m6d29-South-Africa-gun-owners-get-reprieve</ref> Sudan.<ref>http://newledger.com/2009/07/the-guns-of-sudan/</ref><ref>http://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/206/39700.html,</ref>, Uganda<ref name="web.africa.ufl.edu">http://web.africa.ufl.edu/asq/v1/1/3.htm</ref><ref name="web.africa.ufl.edu"/>, and Zambia<ref>http://www.globalaging.org/armedconflict/countryreports/africa/war.htm</ref>. In Somalia, boys as young as nine years old are seen carrying loaded guns.<ref>[http://www.thestar.com/article/168129 "Saving Somalia's youth from the gun" ''Toronto Star'' online edition]</ref> The reasons for the proliferation of arms vary, but often include self-defense, hunting, and protection of livestock.<ref>http://www.scribd.com/doc/4684113/The-Scramble-for-Cattle-Power-and-Guns-in-Karamoja</ref><ref>[http://www.tve.org/earthreport/archive/doc.cfm?aid=1343 "Earth Report" Television for the Environment and Television Trust for the Environment Web site]</ref> In some African countries such as Kenya and Rwanda, owning and carrying guns is done in defiance of national laws.<ref name="allafrica.com"/>

In some cases villagers carry small arms to protect themselves from marauding bands of soldiers,<ref>http://www.examner.com/x-18149-SelfDefense-Examiner~y2009m8d16-An-African-villages-armed-self-defense-story</ref> lions<ref>http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1022089</ref>, and even against genocide.<ref>http://www.frontline.org.za/books_videos/holocaust_rwanda.htm</ref><ref>http://www.davekopel.com/2a/foreign-gun-control.htm</ref>

=== Open carry in Asia ===

In Afghanistan weapon ownership is common<ref>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/07/hamid-karzai-ashraf-ghani_n_253812.html</ref> some of the rural and border states and union territories of India,<ref>http://www.gulfnews.com/world/India/10342395.html</ref><ref>http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/aug/29gun.htm</ref><ref>http://www.indianexpress.com/news/villagers-pick-up-guns-for-a-road/28418/</ref> Iraq,<ref>http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/04/03/world/worldspecial/03guns.html?fta=y&pagewanted=print</ref> Israel,<ref>http://www.fmep.org/reports/archive/vol.-4/no.-3/israels-policy-of-arming-israeli-settlers-endangers-palestinians-in-the-territories</ref> Lebanon,<ref>http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=15503</ref> Pakistan<ref>[http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0304/p06s01-wosc.html "Pakistani vigilantes take on Taliban" ''The Christian Science'' online edition]</ref><ref>http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1248187395098&pagename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout</ref> (in flagrant disobedience to the "public display" ban enacted in 2000)<ref>http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/gun-ban-to-quell-violence-in-pakistan-721983.html</ref>, Sri Lanka<ref>http://sundaytimes.lk/080120/Columns/sitreport.html</ref>, the predominantly Kurdish provinces of Turkey,<ref>http://www.vagabondjourney.com/travelogue/2009/03/guns-in-turkish-kurdistan.html</ref> and Yemen.<ref name="arabinsight.org"/><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1775938.stm "Yemen's weapon culture" BBC News online edition]</ref> In Iraq, doctors may carry guns for self-protection.<ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26947184/ "Iraq says doctors can carry guns for protection" msnbc.com]</ref>

=== Open carry in Latin America ===

Open carry of firearms is fairly common, and predominantly a practice of middle and upper class residents in the rural regions of many Central American and South American countries, primarily for self-defense. Doing so is legal in most Latin American jurisdictions, but laws on registration and vehicular carry vary widely. Open carry is rare in cities, where concealed carry is more commonplace. These countries include Brazil,<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4368598.stm "Brazilians reject gun sales ban" BBC News online edition]</ref> Colombia,<ref>http://advocacynet.org/wordpress-mu/rgerome/lang/en-us/blog/2009/07/01/spotlight-on-guns-in-colombia/</ref> Ecuador,<ref>http://www.newwest.net/city/article/when_clouds_clear/C8/L8/</ref> El Salvador,<ref>http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1109.html</ref> Guyana,<ref>http://guyana360.blogspot.com/2006/08/degeneration-of-guyanese-society.html</ref> Honduras,<ref>http://lagringasblogicito.blogspot.com/2007/02/guns-everywhere.html</ref> and Nicaragua.<ref>http://www.nicaliving.com/node/737</ref>

=== Open carry in Oceania ===

Some citizens of the Pacific Islands fairly regularly carry guns, usually for self protection and for hunting wild game, including fruit bats. These nations include East Timor<ref> http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/programguide/stories/200811/s2427810.htm</ref> (where a ban is in effect, but widely flouted, and a law allowing legal ownership has been proposed)<ref>http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23957956-2703,00.html</ref>, Papua New Guinea<ref> http://www.islandsbusiness.com/islands_business/index_dynamic/containerNameToReplace=MiddleMiddle/focusModuleID=18815/overideSkinName=issueArticle-full.tpl</ref>, the Philippines,<ref>http://www.hrsolidarity.net/mainfile.php/2008vol18no04/2667/</ref><ref>http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleid=481403</ref>, and the Solomon Islands<ref>http://www.islandsbusiness.com/news/index_dynamic/containerNameToReplace=MiddleMiddle/focusModuleID=130/focusContentID=15815/tableName=mediaRelease/overideSkinName=newsArticle-full.tpl</ref><ref>http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-78567604.html</ref>. In East Timor, where somewhere between 100,000 and 200,000 civilians (about one-third of the population) were killed on a genocidal scale, there is a division of opinion. Some idealists want to try to disarm the country, while others see privately-owned firearms as insurance that another invasion and genocide won't be again attempted.<ref>http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=742684</ref> ''The Australian'' reported "Almost all the ammunition and more than half the firearms of East Timor's national police force are missing. Unaccounted for, according to a security analyst, are more than half the 3,000 Glock 9mm pistols issued to the 3,400-member police force (PNTL), whose authority has ceased to exist in Dili. More than half the PNTL's 400 Steyr assault rifles and Heckler & Koch HK-33 assault rifles, 160 of 200 FNC assault rifles and all F-2000 assault rifles issued to police bodyguard units are also missing." Many of these guns ended up in the hands of gangs, but many others are being held by otherwise law-abiding citizens as "[anti-]genocide insurance."<ref>http://www.etan.org/et2006/june/10/06guns.htm</ref> In the Philippines, some news reporters carry guns.<ref>http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=3969</ref>

== See also ==

*[[Concealed carry]]

[[Category:Gun control]]
[[Category:Second Amendment]]

Mayors Against Illegal Guns

2009-11-02T02:28:47Z

Fongman: /* Indicted, convicted, and scandalized members */ New trial date, with ref

The '''Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition''' is a leftist political coalition of mayors from about 400 United States cities, with a stated agenda of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The group was formed by [[Boston]] Mayor [[Thomas Menino]] and New York Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]]. The coalition's CEO is [[Chicago]] Mayor [[Richard M. Daley]].

The majority of members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition are Democrats.

==Criticism of Methods and Hypocrisy==

Bloomberg has been sued for defamation by a Smyrna, Georgia gun dealer represented by former congressman [[Bob Barr]].<ref>http://www.insidecounsel.com/Issues/2006/September%202006/Pages/Gun-Dealer-Shoots-Back-at-NY-Mayor.aspx</ref><ref>http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2006/07/17/daily39.html</ref>

===Indicted, convicted, and scandalized members===

A substantial number of member of the coalition have been indicted in recent months, on felony charges. Here in the US, conviction of felony means the immediate loss of both the right to vote and the right to own a gun for the rest of one's life. This is an organization that espouses doing away with "illegal guns", yet a surprising number of their members have made choices in their lives that have set themselves on the path to being disenfranchised from ever owning a gun.

Personal character and integrity are prerequisites for anyone entering public office, to serve in an elected position of "special trust and confidence", such as a mayorship. Abuses of that trust, gross lapses of integrity, and forays into criminal conduct are not tolerated in our society. If anything, elected politicians are held to a higher standard than the general public, and their actions are closely watched. For an elected official to become a criminal, when they themselves are entrusted to protect us from criminals is nearly the most heinous and unforgivable thing imaginable in a democratically-ruled republic. For some of these same individuals to continue to be considered members in good standing of a "crime-fighting" organization--and not even censured by the organization--has been criticized as being hypocritical.

Three current and former members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition are currently under felony indictments, six others were recently convicted of felonies, one indicted member died of a heart attack before completion of his trial, and one member was recently convicted of a violent misdemeanor. The indicted and convicted members and former members include:
*Former Mayor Gary Becker<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/letter_to_congress_101707.pdf</ref> of Racine, Wisconsin is under five felony indictments for child pornography, attempted child sexual assault and child enticement.<ref>http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/37649499.html</ref> He resigned after pleading not guilty and being released on bond.<ref> http://www.nbc15.com/state/headlines/37567789.html</ref> His location is currently being monitored electronically, as he awaits a trial scheduled to begin in February, 2010.<ref>http://www.jsonline.com/newswatch/64156467.html</ref>
*Former Mayor David Della Donna<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/letter_to_congress_101707.pdf</ref>, of Guttenberg, New Jersey was indicted under a Federal extortion and mail fraud charges.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/29/nyregion/29fraud.html?_r=1</ref> He was convicted in 2008<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/04/jurors_in_the_federal_corrupti.html</ref> and sentenced to four years and three months in federal prison.<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/guttenberg/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1224916016161280.xml&coll=3</ref>
*Mayor [[Sheila Dixon]] was indicted in 2009 on twelve counts<ref> http://www.baltimoresun.com/media/acrobat/2009-07/48351943.pdf</ref>, comprising four counts of perjury, two counts of misconduct, three counts of theft, and three counts of fraudulent misappropriations.<ref>http://breakingnews.baltimoresun.com/2009/01/09/mayor-dixon-indicted-by-grand-jury/</ref> The felony theft charges stem partly from incidents in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 in which she allegedly misappropriated gift cards intended for the poor and used them for personal purchases.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/10/us/10baltimore.html?_r=1</ref><ref>http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/07/30/Mayor-indicted-for-theft-perjury-again/UPI-93311248967375/</ref> Dixon's trial, originally scheduled for September 8, 2009, was postponed to November 9, 2009.<ref>[http://breakingnews.baltimoresun.com/2009/08/05/dixons-trial-postponed-until-november/]</ref>
*Mayor [[Jerramiah Healy]] was convicted for obstruction of justice in 2007<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/07/jersey_city_mayor_jerramiah_he.html</ref> and more recently was implicated in the corruption sweep in New Jersey involving the sale of body parts and money laundering. In all, 44 individuals were indicted. (Healy was named as "JC Official 4" and implicated, but was not indicted, in the probe.)<ref>http://www.northjersey.com/hudson_essex/HEALY0725.html</ref><ref>http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Key-Player-in-Jersey-Corruption-Probe-Found-Dead.html</ref><ref>http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=6931021</ref>
*Former Mayor [[Kwame Kilpatrick]] was indicted, arrested, and convicted. and subsequently jailed for 99 days. Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to two felony obstruction of justice charges stemming from his efforts to cover up an extramarital affair. He also pleaded no contest to charges of assaulting a police officer attempting to serve a subpoena on a Kilpatrick friend in that case.<ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/03/national/main4771394.shtml</ref> The charges and allegations (not all against Kilpatrick himself) were of marital infidelity, conspiracy, perjury, corruption and murder.<ref>http://www.wxyz.com/content/news/detroitmayorinvestigation/default.aspx</ref> Following Kilpatrick's conviction, the [[Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms]] called on Kilpatrick to resign from the Coalition.<ref>[http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/bloomberg-anti-gun-soul-mate-kilpatrick-now/story.aspx?guid={4D97B9A9-CC96-4AEE-9547-8047955BB209}&dist=hppr Bloomberg Anti-Gun "Soul-Mate" Kilpatrick Now a Cellmate; Should Resign, Says CCRKBA - MarketWatch]</ref>
*Mayor [[Larry Langford]] was investigated in 2007 by the [[Securities and Exchange Commission|SEC]] on corruption charges. In 2008 a lawsuit was filed against him for illegally accepting $156,000 in cash and benefits. On December 1, 2008, Larry Langford was arrested by the [[FBI]] on a 101 count indictment<ref>[http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/12/0006_001.pdf Copy of indictment, via the Birmingham News]</ref> alleging conspiracy, bribery, fraud, money laundering, and filing false tax returns<ref>http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/12/0006_001.pdf</ref> in connection with a long-running bribery scheme.<ref>[http://www.myfoxal.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=7976053&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1]</ref><ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/12/01/birmingham-mayor-arrested-federal-charges/</ref><ref>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28001239/</ref> On December 1, 2008, Langford, along with [[William B. Blount]] and Al LaPierre, was arrested by the [[FBI]] on a 101-count [[indictment]] alleging [[Conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]], [[bribery]], [[fraud]], [[money laundering]], and filing false tax returns in connection with a long-running bribery scheme.<ref>[http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/12/0006_001.pdf USA vs Larry P Langford, William B Blount, Blount Parrish & Co. Inc, and Albert W Lapierre]</ref> His public corruption trial ended on October 28, 2009 with convictions on 60 counts, and resulted in his automatic removal from office.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/10/larry_langford_found_guilty.html|publisher=[[Birmingham News]]|date=2009-10-28|Larry Langford found guilty on all 60 counts}}</ref>
*Deceased Mayor [[Frank Melton]] at the time of his death was under felony indictment on civil rights charges.<ref>http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/index.php/site/comments/breaking_frank_melton_indicted_on_felony_charges/</ref> (He died before a scheduled re-trial, following a mistrial.) In 2006, Melton pled guilty to a firearms charge, stemming from a raid (in which he was armed with a concealed pistol) on a suspected crack house. Melton conducted the extra-official [[Buford Pusser]]-style raid without a warrant to "bust up" a duplex apartment, accompanied by a group of youths that were not sworn law enforcement officers. That same event led to Melton's civil rights indictment. In November 2006, he pleaded no contest to three misdemeanor charges: carrying a gun in a park and in a church, and carrying a concealed weapon.<ref>v</ref>
*Mayor [[Eddie Pérez (politician)|Eddie Perez]] was indicted on bribery, fabricating evidence, and conspiracy to fabricate evidence felony charges.<ref>http://www.inqnews.com/Article.php?id=883</ref> Perez turned himself in to state police, stating that he had a lapse in judgment but did nothing illegal, and vowed that he would not step down as Hartford's mayor.<ref>{{cite news|title=Statement By Mayor Eddie Perez|url=http://www.courant.com/news/custom/topnews/hc-webstatement0127jan27,0,2148065.story|publisher=The Hartford Courant|accessdate=2009-01-29 |date=2009-01-27}}</ref> He was arraigned on September 8, 2009.<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-09-08-hartford-mayor_N.htm</ref> His trial date was postponed to November 2009<ref>http://www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-hartford-perez-court-0825.artaug25,0,6295095.story</ref>, and then to February, 2010.<ref>http://www.1010wins.com/Judge-Delays-Corruption-Trial-of-Hartford-Mayor/5152594</ref> On September 2, 2009 Perez was again arrested, and additionally charged with first-degree larceny by extortion, stemming from a no-bid parking lot deal, unrelated to the other corruption charges.<ref>http://www.wfsb.com/politics/20685092/detail.html</ref> He again proclaimed that he would stay in office, despite these new felony charges.<ref>http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Mayor-Could-Be-Charged-Today-56711267.html</ref>
*Former Mayor [[Samuel Rivera]], of Passaic, New Jersey was convicted of corruption, influence peddling, and extortion charges.<ref>http://patersononline.net/potm/2008/01/16/sammy-rivera-mayor-of-passaic-indicted/</ref><ref>http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nj/press/files/pdffiles/RiveracomplaintFINAL.pdf</ref> In August 2008 he pled guilty,and was sentenced to 21 months in prison.<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/08/former_passaic_mayor_sentenced.html</ref>
*In 2008, former Mayor [[Will Wynn]] was convicted of Class C misdemeanor, for a choking assault on a man who had crashed a party.<ref>http://www.dailytexanonline.com/state-local/will-wynn-charged-with-assault-sentenced-to-community-service-1.949829</ref>

Five current members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition have been troubled by scandals that involved firearms:
*As New York Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]] came into office, he inherited a chronic firearms permit favoritism scandal from his predecessors that still remains an unresolved issue. Writing in the New York Sun, attorney [[David Kopel]] observed: "The problem is acute in New York City. Celebrities, the ultra-wealthy, and the politically influential get carry permits. But many of the people who need them the most — such as stalking victims, or crime witnesses who have been threatened by the criminal's friends — often do not."<ref>http://www.nysun.com/opinion/hellers-kitchen/80928/</ref> There are currently only about 36,169 permits to keep firearms in private homes in New York City, with the majority issued to retired police officers. Of these permit holders, only 2,516 are more liberally licensed for [[concealed carry]] outside their homes. The issuance of permits is discretionary in New York City, per Penal Law 400<ref>http://www.saf.org/LawReviews/Novak1.html</ref>. (It is considered a "may issue" locality, unlike the "shall issue" policy used for concealed carry in most other localities.) Despite "tight" restrictions on "demonstrated need or special danger", a who’s-who list of celebrities, billionaires<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/08292007/news/regionalnews/trump_junior_packin.htm</ref>, entertainers<ref>http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nypost/access/246975111.html?did=246975111&FMT=ABS&FMTS=FT&PMID=42522&desc=NYPD+BIG+UNDER+FIRE+IN+AEROSMITH+%27GOT+A+GUN%27+SCANDAL</ref>, professional athletes<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/10262008/news/regionalnews/the_mets_are_loaded_135381.htm</ref>, and politicians<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/10262008/news/regionalnews/the_mets_are_loaded_135381.htm</ref> has somehow managed to get firearms permits. This list includes New York Times publisher [[Arthur Ochs Sulzberger]], publisher [[Michael Korda]], and talk show host [[Howard Stern]].<ref>http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=1143&full=1</ref> In 2007, The New York Post reported that gun license holders include financier [[Donald Trump]], his son [[Donald Trump Jr.]], Queens district attorney Richard A. Brown, Westchester County district attorney, Janet DiFiore, music executive [[Tommy Mottola]], chief executive of Marvel Comics, [[Isaac Perlmutter]], radio show host [[Don Imus]], lawyer [[Barry Slotnick]], lawyer [[Raoul Felder]]; publisher Robert Forbes, the cab-driving political activist [[Fernando Mateo]], former new York Senate Majority Leader [[Joe Bruno]] (recently indicted for fraud), actor [[Robert De Niro]], actor [[Harvey Keitel]], film producer Martin Bregman, cosmetics heir [[Ronald Lauder]], and [[Aerosmith]] singer [[Steven Tyler]].<ref>http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nypost/access/246975111.html?did=246975111&FMT=ABS&FMTS=FT&PMID=42522&desc=NYPD+BIG+UNDER+FIRE+IN+AEROSMITH+%27GOT+A+GUN%27+SCANDAL</ref><ref>http://www.nndb.com/event/349/000172830/</ref> All of these individuals have retained their gun licenses under Bloomberg's "tough on guns" administration. The New York Post noted: "Television news anchor [[John Roland]], who let his license lapse in 2006, got his gun permit back in 2007."<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/08292007/news/regionalnews/trump_junior_packin.htm</ref> A surprisingly high number of celebrities have concealed carry permits, rather than the more common "keep at home" (premise) permits. According to The New York Times, "Mr. Bloomberg asked Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly to look at the issue, and added: 'If you want a gun permit, you should have to really show that your life is in danger, and that having a gun will protect you, will improve the chances of you surviving.'"<ref>http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/02/a-guide-to-city-gun-licenses/</ref> But despite Bloomberg's publicly-stated concern, there have been no announcements of any celebrity gun permits being rescinded, or any reforms to prevent favoritism, cronyism, bribes, or other abuse of discretion in license issuance. With a city population of 8.3 million, the 36,169 gun permit holders represent just .043% of the population and the 2,516 concealed carry permit holders represent a scant .003% of the population.
*Mayor [[Richard M. Daley]] has been criticized for the city of Chicago's long-standing practice of providing armed bodyguards for a number of city politicians, including city clerk James "Jim" Laski. In the city clerk scandal, Daley was shamed into removing the perk of the armed bodyguards for the clerk. The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' reported: "The decision was made almost immediately after Laski became the first elected official to be caught up in the Hired Truck scandal. But Daley insisted that the bribery and extortion charges against Laski were not the trigger. It was the fact that, until this week, Laski had not been showing up for work."<ref>http://www.suntimes.com/news/hired/31589,cst-nws-laski19.article</ref> Laski was later convicted of taking $48,000 in bribes and received a two year sentence.<ref>http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1621311.html</ref> Former Mayor Eugene Sawyer, City Treasurer Judy Rice and Alderman Edward M. Burke, chairman of the City Council's Finance Committee still have armed bodyguards.<ref>http://www.suntimes.com/news/hired/31589,cst-nws-laski19.article</ref>
*Mayor [[Gerald Jennings]] of Albany, New York was implicated in a scandal regarding the alleged illegal purchase of 52 machine guns.<ref>http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=773606</ref> It is unclear whether the weapons were purchased for departmental use or for the use of private individuals. Weapons were delivered to Police Department addresses but apparently paid for with private funds. The Department has not produced a list of weapons, their location, the names of the individuals who purchased them, or their disposition or destruction. At least one later turned up, illegally for sale to the public, in an area gun store. The police officer who sold the gun to the store has testified that he bought it from a Police Union official who was also the Department's armorer.<ref>http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=773606</ref> The current Chief of Police is the fifth appointed by Jennings.<ref>[http://timesunion.com/ASPStories/storyprint.asp?StoryID=630735]</ref> The case is still open.<ref> http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=773606&category=REGION</ref>
*Following the illegal seizure of firearms in the wake of [[Hurricane Katrina]], Mayor [[Ray Nagin]] settled a lawsuit and had a permanent injunction issued prohibiting Nagin or any New Orleans employee from confiscating any lawfully possessed firearm and ordering the return of hundreds of illegally confiscated firearms. (They had been confiscated at Mayor Nagin's order.).<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-10-08-nra-katrina_N.htm</ref> Nagin's administration has also been troubled by reports of improprieties with the police department evidence rooms, where guns were stolen, guns were allowed to rust, and $200,000 in cash was stolen.<ref>http://www.wwltv.com/topstories/stories/wwl011409mlevidencce.3cc661c.html</ref><ref>http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/state_auditors_report_cites_pr.html</ref>
*Mayor [[Bill White (mayor)|Bill White]]'s administration has been embarrassed by an ongoing scandal involving guns stolen from the Houston Police Department's evidence room. In January 2009, the [[Houston Chronicle]] reported: "For months, maybe years, people with criminal backgrounds had access to secure areas of the police station, including a property room from which 30 guns disappeared within six months, according to internal police documents. The documents, obtained by the Houston Chronicle, indicated that lax security created an environment ripe for theft. No one has been charged in the gun thefts, although police suspected telephone repairmen who admitted stealing other items, and a temporary employee who had access to the property room while awaiting trial on aggravated robbery charges."<ref>Houston Chronicle, "Room for Doubt", January 22, 2009</ref><ref>http://www.uslaw.com/library/Criminal_Law/Houston_Chronicle_Room_doubt.php?item=359041</ref>

==Resignations from the coalition==

===Announced resignations===

Twelve mayors that had been members<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/7_14_09_maig_letter.pdf</ref> have withdrawn from the organization, claiming either that they were misled about the group's anti-gun platform, or that they were enrolled in the coalition without their knowledge.<ref>Mayor Withdraws from anti-gun coalition, The Indianapolis Star, June 27, 2007 By: Tania E. Lopez http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070627/LOCAL0101/706270329/1015/LOCAL01</ref><ref>Letter to the Editor, Anchorage Daily News, February 4, 2007 by Mayor Mark Begich http://www.adn.com/opinion/letters/story/8614932p-8507468c.html</ref><ref>An Idaho Mayor Withdraws From Bloomberg's Gun Group, The New York Sun, January 17, 2007 By: Bradley Hope http://www.nysun.com/article/46799</ref> They are:

*[[Idaho Falls, Idaho]] Mayor Jared Fuhriman<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref>

*[[Carmel, Indiana]] Mayor James Brainard

*[[Rio Rancho, New Mexico]] Mayor Kevin Jackson<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref>

*[[Anchorage, Alaska]] Mayor Mark Begich<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref>

*[[Oldmans Township, New Jersey]] Mayor Harry Moore<ref>http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_11_53/ai_n20512691/</ref><ref>[http://sev.prnewswire.com/sports/20070709/NYM15609072007-1.html National Shooting Sports Foundation: Firearms Industry Hails New Jersey Mayor Following Resignation from Bloomberg Coalition]</ref><ref>http://www.nssf.org/share/PDF/070907_MooreResignationMAIG.pdf</ref>

*[[Walton Hills, Ohio]] Mayor Marlene Anielski,<ref>http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/printable/node/6840</ref>

*[[Williamsport, Pennsylvania]] Mayor Mary B. Wolf<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref><ref>http://www.saf.org/viewpr-new.asp?id=215</ref>

*[[ Madeira Beach, Florida]] Mayor Patricia Shontz<ref name="urlGun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns">{{cite web |url=http://www.ammoland.com/2009/09/12/gun-owners-call-mayors-out-on-mayors-against-illegal-guns/ |title=AmmoLand.Com - Gun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns |format= |work= |accessdate=2009-09-12}}</ref>

*[[Knoxville, Tennessee]] Mayor Bill Haslam<ref>http://politics.nashvillepost.com/2009/04/09/bill-haslam-joined-the-nra-in-late-february-or-early-march/</ref><ref>http://politics.nashvillepost.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/maig-2.pdf</ref>

*[[Warsaw, Indiana]] Mayor Ernest B. Wiggins<ref>http://www.timesuniononline.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=224&ArticleID=4255</ref>

*[[Sioux Falls, South Dakota]] Mayor Dave Munson<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/04/AR2009080403132_4.html?sid=ST2009080502296</ref>

*[[Houston, Texas]] Mayor Bill White<ref>http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/firstreading/entries/2009/07/28/health_care_seems_the_next_fro.html</ref>

In her resignation letter, Mayor Patricia Shontz of Madeira Beach, Florida wrote, “I am withdrawing because I believe the MAIG is attempting to erode all gun ownership, not just illegal guns. Additionally, I have learned that the MAIG may be working on issues which conflict with legal gun ownership.” She added, “It appears the MAIG has misrepresented itself to the Mayors of America and its citizens. This is gun control, not crime prevention.”<ref name="urlGun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns">{{cite web |url=http://www.ammoland.com/2009/09/12/gun-owners-call-mayors-out-on-mayors-against-illegal-guns/ |title=AmmoLand.Com - Gun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns |format= |work= |accessdate=2009-09-12}}</ref>

In his resignation letter to Bloomberg, Mayor Harry Moore stated: "It is simply unconscionable that this coalition, under your leadership, would call for a repeal of the Shelby /Tiahrt amendment that helps to safeguard criminal investigations and the lives of law enforcement officers, witnesses and others by restricting access to firearms trace data solely to law enforcement. How anyone, least of all a public official, could be willing to sacrifice such a law enforcement lifeline in order to gain an edge in suing an industry they have political differences with is repugnant to me. The fact that your campaign against this protective language consisted of overheated rhetoric, deception and falsehoods is disturbing."<ref> http://www.nssf.org/share/PDF/070907_MooreResignationMAIG.pdf</ref>

The resignations of Kevin Jackson and Jared Fuhriman left the state of Idaho completely unrepresented in the organization, and Alaska with just one representative mayor. Since Mayor [[Rocky Anderson]] of [[Salt Lake City, Utah|Salt Lake City]] left office, it has also left Utah unrepresented. Mayor [[Kathy Taylor]] of [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]] has announced that she will not seek re-election<ref> http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/0609/629082.html</ref>, and as of September, 2009, her name has been removed from the coalition's roster. This also leaves Oklahoma unrepresented.
According to the U.S. [[Conference of Mayors]] there are 1,201 cities in the US with a population of 30,000 or more that are headed by mayors.<ref>http://usmayors.org/about/overview.asp</ref> Several of the mayors in the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition represent even smaller towns and cities--particularly in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, which are disproportionately represented.

==Legislative Initiatives==
With the stated goal of reducing the number of [[straw purchase]] of guns, the coalition has favored new legislation to require mandatory reporting of lost or stolen guns.<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/local/lost-stolen.shtml</ref> As of September, 2009, seven states (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island) and the District of Columbia have laws criminalizing failure to report lost and stolen guns to law enforcement. Several other states and local governments are working to pass similar laws.<ref>http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2009/03/gun_control_proposal_on_tonigh_1.html</ref> Critics counter that straw purchases are already illegal, and hence mandatory theft and loss reporting laws are redundant.<ref>http://www.pagunrights.com/2009/08/update-on-york-pennsylvania-lost-stolen-gun-reporting-proposal/</ref>

Former prosecuting attorney C.D. Michel analyzed mandatory reporting laws, using one in Ventura County, California as an example: "Ironically, the ordinance cannot be used against the real bad guys. No law can compel lawbreakers to report themselves. So a straw purchaser who legally buys a gun cannot be compelled to report that he resold it illegally. And since it wasn't actually lost or stolen, he hasn't violated the ordinance. Similarly, if a felon prohibited from possessing a gun illegally possesses one anyway, and it is lost or stolen, he can be prosecuted for having the gun in the first place, but cannot be prosecuted for failing to incriminate himself by reporting the loss. Enforcement of these ordinances places prosecutors in a precarious legal and ethical position. Say a straw-purchaser's gun is recovered at a crime scene and traced back to him. If he lies to police claiming his gun was "stolen" when he really sold it on the black market, will we nonetheless prosecute him for something he did not do (fail to report the "stolen" gun -- which wasn't actually stolen) but to which he "confessed"? Ethics and legality aside, securing a misdemeanor conviction for failing to report a theft (that never occurred) likely prohibits prosecuting the straw purchaser for the more serious felony black market sale or for making a false statement to police. Perhaps worse, gun owners who truly are burglary victims must now hesitate to speak with police if their stolen gun is recovered at a crime scene. If the gun owner failed to report the loss at all, or on time, she faces possible criminal prosecution if she cooperates with police investigating the recovered gun. She should remain silent, get a lawyer and seek immunity first. Legal representation may also be appropriate when a gun is first discovered missing. The owner can be prosecuted if the theft is not reported within 48 hours of when the owner "should have known" the gun was missing. Proponents have made clear they believe "responsible" gun owners should know where their gun is at every single moment and "should know" a gun is gone immediately. And the fear of prosecution will encourage those who miss the 48-hour window not to report the loss at all. Effectively, these ordinances place the legitimate gun owner in jeopardy of prosecution for becoming a victim of a crime. In light of these liabilities, gun-rights groups and the criminal-defense bar have begun advising gun owners -- who would ordinarily be happy to assist police with their investigation -- that they need a lawyer if they are contacted by police."<reF>http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/aug/10/why-pass-an-ineffective-law-on-guns/</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist | 2}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org Mayors Against Illegal Guns]

[[Category:Gun control]]
[[Category:Second Amendment]]
[[Category:Liberalism]]

{{Liberalism}}

Mayors Against Illegal Guns

2009-11-02T02:24:38Z

Fongman: /* Indicted, convicted, and scandalized members */ Update, with reference

The '''Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition''' is a leftist political coalition of mayors from about 400 United States cities, with a stated agenda of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The group was formed by [[Boston]] Mayor [[Thomas Menino]] and New York Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]]. The coalition's CEO is [[Chicago]] Mayor [[Richard M. Daley]].

The majority of members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition are Democrats.

==Criticism of Methods and Hypocrisy==

Bloomberg has been sued for defamation by a Smyrna, Georgia gun dealer represented by former congressman [[Bob Barr]].<ref>http://www.insidecounsel.com/Issues/2006/September%202006/Pages/Gun-Dealer-Shoots-Back-at-NY-Mayor.aspx</ref><ref>http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2006/07/17/daily39.html</ref>

===Indicted, convicted, and scandalized members===

A substantial number of member of the coalition have been indicted in recent months, on felony charges. Here in the US, conviction of felony means the immediate loss of both the right to vote and the right to own a gun for the rest of one's life. This is an organization that espouses doing away with "illegal guns", yet a surprising number of their members have made choices in their lives that have set themselves on the path to being disenfranchised from ever owning a gun.

Personal character and integrity are prerequisites for anyone entering public office, to serve in an elected position of "special trust and confidence", such as a mayorship. Abuses of that trust, gross lapses of integrity, and forays into criminal conduct are not tolerated in our society. If anything, elected politicians are held to a higher standard than the general public, and their actions are closely watched. For an elected official to become a criminal, when they themselves are entrusted to protect us from criminals is nearly the most heinous and unforgivable thing imaginable in a democratically-ruled republic. For some of these same individuals to continue to be considered members in good standing of a "crime-fighting" organization--and not even censured by the organization--has been criticized as being hypocritical.

Three current and former members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition are currently under felony indictments, six others were recently convicted of felonies, one indicted member died of a heart attack before completion of his trial, and one member was recently convicted of a violent misdemeanor. The indicted and convicted members and former members include:
*Former Mayor Gary Becker<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/letter_to_congress_101707.pdf</ref> of Racine, Wisconsin is under five felony indictments for child pornography, attempted child sexual assault and child enticement.<ref>http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/37649499.html</ref> He resigned after pleading not guilty and being released on bond.<ref> http://www.nbc15.com/state/headlines/37567789.html</ref> His location is currently being monitored electronically, as he awaits a trial scheduled to begin in October, 2009.<ref>http://www.620wtmj.com/news/local/45360062.html</ref>
*Former Mayor David Della Donna<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/letter_to_congress_101707.pdf</ref>, of Guttenberg, New Jersey was indicted under a Federal extortion and mail fraud charges.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/29/nyregion/29fraud.html?_r=1</ref> He was convicted in 2008<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/04/jurors_in_the_federal_corrupti.html</ref> and sentenced to four years and three months in federal prison.<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/guttenberg/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1224916016161280.xml&coll=3</ref>
*Mayor [[Sheila Dixon]] was indicted in 2009 on twelve counts<ref> http://www.baltimoresun.com/media/acrobat/2009-07/48351943.pdf</ref>, comprising four counts of perjury, two counts of misconduct, three counts of theft, and three counts of fraudulent misappropriations.<ref>http://breakingnews.baltimoresun.com/2009/01/09/mayor-dixon-indicted-by-grand-jury/</ref> The felony theft charges stem partly from incidents in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 in which she allegedly misappropriated gift cards intended for the poor and used them for personal purchases.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/10/us/10baltimore.html?_r=1</ref><ref>http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/07/30/Mayor-indicted-for-theft-perjury-again/UPI-93311248967375/</ref> Dixon's trial, originally scheduled for September 8, 2009, was postponed to November 9, 2009.<ref>[http://breakingnews.baltimoresun.com/2009/08/05/dixons-trial-postponed-until-november/]</ref>
*Mayor [[Jerramiah Healy]] was convicted for obstruction of justice in 2007<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/07/jersey_city_mayor_jerramiah_he.html</ref> and more recently was implicated in the corruption sweep in New Jersey involving the sale of body parts and money laundering. In all, 44 individuals were indicted. (Healy was named as "JC Official 4" and implicated, but was not indicted, in the probe.)<ref>http://www.northjersey.com/hudson_essex/HEALY0725.html</ref><ref>http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Key-Player-in-Jersey-Corruption-Probe-Found-Dead.html</ref><ref>http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=6931021</ref>
*Former Mayor [[Kwame Kilpatrick]] was indicted, arrested, and convicted. and subsequently jailed for 99 days. Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to two felony obstruction of justice charges stemming from his efforts to cover up an extramarital affair. He also pleaded no contest to charges of assaulting a police officer attempting to serve a subpoena on a Kilpatrick friend in that case.<ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/03/national/main4771394.shtml</ref> The charges and allegations (not all against Kilpatrick himself) were of marital infidelity, conspiracy, perjury, corruption and murder.<ref>http://www.wxyz.com/content/news/detroitmayorinvestigation/default.aspx</ref> Following Kilpatrick's conviction, the [[Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms]] called on Kilpatrick to resign from the Coalition.<ref>[http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/bloomberg-anti-gun-soul-mate-kilpatrick-now/story.aspx?guid={4D97B9A9-CC96-4AEE-9547-8047955BB209}&dist=hppr Bloomberg Anti-Gun "Soul-Mate" Kilpatrick Now a Cellmate; Should Resign, Says CCRKBA - MarketWatch]</ref>
*Mayor [[Larry Langford]] was investigated in 2007 by the [[Securities and Exchange Commission|SEC]] on corruption charges. In 2008 a lawsuit was filed against him for illegally accepting $156,000 in cash and benefits. On December 1, 2008, Larry Langford was arrested by the [[FBI]] on a 101 count indictment<ref>[http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/12/0006_001.pdf Copy of indictment, via the Birmingham News]</ref> alleging conspiracy, bribery, fraud, money laundering, and filing false tax returns<ref>http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/12/0006_001.pdf</ref> in connection with a long-running bribery scheme.<ref>[http://www.myfoxal.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=7976053&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1]</ref><ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/12/01/birmingham-mayor-arrested-federal-charges/</ref><ref>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28001239/</ref> On December 1, 2008, Langford, along with [[William B. Blount]] and Al LaPierre, was arrested by the [[FBI]] on a 101-count [[indictment]] alleging [[Conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]], [[bribery]], [[fraud]], [[money laundering]], and filing false tax returns in connection with a long-running bribery scheme.<ref>[http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/12/0006_001.pdf USA vs Larry P Langford, William B Blount, Blount Parrish & Co. Inc, and Albert W Lapierre]</ref> His public corruption trial ended on October 28, 2009 with convictions on 60 counts, and resulted in his automatic removal from office.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/10/larry_langford_found_guilty.html|publisher=[[Birmingham News]]|date=2009-10-28|Larry Langford found guilty on all 60 counts}}</ref>
*Deceased Mayor [[Frank Melton]] at the time of his death was under felony indictment on civil rights charges.<ref>http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/index.php/site/comments/breaking_frank_melton_indicted_on_felony_charges/</ref> (He died before a scheduled re-trial, following a mistrial.) In 2006, Melton pled guilty to a firearms charge, stemming from a raid (in which he was armed with a concealed pistol) on a suspected crack house. Melton conducted the extra-official [[Buford Pusser]]-style raid without a warrant to "bust up" a duplex apartment, accompanied by a group of youths that were not sworn law enforcement officers. That same event led to Melton's civil rights indictment. In November 2006, he pleaded no contest to three misdemeanor charges: carrying a gun in a park and in a church, and carrying a concealed weapon.<ref>v</ref>
*Mayor [[Eddie Pérez (politician)|Eddie Perez]] was indicted on bribery, fabricating evidence, and conspiracy to fabricate evidence felony charges.<ref>http://www.inqnews.com/Article.php?id=883</ref> Perez turned himself in to state police, stating that he had a lapse in judgment but did nothing illegal, and vowed that he would not step down as Hartford's mayor.<ref>{{cite news|title=Statement By Mayor Eddie Perez|url=http://www.courant.com/news/custom/topnews/hc-webstatement0127jan27,0,2148065.story|publisher=The Hartford Courant|accessdate=2009-01-29 |date=2009-01-27}}</ref> He was arraigned on September 8, 2009.<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-09-08-hartford-mayor_N.htm</ref> His trial date was postponed to November 2009<ref>http://www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-hartford-perez-court-0825.artaug25,0,6295095.story</ref>, and then to February, 2010.<ref>http://www.1010wins.com/Judge-Delays-Corruption-Trial-of-Hartford-Mayor/5152594</ref> On September 2, 2009 Perez was again arrested, and additionally charged with first-degree larceny by extortion, stemming from a no-bid parking lot deal, unrelated to the other corruption charges.<ref>http://www.wfsb.com/politics/20685092/detail.html</ref> He again proclaimed that he would stay in office, despite these new felony charges.<ref>http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Mayor-Could-Be-Charged-Today-56711267.html</ref>
*Former Mayor [[Samuel Rivera]], of Passaic, New Jersey was convicted of corruption, influence peddling, and extortion charges.<ref>http://patersononline.net/potm/2008/01/16/sammy-rivera-mayor-of-passaic-indicted/</ref><ref>http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nj/press/files/pdffiles/RiveracomplaintFINAL.pdf</ref> In August 2008 he pled guilty,and was sentenced to 21 months in prison.<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/08/former_passaic_mayor_sentenced.html</ref>
*In 2008, former Mayor [[Will Wynn]] was convicted of Class C misdemeanor, for a choking assault on a man who had crashed a party.<ref>http://www.dailytexanonline.com/state-local/will-wynn-charged-with-assault-sentenced-to-community-service-1.949829</ref>

Five current members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition have been troubled by scandals that involved firearms:
*As New York Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]] came into office, he inherited a chronic firearms permit favoritism scandal from his predecessors that still remains an unresolved issue. Writing in the New York Sun, attorney [[David Kopel]] observed: "The problem is acute in New York City. Celebrities, the ultra-wealthy, and the politically influential get carry permits. But many of the people who need them the most — such as stalking victims, or crime witnesses who have been threatened by the criminal's friends — often do not."<ref>http://www.nysun.com/opinion/hellers-kitchen/80928/</ref> There are currently only about 36,169 permits to keep firearms in private homes in New York City, with the majority issued to retired police officers. Of these permit holders, only 2,516 are more liberally licensed for [[concealed carry]] outside their homes. The issuance of permits is discretionary in New York City, per Penal Law 400<ref>http://www.saf.org/LawReviews/Novak1.html</ref>. (It is considered a "may issue" locality, unlike the "shall issue" policy used for concealed carry in most other localities.) Despite "tight" restrictions on "demonstrated need or special danger", a who’s-who list of celebrities, billionaires<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/08292007/news/regionalnews/trump_junior_packin.htm</ref>, entertainers<ref>http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nypost/access/246975111.html?did=246975111&FMT=ABS&FMTS=FT&PMID=42522&desc=NYPD+BIG+UNDER+FIRE+IN+AEROSMITH+%27GOT+A+GUN%27+SCANDAL</ref>, professional athletes<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/10262008/news/regionalnews/the_mets_are_loaded_135381.htm</ref>, and politicians<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/10262008/news/regionalnews/the_mets_are_loaded_135381.htm</ref> has somehow managed to get firearms permits. This list includes New York Times publisher [[Arthur Ochs Sulzberger]], publisher [[Michael Korda]], and talk show host [[Howard Stern]].<ref>http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=1143&full=1</ref> In 2007, The New York Post reported that gun license holders include financier [[Donald Trump]], his son [[Donald Trump Jr.]], Queens district attorney Richard A. Brown, Westchester County district attorney, Janet DiFiore, music executive [[Tommy Mottola]], chief executive of Marvel Comics, [[Isaac Perlmutter]], radio show host [[Don Imus]], lawyer [[Barry Slotnick]], lawyer [[Raoul Felder]]; publisher Robert Forbes, the cab-driving political activist [[Fernando Mateo]], former new York Senate Majority Leader [[Joe Bruno]] (recently indicted for fraud), actor [[Robert De Niro]], actor [[Harvey Keitel]], film producer Martin Bregman, cosmetics heir [[Ronald Lauder]], and [[Aerosmith]] singer [[Steven Tyler]].<ref>http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nypost/access/246975111.html?did=246975111&FMT=ABS&FMTS=FT&PMID=42522&desc=NYPD+BIG+UNDER+FIRE+IN+AEROSMITH+%27GOT+A+GUN%27+SCANDAL</ref><ref>http://www.nndb.com/event/349/000172830/</ref> All of these individuals have retained their gun licenses under Bloomberg's "tough on guns" administration. The New York Post noted: "Television news anchor [[John Roland]], who let his license lapse in 2006, got his gun permit back in 2007."<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/08292007/news/regionalnews/trump_junior_packin.htm</ref> A surprisingly high number of celebrities have concealed carry permits, rather than the more common "keep at home" (premise) permits. According to The New York Times, "Mr. Bloomberg asked Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly to look at the issue, and added: 'If you want a gun permit, you should have to really show that your life is in danger, and that having a gun will protect you, will improve the chances of you surviving.'"<ref>http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/02/a-guide-to-city-gun-licenses/</ref> But despite Bloomberg's publicly-stated concern, there have been no announcements of any celebrity gun permits being rescinded, or any reforms to prevent favoritism, cronyism, bribes, or other abuse of discretion in license issuance. With a city population of 8.3 million, the 36,169 gun permit holders represent just .043% of the population and the 2,516 concealed carry permit holders represent a scant .003% of the population.
*Mayor [[Richard M. Daley]] has been criticized for the city of Chicago's long-standing practice of providing armed bodyguards for a number of city politicians, including city clerk James "Jim" Laski. In the city clerk scandal, Daley was shamed into removing the perk of the armed bodyguards for the clerk. The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' reported: "The decision was made almost immediately after Laski became the first elected official to be caught up in the Hired Truck scandal. But Daley insisted that the bribery and extortion charges against Laski were not the trigger. It was the fact that, until this week, Laski had not been showing up for work."<ref>http://www.suntimes.com/news/hired/31589,cst-nws-laski19.article</ref> Laski was later convicted of taking $48,000 in bribes and received a two year sentence.<ref>http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1621311.html</ref> Former Mayor Eugene Sawyer, City Treasurer Judy Rice and Alderman Edward M. Burke, chairman of the City Council's Finance Committee still have armed bodyguards.<ref>http://www.suntimes.com/news/hired/31589,cst-nws-laski19.article</ref>
*Mayor [[Gerald Jennings]] of Albany, New York was implicated in a scandal regarding the alleged illegal purchase of 52 machine guns.<ref>http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=773606</ref> It is unclear whether the weapons were purchased for departmental use or for the use of private individuals. Weapons were delivered to Police Department addresses but apparently paid for with private funds. The Department has not produced a list of weapons, their location, the names of the individuals who purchased them, or their disposition or destruction. At least one later turned up, illegally for sale to the public, in an area gun store. The police officer who sold the gun to the store has testified that he bought it from a Police Union official who was also the Department's armorer.<ref>http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=773606</ref> The current Chief of Police is the fifth appointed by Jennings.<ref>[http://timesunion.com/ASPStories/storyprint.asp?StoryID=630735]</ref> The case is still open.<ref> http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=773606&category=REGION</ref>
*Following the illegal seizure of firearms in the wake of [[Hurricane Katrina]], Mayor [[Ray Nagin]] settled a lawsuit and had a permanent injunction issued prohibiting Nagin or any New Orleans employee from confiscating any lawfully possessed firearm and ordering the return of hundreds of illegally confiscated firearms. (They had been confiscated at Mayor Nagin's order.).<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-10-08-nra-katrina_N.htm</ref> Nagin's administration has also been troubled by reports of improprieties with the police department evidence rooms, where guns were stolen, guns were allowed to rust, and $200,000 in cash was stolen.<ref>http://www.wwltv.com/topstories/stories/wwl011409mlevidencce.3cc661c.html</ref><ref>http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/state_auditors_report_cites_pr.html</ref>
*Mayor [[Bill White (mayor)|Bill White]]'s administration has been embarrassed by an ongoing scandal involving guns stolen from the Houston Police Department's evidence room. In January 2009, the [[Houston Chronicle]] reported: "For months, maybe years, people with criminal backgrounds had access to secure areas of the police station, including a property room from which 30 guns disappeared within six months, according to internal police documents. The documents, obtained by the Houston Chronicle, indicated that lax security created an environment ripe for theft. No one has been charged in the gun thefts, although police suspected telephone repairmen who admitted stealing other items, and a temporary employee who had access to the property room while awaiting trial on aggravated robbery charges."<ref>Houston Chronicle, "Room for Doubt", January 22, 2009</ref><ref>http://www.uslaw.com/library/Criminal_Law/Houston_Chronicle_Room_doubt.php?item=359041</ref>

==Resignations from the coalition==

===Announced resignations===

Twelve mayors that had been members<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/7_14_09_maig_letter.pdf</ref> have withdrawn from the organization, claiming either that they were misled about the group's anti-gun platform, or that they were enrolled in the coalition without their knowledge.<ref>Mayor Withdraws from anti-gun coalition, The Indianapolis Star, June 27, 2007 By: Tania E. Lopez http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070627/LOCAL0101/706270329/1015/LOCAL01</ref><ref>Letter to the Editor, Anchorage Daily News, February 4, 2007 by Mayor Mark Begich http://www.adn.com/opinion/letters/story/8614932p-8507468c.html</ref><ref>An Idaho Mayor Withdraws From Bloomberg's Gun Group, The New York Sun, January 17, 2007 By: Bradley Hope http://www.nysun.com/article/46799</ref> They are:

*[[Idaho Falls, Idaho]] Mayor Jared Fuhriman<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref>

*[[Carmel, Indiana]] Mayor James Brainard

*[[Rio Rancho, New Mexico]] Mayor Kevin Jackson<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref>

*[[Anchorage, Alaska]] Mayor Mark Begich<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref>

*[[Oldmans Township, New Jersey]] Mayor Harry Moore<ref>http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_11_53/ai_n20512691/</ref><ref>[http://sev.prnewswire.com/sports/20070709/NYM15609072007-1.html National Shooting Sports Foundation: Firearms Industry Hails New Jersey Mayor Following Resignation from Bloomberg Coalition]</ref><ref>http://www.nssf.org/share/PDF/070907_MooreResignationMAIG.pdf</ref>

*[[Walton Hills, Ohio]] Mayor Marlene Anielski,<ref>http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/printable/node/6840</ref>

*[[Williamsport, Pennsylvania]] Mayor Mary B. Wolf<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref><ref>http://www.saf.org/viewpr-new.asp?id=215</ref>

*[[ Madeira Beach, Florida]] Mayor Patricia Shontz<ref name="urlGun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns">{{cite web |url=http://www.ammoland.com/2009/09/12/gun-owners-call-mayors-out-on-mayors-against-illegal-guns/ |title=AmmoLand.Com - Gun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns |format= |work= |accessdate=2009-09-12}}</ref>

*[[Knoxville, Tennessee]] Mayor Bill Haslam<ref>http://politics.nashvillepost.com/2009/04/09/bill-haslam-joined-the-nra-in-late-february-or-early-march/</ref><ref>http://politics.nashvillepost.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/maig-2.pdf</ref>

*[[Warsaw, Indiana]] Mayor Ernest B. Wiggins<ref>http://www.timesuniononline.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=224&ArticleID=4255</ref>

*[[Sioux Falls, South Dakota]] Mayor Dave Munson<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/04/AR2009080403132_4.html?sid=ST2009080502296</ref>

*[[Houston, Texas]] Mayor Bill White<ref>http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/firstreading/entries/2009/07/28/health_care_seems_the_next_fro.html</ref>

In her resignation letter, Mayor Patricia Shontz of Madeira Beach, Florida wrote, “I am withdrawing because I believe the MAIG is attempting to erode all gun ownership, not just illegal guns. Additionally, I have learned that the MAIG may be working on issues which conflict with legal gun ownership.” She added, “It appears the MAIG has misrepresented itself to the Mayors of America and its citizens. This is gun control, not crime prevention.”<ref name="urlGun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns">{{cite web |url=http://www.ammoland.com/2009/09/12/gun-owners-call-mayors-out-on-mayors-against-illegal-guns/ |title=AmmoLand.Com - Gun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns |format= |work= |accessdate=2009-09-12}}</ref>

In his resignation letter to Bloomberg, Mayor Harry Moore stated: "It is simply unconscionable that this coalition, under your leadership, would call for a repeal of the Shelby /Tiahrt amendment that helps to safeguard criminal investigations and the lives of law enforcement officers, witnesses and others by restricting access to firearms trace data solely to law enforcement. How anyone, least of all a public official, could be willing to sacrifice such a law enforcement lifeline in order to gain an edge in suing an industry they have political differences with is repugnant to me. The fact that your campaign against this protective language consisted of overheated rhetoric, deception and falsehoods is disturbing."<ref> http://www.nssf.org/share/PDF/070907_MooreResignationMAIG.pdf</ref>

The resignations of Kevin Jackson and Jared Fuhriman left the state of Idaho completely unrepresented in the organization, and Alaska with just one representative mayor. Since Mayor [[Rocky Anderson]] of [[Salt Lake City, Utah|Salt Lake City]] left office, it has also left Utah unrepresented. Mayor [[Kathy Taylor]] of [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]] has announced that she will not seek re-election<ref> http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/0609/629082.html</ref>, and as of September, 2009, her name has been removed from the coalition's roster. This also leaves Oklahoma unrepresented.
According to the U.S. [[Conference of Mayors]] there are 1,201 cities in the US with a population of 30,000 or more that are headed by mayors.<ref>http://usmayors.org/about/overview.asp</ref> Several of the mayors in the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition represent even smaller towns and cities--particularly in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, which are disproportionately represented.

==Legislative Initiatives==
With the stated goal of reducing the number of [[straw purchase]] of guns, the coalition has favored new legislation to require mandatory reporting of lost or stolen guns.<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/local/lost-stolen.shtml</ref> As of September, 2009, seven states (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island) and the District of Columbia have laws criminalizing failure to report lost and stolen guns to law enforcement. Several other states and local governments are working to pass similar laws.<ref>http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2009/03/gun_control_proposal_on_tonigh_1.html</ref> Critics counter that straw purchases are already illegal, and hence mandatory theft and loss reporting laws are redundant.<ref>http://www.pagunrights.com/2009/08/update-on-york-pennsylvania-lost-stolen-gun-reporting-proposal/</ref>

Former prosecuting attorney C.D. Michel analyzed mandatory reporting laws, using one in Ventura County, California as an example: "Ironically, the ordinance cannot be used against the real bad guys. No law can compel lawbreakers to report themselves. So a straw purchaser who legally buys a gun cannot be compelled to report that he resold it illegally. And since it wasn't actually lost or stolen, he hasn't violated the ordinance. Similarly, if a felon prohibited from possessing a gun illegally possesses one anyway, and it is lost or stolen, he can be prosecuted for having the gun in the first place, but cannot be prosecuted for failing to incriminate himself by reporting the loss. Enforcement of these ordinances places prosecutors in a precarious legal and ethical position. Say a straw-purchaser's gun is recovered at a crime scene and traced back to him. If he lies to police claiming his gun was "stolen" when he really sold it on the black market, will we nonetheless prosecute him for something he did not do (fail to report the "stolen" gun -- which wasn't actually stolen) but to which he "confessed"? Ethics and legality aside, securing a misdemeanor conviction for failing to report a theft (that never occurred) likely prohibits prosecuting the straw purchaser for the more serious felony black market sale or for making a false statement to police. Perhaps worse, gun owners who truly are burglary victims must now hesitate to speak with police if their stolen gun is recovered at a crime scene. If the gun owner failed to report the loss at all, or on time, she faces possible criminal prosecution if she cooperates with police investigating the recovered gun. She should remain silent, get a lawyer and seek immunity first. Legal representation may also be appropriate when a gun is first discovered missing. The owner can be prosecuted if the theft is not reported within 48 hours of when the owner "should have known" the gun was missing. Proponents have made clear they believe "responsible" gun owners should know where their gun is at every single moment and "should know" a gun is gone immediately. And the fear of prosecution will encourage those who miss the 48-hour window not to report the loss at all. Effectively, these ordinances place the legitimate gun owner in jeopardy of prosecution for becoming a victim of a crime. In light of these liabilities, gun-rights groups and the criminal-defense bar have begun advising gun owners -- who would ordinarily be happy to assist police with their investigation -- that they need a lawyer if they are contacted by police."<reF>http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/aug/10/why-pass-an-ineffective-law-on-guns/</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist | 2}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org Mayors Against Illegal Guns]

[[Category:Gun control]]
[[Category:Second Amendment]]
[[Category:Liberalism]]

{{Liberalism}}

Mayors Against Illegal Guns

2009-09-14T16:09:57Z

Fongman: /* Resignations from the coalition */Formatting

The '''Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition''' is a leftist political coalition of mayors from about 400 United States cities, with a stated agenda of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The group was formed by [[Boston]] Mayor [[Thomas Menino]] and New York Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]]. The coalition's CEO is [[Chicago]] Mayor [[Richard M. Daley]].

The majority of members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition are Democrats.

==Criticism of Methods and Hypocrisy==

Bloomberg has been sued for defamation by a Smyrna, Georgia gun dealer represented by former congressman [[Bob Barr]].<ref>http://www.insidecounsel.com/Issues/2006/September%202006/Pages/Gun-Dealer-Shoots-Back-at-NY-Mayor.aspx</ref><ref>http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2006/07/17/daily39.html</ref>

===Indicted, convicted, and scandalized members===

A substantial number of member of the coalition have been indicted in recent months, on felony charges. Here in the US, conviction of felony means the immediate loss of both the right to vote and the right to own a gun for the rest of one's life. This is an organization that espouses doing away with "illegal guns", yet a surprising number of their members have made choices in their lives that have set themselves on the path to being disenfranchised from ever owning a gun.

Personal character and integrity are prerequisites for anyone entering public office, to serve in an elected position of "special trust and confidence", such as a mayorship. Abuses of that trust, gross lapses of integrity, and forays into criminal conduct are not tolerated in our society. If anything, elected politicians are held to a higher standard than the general public, and their actions are closely watched. For an elected official to become a criminal, when they themselves are entrusted to protect us from criminals is nearly the most heinous and unforgivable thing imaginable in a democratically-ruled republic. For some of these same individuals to continue to be considered members in good standing of a "crime-fighting" organization--and not even censured by the organization--has been criticized as being hypocritical.

Four current and former members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition are currently under felony indictments, five others were recently convicted of felonies, one indicted member died of a heart attack before completion of his trial, and one member was recently convicted of a violent misdemeanor. The indicted and convicted members and former members include:
*Former Mayor Gary Becker<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/letter_to_congress_101707.pdf</ref> of Racine, Wisconsin is under five felony indictments for child pornography, attempted child sexual assault and child enticement.<ref>http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/37649499.html</ref> He resigned after pleading not guilty and being released on bond.<ref> http://www.nbc15.com/state/headlines/37567789.html</ref> His location is currently being monitored electronically, as he awaits a trial scheduled to begin in October, 2009.<ref>http://www.620wtmj.com/news/local/45360062.html</ref>
*Former Mayor David Della Donna<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/letter_to_congress_101707.pdf</ref>, of Guttenberg, New Jersey was indicted under a Federal extortion and mail fraud charges.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/29/nyregion/29fraud.html?_r=1</ref> He was convicted in 2008<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/04/jurors_in_the_federal_corrupti.html</ref> and sentenced to four years and three months in federal prison.<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/guttenberg/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1224916016161280.xml&coll=3</ref>
*Mayor [[Sheila Dixon]] was indicted in 2009 on twelve counts<ref> http://www.baltimoresun.com/media/acrobat/2009-07/48351943.pdf</ref>, comprising four counts of perjury, two counts of misconduct, three counts of theft, and three counts of fraudulent misappropriations.<ref>http://breakingnews.baltimoresun.com/2009/01/09/mayor-dixon-indicted-by-grand-jury/</ref> The felony theft charges stem partly from incidents in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 in which she allegedly misappropriated gift cards intended for the poor and used them for personal purchases.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/10/us/10baltimore.html?_r=1</ref><ref>http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/07/30/Mayor-indicted-for-theft-perjury-again/UPI-93311248967375/</ref> Dixon's trial, originally scheduled for September 8, 2009, was postponed to November 9, 2009.<ref>[http://breakingnews.baltimoresun.com/2009/08/05/dixons-trial-postponed-until-november/]</ref>
*Mayor [[Jerramiah Healy]] was convicted for obstruction of justice in 2007<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/07/jersey_city_mayor_jerramiah_he.html</ref> and more recently was implicated in the corruption sweep in New Jersey involving the sale of body parts and money laundering. In all, 44 individuals were indicted. (Healy was named as "JC Official 4" and implicated, but was not indicted, in the probe.)<ref>http://www.northjersey.com/hudson_essex/HEALY0725.html</ref><ref>http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Key-Player-in-Jersey-Corruption-Probe-Found-Dead.html</ref><ref>http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=6931021</ref>
*Former Mayor [[Kwame Kilpatrick]] was indicted, arrested, and convicted. and subsequently jailed for 99 days. Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to two felony obstruction of justice charges stemming from his efforts to cover up an extramarital affair. He also pleaded no contest to charges of assaulting a police officer attempting to serve a subpoena on a Kilpatrick friend in that case.<ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/03/national/main4771394.shtml</ref> The charges and allegations (not all against Kilpatrick himself) were of marital infidelity, conspiracy, perjury, corruption and murder.<ref>http://www.wxyz.com/content/news/detroitmayorinvestigation/default.aspx</ref> Following Kilpatrick's conviction, the [[Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms]] called on Kilpatrick to resign from the Coalition.<ref>[http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/bloomberg-anti-gun-soul-mate-kilpatrick-now/story.aspx?guid={4D97B9A9-CC96-4AEE-9547-8047955BB209}&dist=hppr Bloomberg Anti-Gun "Soul-Mate" Kilpatrick Now a Cellmate; Should Resign, Says CCRKBA - MarketWatch]</ref>
*Mayor [[Larry Langford]] was investigated in 2007 by the [[Securities and Exchange Commission|SEC]] on corruption charges. In 2008 a lawsuit was filed against him for illegally accepting $156,000 in cash and benefits. On December 1, 2008, Larry Langford was arrested by the [[FBI]] on a 101 count indictment<ref>[http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/12/0006_001.pdf Copy of indictment, via the Birmingham News]</ref> alleging conspiracy, bribery, fraud, money laundering, and filing false tax returns<ref>http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/12/0006_001.pdf</ref> in connection with a long-running bribery scheme.<ref>[http://www.myfoxal.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=7976053&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1]</ref><ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/12/01/birmingham-mayor-arrested-federal-charges/</ref><ref>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28001239/</ref> His trial date was postponed to October 2009, and the trial venue moved to Tuscaloosa, Alabama.<ref>http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/metro.ssf?/base/news/1250842555162350.xml&coll=2</ref>
*Deceased Mayor [[Frank Melton]] at the time of his death was under felony indictment on civil rights charges.<ref>http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/index.php/site/comments/breaking_frank_melton_indicted_on_felony_charges/</ref> (He died before a scheduled re-trial, following a mistrial.) In 2006, Melton pled guilty to a firearms charge, stemming from a raid (in which he was armed with a concealed pistol) on a suspected crack house. Melton conducted the extra-official [[Buford Pusser]]-style raid without a warrant to "bust up" a duplex apartment, accompanied by a group of youths that were not sworn law enforcement officers. That same event led to Melton's civil rights indictment. In November 2006, he pleaded no contest to three misdemeanor charges: carrying a gun in a park and in a church, and carrying a concealed weapon.<ref>v</ref>
*Mayor [[Eddie Pérez (politician)|Eddie Perez]] was indicted on bribery, fabricating evidence, and conspiracy to fabricate evidence felony charges.<ref>http://www.inqnews.com/Article.php?id=883</ref> Perez turned himself in to state police, stating that he had a lapse in judgment but did nothing illegal, and vowed that he would not step down as Hartford's mayor.<ref>{{cite news|title=Statement By Mayor Eddie Perez|url=http://www.courant.com/news/custom/topnews/hc-webstatement0127jan27,0,2148065.story|publisher=The Hartford Courant|accessdate=2009-01-29 |date=2009-01-27}}</ref> He was arraigned on September 8, 2009.<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-09-08-hartford-mayor_N.htm</ref> His trial date was postponed to November 2009<ref>http://www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-hartford-perez-court-0825.artaug25,0,6295095.story</ref>, and then to February, 2010.<ref>http://www.1010wins.com/Judge-Delays-Corruption-Trial-of-Hartford-Mayor/5152594</ref> On September 2, 2009 Perez was again arrested, and additionally charged with first-degree larceny by extortion, stemming from a no-bid parking lot deal, unrelated to the other corruption charges.<ref>http://www.wfsb.com/politics/20685092/detail.html</ref> He again proclaimed that he would stay in office, despite these new felony charges.<ref>http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Mayor-Could-Be-Charged-Today-56711267.html</ref>
*Former Mayor [[Samuel Rivera]], of Passaic, New Jersey was convicted of corruption, influence peddling, and extortion charges.<ref>http://patersononline.net/potm/2008/01/16/sammy-rivera-mayor-of-passaic-indicted/</ref><ref>http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nj/press/files/pdffiles/RiveracomplaintFINAL.pdf</ref> In August 2008 he pled guilty,and was sentenced to 21 months in prison.<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/08/former_passaic_mayor_sentenced.html</ref>
*In 2008, former Mayor [[Will Wynn]] was convicted of Class C misdemeanor, for a choking assault on a man who had crashed a party.<ref>http://www.dailytexanonline.com/state-local/will-wynn-charged-with-assault-sentenced-to-community-service-1.949829</ref>

Five current members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition have been troubled by scandals that involved firearms:
*As New York Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]] came into office, he inherited a chronic firearms permit favoritism scandal from his predecessors that still remains an unresolved issue. Writing in the New York Sun, attorney [[David Kopel]] observed: "The problem is acute in New York City. Celebrities, the ultra-wealthy, and the politically influential get carry permits. But many of the people who need them the most — such as stalking victims, or crime witnesses who have been threatened by the criminal's friends — often do not."<ref>http://www.nysun.com/opinion/hellers-kitchen/80928/</ref> There are currently only about 36,169 permits to keep firearms in private homes in New York City, with the majority issued to retired police officers. Of these permit holders, only 2,516 are more liberally licensed for [[concealed carry]] outside their homes. The issuance of permits is discretionary in New York City, per Penal Law 400<ref>http://www.saf.org/LawReviews/Novak1.html</ref>. (It is considered a "may issue" locality, unlike the "shall issue" policy used for concealed carry in most other localities.) Despite "tight" restrictions on "demonstrated need or special danger", a who’s-who list of celebrities, billionaires<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/08292007/news/regionalnews/trump_junior_packin.htm</ref>, entertainers<ref>http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nypost/access/246975111.html?did=246975111&FMT=ABS&FMTS=FT&PMID=42522&desc=NYPD+BIG+UNDER+FIRE+IN+AEROSMITH+%27GOT+A+GUN%27+SCANDAL</ref>, professional athletes<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/10262008/news/regionalnews/the_mets_are_loaded_135381.htm</ref>, and politicians<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/10262008/news/regionalnews/the_mets_are_loaded_135381.htm</ref> has somehow managed to get firearms permits. This list includes New York Times publisher [[Arthur Ochs Sulzberger]], publisher [[Michael Korda]], and talk show host [[Howard Stern]].<ref>http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=1143&full=1</ref> In 2007, The New York Post reported that gun license holders include financier [[Donald Trump]], his son [[Donald Trump Jr.]], Queens district attorney Richard A. Brown, Westchester County district attorney, Janet DiFiore, music executive [[Tommy Mottola]], chief executive of Marvel Comics, [[Isaac Perlmutter]], radio show host [[Don Imus]], lawyer [[Barry Slotnick]], lawyer [[Raoul Felder]]; publisher Robert Forbes, the cab-driving political activist [[Fernando Mateo]], former new York Senate Majority Leader [[Joe Bruno]] (recently indicted for fraud), actor [[Robert De Niro]], actor [[Harvey Keitel]], film producer Martin Bregman, cosmetics heir [[Ronald Lauder]], and [[Aerosmith]] singer [[Steven Tyler]].<ref>http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nypost/access/246975111.html?did=246975111&FMT=ABS&FMTS=FT&PMID=42522&desc=NYPD+BIG+UNDER+FIRE+IN+AEROSMITH+%27GOT+A+GUN%27+SCANDAL</ref><ref>http://www.nndb.com/event/349/000172830/</ref> All of these individuals have retained their gun licenses under Bloomberg's "tough on guns" administration. The New York Post noted: "Television news anchor [[John Roland]], who let his license lapse in 2006, got his gun permit back in 2007."<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/08292007/news/regionalnews/trump_junior_packin.htm</ref> A surprisingly high number of celebrities have concealed carry permits, rather than the more common "keep at home" (premise) permits. According to The New York Times, "Mr. Bloomberg asked Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly to look at the issue, and added: 'If you want a gun permit, you should have to really show that your life is in danger, and that having a gun will protect you, will improve the chances of you surviving.'"<ref>http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/02/a-guide-to-city-gun-licenses/</ref> But despite Bloomberg's publicly-stated concern, there have been no announcements of any celebrity gun permits being rescinded, or any reforms to prevent favoritism, cronyism, bribes, or other abuse of discretion in license issuance. With a city population of 8.3 million, the 36,169 gun permit holders represent just .043% of the population and the 2,516 concealed carry permit holders represent a scant .003% of the population.
*Mayor [[Richard M. Daley]] has been criticized for the city of Chicago's long-standing practice of providing armed bodyguards for a number of city politicians, including city clerk James "Jim" Laski. In the city clerk scandal, Daley was shamed into removing the perk of the armed bodyguards for the clerk. The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' reported: "The decision was made almost immediately after Laski became the first elected official to be caught up in the Hired Truck scandal. But Daley insisted that the bribery and extortion charges against Laski were not the trigger. It was the fact that, until this week, Laski had not been showing up for work."<ref>http://www.suntimes.com/news/hired/31589,cst-nws-laski19.article</ref> Laski was later convicted of taking $48,000 in bribes and received a two year sentence.<ref>http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1621311.html</ref> Former Mayor Eugene Sawyer, City Treasurer Judy Rice and Alderman Edward M. Burke, chairman of the City Council's Finance Committee still have armed bodyguards.<ref>http://www.suntimes.com/news/hired/31589,cst-nws-laski19.article</ref>
*Mayor [[Gerald Jennings]] of Albany, New York was implicated in a scandal regarding the alleged illegal purchase of 52 machine guns.<ref>http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=773606</ref> It is unclear whether the weapons were purchased for departmental use or for the use of private individuals. Weapons were delivered to Police Department addresses but apparently paid for with private funds. The Department has not produced a list of weapons, their location, the names of the individuals who purchased them, or their disposition or destruction. At least one later turned up, illegally for sale to the public, in an area gun store. The police officer who sold the gun to the store has testified that he bought it from a Police Union official who was also the Department's armorer.<ref>http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=773606</ref> The current Chief of Police is the fifth appointed by Jennings.<ref>[http://timesunion.com/ASPStories/storyprint.asp?StoryID=630735]</ref> The case is still open.<ref> http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=773606&category=REGION</ref>
*Following the illegal seizure of firearms in the wake of [[Hurricane Katrina]], Mayor [[Ray Nagin]] settled a lawsuit and had a permanent injunction issued prohibiting Nagin or any New Orleans employee from confiscating any lawfully possessed firearm and ordering the return of hundreds of illegally confiscated firearms. (They had been confiscated at Mayor Nagin's order.).<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-10-08-nra-katrina_N.htm</ref> Nagin's administration has also been troubled by reports of improprieties with the police department evidence rooms, where guns were stolen, guns were allowed to rust, and $200,000 in cash was stolen.<ref>http://www.wwltv.com/topstories/stories/wwl011409mlevidencce.3cc661c.html</ref><ref>http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/state_auditors_report_cites_pr.html</ref>
*Mayor [[Bill White (mayor)|Bill White]]'s administration has been embarrassed by an ongoing scandal involving guns stolen from the Houston Police Department's evidence room. In January 2009, the [[Houston Chronicle]] reported: "For months, maybe years, people with criminal backgrounds had access to secure areas of the police station, including a property room from which 30 guns disappeared within six months, according to internal police documents. The documents, obtained by the Houston Chronicle, indicated that lax security created an environment ripe for theft. No one has been charged in the gun thefts, although police suspected telephone repairmen who admitted stealing other items, and a temporary employee who had access to the property room while awaiting trial on aggravated robbery charges."<ref>Houston Chronicle, "Room for Doubt", January 22, 2009</ref><ref>http://www.uslaw.com/library/Criminal_Law/Houston_Chronicle_Room_doubt.php?item=359041</ref>

==Resignations from the coalition==

===Announced resignations===

Twelve mayors that had been members<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/7_14_09_maig_letter.pdf</ref> have withdrawn from the organization, claiming either that they were misled about the group's anti-gun platform, or that they were enrolled in the coalition without their knowledge.<ref>Mayor Withdraws from anti-gun coalition, The Indianapolis Star, June 27, 2007 By: Tania E. Lopez http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070627/LOCAL0101/706270329/1015/LOCAL01</ref><ref>Letter to the Editor, Anchorage Daily News, February 4, 2007 by Mayor Mark Begich http://www.adn.com/opinion/letters/story/8614932p-8507468c.html</ref><ref>An Idaho Mayor Withdraws From Bloomberg's Gun Group, The New York Sun, January 17, 2007 By: Bradley Hope http://www.nysun.com/article/46799</ref> They are:

*[[Idaho Falls, Idaho]] Mayor Jared Fuhriman<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref>

*[[Carmel, Indiana]] Mayor James Brainard

*[[Rio Rancho, New Mexico]] Mayor Kevin Jackson<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref>

*[[Anchorage, Alaska]] Mayor Mark Begich<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref>

*[[Oldmans Township, New Jersey]] Mayor Harry Moore<ref>http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_11_53/ai_n20512691/</ref><ref>[http://sev.prnewswire.com/sports/20070709/NYM15609072007-1.html National Shooting Sports Foundation: Firearms Industry Hails New Jersey Mayor Following Resignation from Bloomberg Coalition]</ref><ref>http://www.nssf.org/share/PDF/070907_MooreResignationMAIG.pdf</ref>

*[[Walton Hills, Ohio]] Mayor Marlene Anielski,<ref>http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/printable/node/6840</ref>

*[[Williamsport, Pennsylvania]] Mayor Mary B. Wolf<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref><ref>http://www.saf.org/viewpr-new.asp?id=215</ref>

*[[ Madeira Beach, Florida]] Mayor Patricia Shontz<ref name="urlGun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns">{{cite web |url=http://www.ammoland.com/2009/09/12/gun-owners-call-mayors-out-on-mayors-against-illegal-guns/ |title=AmmoLand.Com - Gun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns |format= |work= |accessdate=2009-09-12}}</ref>

*[[Knoxville, Tennessee]] Mayor Bill Haslam<ref>http://politics.nashvillepost.com/2009/04/09/bill-haslam-joined-the-nra-in-late-february-or-early-march/</ref><ref>http://politics.nashvillepost.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/maig-2.pdf</ref>

*[[Warsaw, Indiana]] Mayor Ernest B. Wiggins<ref>http://www.timesuniononline.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=224&ArticleID=4255</ref>

*[[Sioux Falls, South Dakota]] Mayor Dave Munson<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/04/AR2009080403132_4.html?sid=ST2009080502296</ref>

*[[Houston, Texas]] Mayor Bill White<ref>http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/firstreading/entries/2009/07/28/health_care_seems_the_next_fro.html</ref>

In her resignation letter, Mayor Patricia Shontz of Madeira Beach, Florida wrote, “I am withdrawing because I believe the MAIG is attempting to erode all gun ownership, not just illegal guns. Additionally, I have learned that the MAIG may be working on issues which conflict with legal gun ownership.” She added, “It appears the MAIG has misrepresented itself to the Mayors of America and its citizens. This is gun control, not crime prevention.”<ref name="urlGun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns">{{cite web |url=http://www.ammoland.com/2009/09/12/gun-owners-call-mayors-out-on-mayors-against-illegal-guns/ |title=AmmoLand.Com - Gun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns |format= |work= |accessdate=2009-09-12}}</ref>

In his resignation letter to Bloomberg, Mayor Harry Moore stated: "It is simply unconscionable that this coalition, under your leadership, would call for a repeal of the Shelby /Tiahrt amendment that helps to safeguard criminal investigations and the lives of law enforcement officers, witnesses and others by restricting access to firearms trace data solely to law enforcement. How anyone, least of all a public official, could be willing to sacrifice such a law enforcement lifeline in order to gain an edge in suing an industry they have political differences with is repugnant to me. The fact that your campaign against this protective language consisted of overheated rhetoric, deception and falsehoods is disturbing."<ref> http://www.nssf.org/share/PDF/070907_MooreResignationMAIG.pdf</ref>

The resignations of Kevin Jackson and Jared Fuhriman left the state of Idaho completely unrepresented in the organization, and Alaska with just one representative mayor. Since Mayor [[Rocky Anderson]] of [[Salt Lake City, Utah|Salt Lake City]] left office, it has also left Utah unrepresented. Mayor [[Kathy Taylor]] of [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]] has announced that she will not seek re-election<ref> http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/0609/629082.html</ref>, and as of September, 2009, her name has been removed from the coalition's roster. This also leaves Oklahoma unrepresented.
According to the U.S. [[Conference of Mayors]] there are 1,201 cities in the US with a population of 30,000 or more that are headed by mayors.<ref>http://usmayors.org/about/overview.asp</ref> Several of the mayors in the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition represent even smaller towns and cities--particularly in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, which are disproportionately represented.

==Legislative Initiatives==
With the stated goal of reducing the number of [[straw purchase]] of guns, the coalition has favored new legislation to require mandatory reporting of lost or stolen guns.<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/local/lost-stolen.shtml</ref> As of September, 2009, seven states (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island) and the District of Columbia have laws criminalizing failure to report lost and stolen guns to law enforcement. Several other states and local governments are working to pass similar laws.<ref>http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2009/03/gun_control_proposal_on_tonigh_1.html</ref> Critics counter that straw purchases are already illegal, and hence mandatory theft and loss reporting laws are redundant.<ref>http://www.pagunrights.com/2009/08/update-on-york-pennsylvania-lost-stolen-gun-reporting-proposal/</ref>

Former prosecuting attorney C.D. Michel analyzed mandatory reporting laws, using one in Ventura County, California as an example: "Ironically, the ordinance cannot be used against the real bad guys. No law can compel lawbreakers to report themselves. So a straw purchaser who legally buys a gun cannot be compelled to report that he resold it illegally. And since it wasn't actually lost or stolen, he hasn't violated the ordinance. Similarly, if a felon prohibited from possessing a gun illegally possesses one anyway, and it is lost or stolen, he can be prosecuted for having the gun in the first place, but cannot be prosecuted for failing to incriminate himself by reporting the loss. Enforcement of these ordinances places prosecutors in a precarious legal and ethical position. Say a straw-purchaser's gun is recovered at a crime scene and traced back to him. If he lies to police claiming his gun was "stolen" when he really sold it on the black market, will we nonetheless prosecute him for something he did not do (fail to report the "stolen" gun -- which wasn't actually stolen) but to which he "confessed"? Ethics and legality aside, securing a misdemeanor conviction for failing to report a theft (that never occurred) likely prohibits prosecuting the straw purchaser for the more serious felony black market sale or for making a false statement to police. Perhaps worse, gun owners who truly are burglary victims must now hesitate to speak with police if their stolen gun is recovered at a crime scene. If the gun owner failed to report the loss at all, or on time, she faces possible criminal prosecution if she cooperates with police investigating the recovered gun. She should remain silent, get a lawyer and seek immunity first. Legal representation may also be appropriate when a gun is first discovered missing. The owner can be prosecuted if the theft is not reported within 48 hours of when the owner "should have known" the gun was missing. Proponents have made clear they believe "responsible" gun owners should know where their gun is at every single moment and "should know" a gun is gone immediately. And the fear of prosecution will encourage those who miss the 48-hour window not to report the loss at all. Effectively, these ordinances place the legitimate gun owner in jeopardy of prosecution for becoming a victim of a crime. In light of these liabilities, gun-rights groups and the criminal-defense bar have begun advising gun owners -- who would ordinarily be happy to assist police with their investigation -- that they need a lawyer if they are contacted by police."<reF>http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/aug/10/why-pass-an-ineffective-law-on-guns/</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist | 2}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org Mayors Against Illegal Guns]

[[Category:Gun control]]
[[Category:Second Amendment]]
[[Category:Liberalism]]

{{Liberalism}}

Mayors Against Illegal Guns

2009-09-14T16:05:08Z

Fongman: /* Resignations from the coalition */ Expanding section--with paragraphs that were deleted by Wikipedia's anti-gun cabal. (They like their story revisionist!)

The '''Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition''' is a leftist political coalition of mayors from about 400 United States cities, with a stated agenda of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The group was formed by [[Boston]] Mayor [[Thomas Menino]] and New York Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]]. The coalition's CEO is [[Chicago]] Mayor [[Richard M. Daley]].

The majority of members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition are Democrats.

==Criticism of Methods and Hypocrisy==

Bloomberg has been sued for defamation by a Smyrna, Georgia gun dealer represented by former congressman [[Bob Barr]].<ref>http://www.insidecounsel.com/Issues/2006/September%202006/Pages/Gun-Dealer-Shoots-Back-at-NY-Mayor.aspx</ref><ref>http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2006/07/17/daily39.html</ref>

===Indicted, convicted, and scandalized members===

A substantial number of member of the coalition have been indicted in recent months, on felony charges. Here in the US, conviction of felony means the immediate loss of both the right to vote and the right to own a gun for the rest of one's life. This is an organization that espouses doing away with "illegal guns", yet a surprising number of their members have made choices in their lives that have set themselves on the path to being disenfranchised from ever owning a gun.

Personal character and integrity are prerequisites for anyone entering public office, to serve in an elected position of "special trust and confidence", such as a mayorship. Abuses of that trust, gross lapses of integrity, and forays into criminal conduct are not tolerated in our society. If anything, elected politicians are held to a higher standard than the general public, and their actions are closely watched. For an elected official to become a criminal, when they themselves are entrusted to protect us from criminals is nearly the most heinous and unforgivable thing imaginable in a democratically-ruled republic. For some of these same individuals to continue to be considered members in good standing of a "crime-fighting" organization--and not even censured by the organization--has been criticized as being hypocritical.

Four current and former members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition are currently under felony indictments, five others were recently convicted of felonies, one indicted member died of a heart attack before completion of his trial, and one member was recently convicted of a violent misdemeanor. The indicted and convicted members and former members include:
*Former Mayor Gary Becker<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/letter_to_congress_101707.pdf</ref> of Racine, Wisconsin is under five felony indictments for child pornography, attempted child sexual assault and child enticement.<ref>http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/37649499.html</ref> He resigned after pleading not guilty and being released on bond.<ref> http://www.nbc15.com/state/headlines/37567789.html</ref> His location is currently being monitored electronically, as he awaits a trial scheduled to begin in October, 2009.<ref>http://www.620wtmj.com/news/local/45360062.html</ref>
*Former Mayor David Della Donna<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/letter_to_congress_101707.pdf</ref>, of Guttenberg, New Jersey was indicted under a Federal extortion and mail fraud charges.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/29/nyregion/29fraud.html?_r=1</ref> He was convicted in 2008<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/04/jurors_in_the_federal_corrupti.html</ref> and sentenced to four years and three months in federal prison.<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/guttenberg/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1224916016161280.xml&coll=3</ref>
*Mayor [[Sheila Dixon]] was indicted in 2009 on twelve counts<ref> http://www.baltimoresun.com/media/acrobat/2009-07/48351943.pdf</ref>, comprising four counts of perjury, two counts of misconduct, three counts of theft, and three counts of fraudulent misappropriations.<ref>http://breakingnews.baltimoresun.com/2009/01/09/mayor-dixon-indicted-by-grand-jury/</ref> The felony theft charges stem partly from incidents in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 in which she allegedly misappropriated gift cards intended for the poor and used them for personal purchases.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/10/us/10baltimore.html?_r=1</ref><ref>http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/07/30/Mayor-indicted-for-theft-perjury-again/UPI-93311248967375/</ref> Dixon's trial, originally scheduled for September 8, 2009, was postponed to November 9, 2009.<ref>[http://breakingnews.baltimoresun.com/2009/08/05/dixons-trial-postponed-until-november/]</ref>
*Mayor [[Jerramiah Healy]] was convicted for obstruction of justice in 2007<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/07/jersey_city_mayor_jerramiah_he.html</ref> and more recently was implicated in the corruption sweep in New Jersey involving the sale of body parts and money laundering. In all, 44 individuals were indicted. (Healy was named as "JC Official 4" and implicated, but was not indicted, in the probe.)<ref>http://www.northjersey.com/hudson_essex/HEALY0725.html</ref><ref>http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Key-Player-in-Jersey-Corruption-Probe-Found-Dead.html</ref><ref>http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=6931021</ref>
*Former Mayor [[Kwame Kilpatrick]] was indicted, arrested, and convicted. and subsequently jailed for 99 days. Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to two felony obstruction of justice charges stemming from his efforts to cover up an extramarital affair. He also pleaded no contest to charges of assaulting a police officer attempting to serve a subpoena on a Kilpatrick friend in that case.<ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/03/national/main4771394.shtml</ref> The charges and allegations (not all against Kilpatrick himself) were of marital infidelity, conspiracy, perjury, corruption and murder.<ref>http://www.wxyz.com/content/news/detroitmayorinvestigation/default.aspx</ref> Following Kilpatrick's conviction, the [[Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms]] called on Kilpatrick to resign from the Coalition.<ref>[http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/bloomberg-anti-gun-soul-mate-kilpatrick-now/story.aspx?guid={4D97B9A9-CC96-4AEE-9547-8047955BB209}&dist=hppr Bloomberg Anti-Gun "Soul-Mate" Kilpatrick Now a Cellmate; Should Resign, Says CCRKBA - MarketWatch]</ref>
*Mayor [[Larry Langford]] was investigated in 2007 by the [[Securities and Exchange Commission|SEC]] on corruption charges. In 2008 a lawsuit was filed against him for illegally accepting $156,000 in cash and benefits. On December 1, 2008, Larry Langford was arrested by the [[FBI]] on a 101 count indictment<ref>[http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/12/0006_001.pdf Copy of indictment, via the Birmingham News]</ref> alleging conspiracy, bribery, fraud, money laundering, and filing false tax returns<ref>http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/12/0006_001.pdf</ref> in connection with a long-running bribery scheme.<ref>[http://www.myfoxal.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=7976053&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1]</ref><ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/12/01/birmingham-mayor-arrested-federal-charges/</ref><ref>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28001239/</ref> His trial date was postponed to October 2009, and the trial venue moved to Tuscaloosa, Alabama.<ref>http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/metro.ssf?/base/news/1250842555162350.xml&coll=2</ref>
*Deceased Mayor [[Frank Melton]] at the time of his death was under felony indictment on civil rights charges.<ref>http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/index.php/site/comments/breaking_frank_melton_indicted_on_felony_charges/</ref> (He died before a scheduled re-trial, following a mistrial.) In 2006, Melton pled guilty to a firearms charge, stemming from a raid (in which he was armed with a concealed pistol) on a suspected crack house. Melton conducted the extra-official [[Buford Pusser]]-style raid without a warrant to "bust up" a duplex apartment, accompanied by a group of youths that were not sworn law enforcement officers. That same event led to Melton's civil rights indictment. In November 2006, he pleaded no contest to three misdemeanor charges: carrying a gun in a park and in a church, and carrying a concealed weapon.<ref>v</ref>
*Mayor [[Eddie Pérez (politician)|Eddie Perez]] was indicted on bribery, fabricating evidence, and conspiracy to fabricate evidence felony charges.<ref>http://www.inqnews.com/Article.php?id=883</ref> Perez turned himself in to state police, stating that he had a lapse in judgment but did nothing illegal, and vowed that he would not step down as Hartford's mayor.<ref>{{cite news|title=Statement By Mayor Eddie Perez|url=http://www.courant.com/news/custom/topnews/hc-webstatement0127jan27,0,2148065.story|publisher=The Hartford Courant|accessdate=2009-01-29 |date=2009-01-27}}</ref> He was arraigned on September 8, 2009.<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-09-08-hartford-mayor_N.htm</ref> His trial date was postponed to November 2009<ref>http://www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-hartford-perez-court-0825.artaug25,0,6295095.story</ref>, and then to February, 2010.<ref>http://www.1010wins.com/Judge-Delays-Corruption-Trial-of-Hartford-Mayor/5152594</ref> On September 2, 2009 Perez was again arrested, and additionally charged with first-degree larceny by extortion, stemming from a no-bid parking lot deal, unrelated to the other corruption charges.<ref>http://www.wfsb.com/politics/20685092/detail.html</ref> He again proclaimed that he would stay in office, despite these new felony charges.<ref>http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Mayor-Could-Be-Charged-Today-56711267.html</ref>
*Former Mayor [[Samuel Rivera]], of Passaic, New Jersey was convicted of corruption, influence peddling, and extortion charges.<ref>http://patersononline.net/potm/2008/01/16/sammy-rivera-mayor-of-passaic-indicted/</ref><ref>http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nj/press/files/pdffiles/RiveracomplaintFINAL.pdf</ref> In August 2008 he pled guilty,and was sentenced to 21 months in prison.<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/08/former_passaic_mayor_sentenced.html</ref>
*In 2008, former Mayor [[Will Wynn]] was convicted of Class C misdemeanor, for a choking assault on a man who had crashed a party.<ref>http://www.dailytexanonline.com/state-local/will-wynn-charged-with-assault-sentenced-to-community-service-1.949829</ref>

Five current members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition have been troubled by scandals that involved firearms:
*As New York Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]] came into office, he inherited a chronic firearms permit favoritism scandal from his predecessors that still remains an unresolved issue. Writing in the New York Sun, attorney [[David Kopel]] observed: "The problem is acute in New York City. Celebrities, the ultra-wealthy, and the politically influential get carry permits. But many of the people who need them the most — such as stalking victims, or crime witnesses who have been threatened by the criminal's friends — often do not."<ref>http://www.nysun.com/opinion/hellers-kitchen/80928/</ref> There are currently only about 36,169 permits to keep firearms in private homes in New York City, with the majority issued to retired police officers. Of these permit holders, only 2,516 are more liberally licensed for [[concealed carry]] outside their homes. The issuance of permits is discretionary in New York City, per Penal Law 400<ref>http://www.saf.org/LawReviews/Novak1.html</ref>. (It is considered a "may issue" locality, unlike the "shall issue" policy used for concealed carry in most other localities.) Despite "tight" restrictions on "demonstrated need or special danger", a who’s-who list of celebrities, billionaires<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/08292007/news/regionalnews/trump_junior_packin.htm</ref>, entertainers<ref>http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nypost/access/246975111.html?did=246975111&FMT=ABS&FMTS=FT&PMID=42522&desc=NYPD+BIG+UNDER+FIRE+IN+AEROSMITH+%27GOT+A+GUN%27+SCANDAL</ref>, professional athletes<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/10262008/news/regionalnews/the_mets_are_loaded_135381.htm</ref>, and politicians<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/10262008/news/regionalnews/the_mets_are_loaded_135381.htm</ref> has somehow managed to get firearms permits. This list includes New York Times publisher [[Arthur Ochs Sulzberger]], publisher [[Michael Korda]], and talk show host [[Howard Stern]].<ref>http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=1143&full=1</ref> In 2007, The New York Post reported that gun license holders include financier [[Donald Trump]], his son [[Donald Trump Jr.]], Queens district attorney Richard A. Brown, Westchester County district attorney, Janet DiFiore, music executive [[Tommy Mottola]], chief executive of Marvel Comics, [[Isaac Perlmutter]], radio show host [[Don Imus]], lawyer [[Barry Slotnick]], lawyer [[Raoul Felder]]; publisher Robert Forbes, the cab-driving political activist [[Fernando Mateo]], former new York Senate Majority Leader [[Joe Bruno]] (recently indicted for fraud), actor [[Robert De Niro]], actor [[Harvey Keitel]], film producer Martin Bregman, cosmetics heir [[Ronald Lauder]], and [[Aerosmith]] singer [[Steven Tyler]].<ref>http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nypost/access/246975111.html?did=246975111&FMT=ABS&FMTS=FT&PMID=42522&desc=NYPD+BIG+UNDER+FIRE+IN+AEROSMITH+%27GOT+A+GUN%27+SCANDAL</ref><ref>http://www.nndb.com/event/349/000172830/</ref> All of these individuals have retained their gun licenses under Bloomberg's "tough on guns" administration. The New York Post noted: "Television news anchor [[John Roland]], who let his license lapse in 2006, got his gun permit back in 2007."<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/08292007/news/regionalnews/trump_junior_packin.htm</ref> A surprisingly high number of celebrities have concealed carry permits, rather than the more common "keep at home" (premise) permits. According to The New York Times, "Mr. Bloomberg asked Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly to look at the issue, and added: 'If you want a gun permit, you should have to really show that your life is in danger, and that having a gun will protect you, will improve the chances of you surviving.'"<ref>http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/02/a-guide-to-city-gun-licenses/</ref> But despite Bloomberg's publicly-stated concern, there have been no announcements of any celebrity gun permits being rescinded, or any reforms to prevent favoritism, cronyism, bribes, or other abuse of discretion in license issuance. With a city population of 8.3 million, the 36,169 gun permit holders represent just .043% of the population and the 2,516 concealed carry permit holders represent a scant .003% of the population.
*Mayor [[Richard M. Daley]] has been criticized for the city of Chicago's long-standing practice of providing armed bodyguards for a number of city politicians, including city clerk James "Jim" Laski. In the city clerk scandal, Daley was shamed into removing the perk of the armed bodyguards for the clerk. The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' reported: "The decision was made almost immediately after Laski became the first elected official to be caught up in the Hired Truck scandal. But Daley insisted that the bribery and extortion charges against Laski were not the trigger. It was the fact that, until this week, Laski had not been showing up for work."<ref>http://www.suntimes.com/news/hired/31589,cst-nws-laski19.article</ref> Laski was later convicted of taking $48,000 in bribes and received a two year sentence.<ref>http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1621311.html</ref> Former Mayor Eugene Sawyer, City Treasurer Judy Rice and Alderman Edward M. Burke, chairman of the City Council's Finance Committee still have armed bodyguards.<ref>http://www.suntimes.com/news/hired/31589,cst-nws-laski19.article</ref>
*Mayor [[Gerald Jennings]] of Albany, New York was implicated in a scandal regarding the alleged illegal purchase of 52 machine guns.<ref>http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=773606</ref> It is unclear whether the weapons were purchased for departmental use or for the use of private individuals. Weapons were delivered to Police Department addresses but apparently paid for with private funds. The Department has not produced a list of weapons, their location, the names of the individuals who purchased them, or their disposition or destruction. At least one later turned up, illegally for sale to the public, in an area gun store. The police officer who sold the gun to the store has testified that he bought it from a Police Union official who was also the Department's armorer.<ref>http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=773606</ref> The current Chief of Police is the fifth appointed by Jennings.<ref>[http://timesunion.com/ASPStories/storyprint.asp?StoryID=630735]</ref> The case is still open.<ref> http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=773606&category=REGION</ref>
*Following the illegal seizure of firearms in the wake of [[Hurricane Katrina]], Mayor [[Ray Nagin]] settled a lawsuit and had a permanent injunction issued prohibiting Nagin or any New Orleans employee from confiscating any lawfully possessed firearm and ordering the return of hundreds of illegally confiscated firearms. (They had been confiscated at Mayor Nagin's order.).<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-10-08-nra-katrina_N.htm</ref> Nagin's administration has also been troubled by reports of improprieties with the police department evidence rooms, where guns were stolen, guns were allowed to rust, and $200,000 in cash was stolen.<ref>http://www.wwltv.com/topstories/stories/wwl011409mlevidencce.3cc661c.html</ref><ref>http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/state_auditors_report_cites_pr.html</ref>
*Mayor [[Bill White (mayor)|Bill White]]'s administration has been embarrassed by an ongoing scandal involving guns stolen from the Houston Police Department's evidence room. In January 2009, the [[Houston Chronicle]] reported: "For months, maybe years, people with criminal backgrounds had access to secure areas of the police station, including a property room from which 30 guns disappeared within six months, according to internal police documents. The documents, obtained by the Houston Chronicle, indicated that lax security created an environment ripe for theft. No one has been charged in the gun thefts, although police suspected telephone repairmen who admitted stealing other items, and a temporary employee who had access to the property room while awaiting trial on aggravated robbery charges."<ref>Houston Chronicle, "Room for Doubt", January 22, 2009</ref><ref>http://www.uslaw.com/library/Criminal_Law/Houston_Chronicle_Room_doubt.php?item=359041</ref>

==Resignations from the coalition==

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===Announced resignations===

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Twelve mayors that had been members<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/7_14_09_maig_letter.pdf</ref> have withdrawn from the organization, claiming either that they were misled about the group's anti-gun platform, or that they were enrolled in the coalition without their knowledge.<ref>Mayor Withdraws from anti-gun coalition, The Indianapolis Star, June 27, 2007 By: Tania E. Lopez http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070627/LOCAL0101/706270329/1015/LOCAL01</ref><ref>Letter to the Editor, Anchorage Daily News, February 4, 2007 by Mayor Mark Begich http://www.adn.com/opinion/letters/story/8614932p-8507468c.html</ref><ref>An Idaho Mayor Withdraws From Bloomberg's Gun Group, The New York Sun, January 17, 2007 By: Bradley Hope http://www.nysun.com/article/46799</ref> They are:

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*[[Idaho Falls, Idaho]] Mayor Jared Fuhriman<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref>

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*[[Carmel, Indiana]] Mayor James Brainard

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*[[Rio Rancho, New Mexico]] Mayor Kevin Jackson<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref>

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*[[Anchorage, Alaska]] Mayor Mark Begich<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref>

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*[[Oldmans Township, New Jersey]] Mayor Harry Moore<ref>http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_11_53/ai_n20512691/</ref><ref>[http://sev.prnewswire.com/sports/20070709/NYM15609072007-1.html National Shooting Sports Foundation: Firearms Industry Hails New Jersey Mayor Following Resignation from Bloomberg Coalition]</ref><ref>http://www.nssf.org/share/PDF/070907_MooreResignationMAIG.pdf</ref>

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*[[Walton Hills, Ohio]] Mayor Marlene Anielski,<ref>http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/printable/node/6840</ref>

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*[[Williamsport, Pennsylvania]] Mayor Mary B. Wolf<ref>http://www.nysun.com/new-york/fourth-mayor-quits-bloomberg-anti-gun-group/50547</ref><ref>http://www.saf.org/viewpr-new.asp?id=215</ref>

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*[[ Madeira Beach, Florida]] Mayor Patricia Shontz<ref name="urlGun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns">{{cite web |url=http://www.ammoland.com/2009/09/12/gun-owners-call-mayors-out-on-mayors-against-illegal-guns/ |title=AmmoLand.Com - Gun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns |format= |work= |accessdate=2009-09-12}}</ref>

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*[[Knoxville, Tennessee]] Mayor Bill Haslam<ref>http://politics.nashvillepost.com/2009/04/09/bill-haslam-joined-the-nra-in-late-february-or-early-march/</ref><ref>http://politics.nashvillepost.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/maig-2.pdf</ref>

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*[[Warsaw, Indiana]] Mayor Ernest B. Wiggins<ref>http://www.timesuniononline.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=224&ArticleID=4255</ref>

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*[[Sioux Falls, South Dakota]] Mayor Dave Munson<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/04/AR2009080403132_4.html?sid=ST2009080502296</ref>

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*[[Houston, Texas]] Mayor Bill White<ref>http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/firstreading/entries/2009/07/28/health_care_seems_the_next_fro.html</ref>

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In her resignation letter, Mayor Patricia Shontz of Madeira Beach, Florida wrote, “I am withdrawing because I believe the MAIG is attempting to erode all gun ownership, not just illegal guns. Additionally, I have learned that the MAIG may be working on issues which conflict with legal gun ownership.” She added, “It appears the MAIG has misrepresented itself to the Mayors of America and its citizens. This is gun control, not crime prevention.”<ref name="urlGun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns">{{cite web |url=http://www.ammoland.com/2009/09/12/gun-owners-call-mayors-out-on-mayors-against-illegal-guns/ |title=AmmoLand.Com - Gun Owners Call Mayors Out On Mayors Against Illegal Guns |format= |work= |accessdate=2009-09-12}}</ref>

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In his resignation letter to Bloomberg, Mayor Harry Moore stated: "It is simply unconscionable that this coalition, under your leadership, would call for a repeal of the Shelby /Tiahrt amendment that helps to safeguard criminal investigations and the lives of law enforcement officers, witnesses and others by restricting access to firearms trace data solely to law enforcement. How anyone, least of all a public official, could be willing to sacrifice such a law enforcement lifeline in order to gain an edge in suing an industry they have political differences with is repugnant to me. The fact that your campaign against this protective language consisted of overheated rhetoric, deception and falsehoods is disturbing."<ref> http://www.nssf.org/share/PDF/070907_MooreResignationMAIG.pdf</ref>

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The resignations of Kevin Jackson and Jared Fuhriman left the state of Idaho completely unrepresented in the organization, and Alaska with just one representative mayor. Since Mayor [[Rocky Anderson]] of [[Salt Lake City, Utah|Salt Lake City]] left office, it has also left Utah unrepresented. Mayor [[Kathy Taylor]] of [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]] has announced that she will not seek re-election<ref> http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/0609/629082.html</ref>, and as of September, 2009, her name has been removed from the coalition's roster. This also leaves Oklahoma unrepresented.
According to the U.S. [[Conference of Mayors]] there are 1,201 cities in the US with a population of 30,000 or more that are headed by mayors.<ref>http://usmayors.org/about/overview.asp</ref> Several of the mayors in the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition represent even smaller towns and cities--particularly in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, which are disproportionately represented.

==Legislative Initiatives==
With the stated goal of reducing the number of [[straw purchase]] of guns, the coalition has favored new legislation to require mandatory reporting of lost or stolen guns.<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/local/lost-stolen.shtml</ref> As of September, 2009, seven states (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island) and the District of Columbia have laws criminalizing failure to report lost and stolen guns to law enforcement. Several other states and local governments are working to pass similar laws.<ref>http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2009/03/gun_control_proposal_on_tonigh_1.html</ref> Critics counter that straw purchases are already illegal, and hence mandatory theft and loss reporting laws are redundant.<ref>http://www.pagunrights.com/2009/08/update-on-york-pennsylvania-lost-stolen-gun-reporting-proposal/</ref>

Former prosecuting attorney C.D. Michel analyzed mandatory reporting laws, using one in Ventura County, California as an example: "Ironically, the ordinance cannot be used against the real bad guys. No law can compel lawbreakers to report themselves. So a straw purchaser who legally buys a gun cannot be compelled to report that he resold it illegally. And since it wasn't actually lost or stolen, he hasn't violated the ordinance. Similarly, if a felon prohibited from possessing a gun illegally possesses one anyway, and it is lost or stolen, he can be prosecuted for having the gun in the first place, but cannot be prosecuted for failing to incriminate himself by reporting the loss. Enforcement of these ordinances places prosecutors in a precarious legal and ethical position. Say a straw-purchaser's gun is recovered at a crime scene and traced back to him. If he lies to police claiming his gun was "stolen" when he really sold it on the black market, will we nonetheless prosecute him for something he did not do (fail to report the "stolen" gun -- which wasn't actually stolen) but to which he "confessed"? Ethics and legality aside, securing a misdemeanor conviction for failing to report a theft (that never occurred) likely prohibits prosecuting the straw purchaser for the more serious felony black market sale or for making a false statement to police. Perhaps worse, gun owners who truly are burglary victims must now hesitate to speak with police if their stolen gun is recovered at a crime scene. If the gun owner failed to report the loss at all, or on time, she faces possible criminal prosecution if she cooperates with police investigating the recovered gun. She should remain silent, get a lawyer and seek immunity first. Legal representation may also be appropriate when a gun is first discovered missing. The owner can be prosecuted if the theft is not reported within 48 hours of when the owner "should have known" the gun was missing. Proponents have made clear they believe "responsible" gun owners should know where their gun is at every single moment and "should know" a gun is gone immediately. And the fear of prosecution will encourage those who miss the 48-hour window not to report the loss at all. Effectively, these ordinances place the legitimate gun owner in jeopardy of prosecution for becoming a victim of a crime. In light of these liabilities, gun-rights groups and the criminal-defense bar have begun advising gun owners -- who would ordinarily be happy to assist police with their investigation -- that they need a lawyer if they are contacted by police."<reF>http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/aug/10/why-pass-an-ineffective-law-on-guns/</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist | 2}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org Mayors Against Illegal Guns]

[[Category:Gun control]]
[[Category:Second Amendment]]
[[Category:Liberalism]]

{{Liberalism}}

Mayors Against Illegal Guns

2009-09-13T01:31:19Z

Fongman: /* Indicted, convicted, and scandalized members */ New section header

The '''Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition''' is a leftist political coalition of mayors from about 400 United States cities, with a stated agenda of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The group was formed by [[Boston]] Mayor [[Thomas Menino]] and New York Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]]. The coalition's CEO is [[Chicago]] Mayor [[Richard M. Daley]].

The majority of members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition are Democrats.

==Criticism of Methods and Hypocrisy==

Bloomberg has been sued for defamation by a Smyrna, Georgia gun dealer represented by former congressman [[Bob Barr]].<ref>http://www.insidecounsel.com/Issues/2006/September%202006/Pages/Gun-Dealer-Shoots-Back-at-NY-Mayor.aspx</ref><ref>http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2006/07/17/daily39.html</ref>

===Indicted, convicted, and scandalized members===

A substantial number of member of the coalition have been indicted in recent months, on felony charges. Here in the US, conviction of felony means the immediate loss of both the right to vote and the right to own a gun for the rest of one's life. This is an organization that espouses doing away with "illegal guns", yet a surprising number of their members have made choices in their lives that have set themselves on the path to being disenfranchised from ever owning a gun.

Personal character and integrity are prerequisites for anyone entering public office, to serve in an elected position of "special trust and confidence", such as a mayorship. Abuses of that trust, gross lapses of integrity, and forays into criminal conduct are not tolerated in our society. If anything, elected politicians are held to a higher standard than the general public, and their actions are closely watched. For an elected official to become a criminal, when they themselves are entrusted to protect us from criminals is nearly the most heinous and unforgivable thing imaginable in a democratically-ruled republic. For some of these same individuals to continue to be considered members in good standing of a "crime-fighting" organization--and not even censured by the organization--has been criticized as being hypocritical.

Four current and former members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition are currently under felony indictments, five others were recently convicted of felonies, one indicted member died of a heart attack before completion of his trial, and one member was recently convicted of a violent misdemeanor. The indicted and convicted members and former members include:
*Former Mayor Gary Becker<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/letter_to_congress_101707.pdf</ref> of Racine, Wisconsin is under five felony indictments for child pornography, attempted child sexual assault and child enticement.<ref>http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/37649499.html</ref> He resigned after pleading not guilty and being released on bond.<ref> http://www.nbc15.com/state/headlines/37567789.html</ref> His location is currently being monitored electronically, as he awaits a trial scheduled to begin in October, 2009.<ref>http://www.620wtmj.com/news/local/45360062.html</ref>
*Former Mayor David Della Donna<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/letter_to_congress_101707.pdf</ref>, of Guttenberg, New Jersey was indicted under a Federal extortion and mail fraud charges.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/29/nyregion/29fraud.html?_r=1</ref> He was convicted in 2008<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/04/jurors_in_the_federal_corrupti.html</ref> and sentenced to four years and three months in federal prison.<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/guttenberg/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1224916016161280.xml&coll=3</ref>
*Mayor [[Sheila Dixon]] was indicted in 2009 on twelve counts<ref> http://www.baltimoresun.com/media/acrobat/2009-07/48351943.pdf</ref>, comprising four counts of perjury, two counts of misconduct, three counts of theft, and three counts of fraudulent misappropriations.<ref>http://breakingnews.baltimoresun.com/2009/01/09/mayor-dixon-indicted-by-grand-jury/</ref> The felony theft charges stem partly from incidents in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 in which she allegedly misappropriated gift cards intended for the poor and used them for personal purchases.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/10/us/10baltimore.html?_r=1</ref><ref>http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/07/30/Mayor-indicted-for-theft-perjury-again/UPI-93311248967375/</ref> Dixon's trial, originally scheduled for September 8, 2009, was postponed to November 9, 2009.<ref>[http://breakingnews.baltimoresun.com/2009/08/05/dixons-trial-postponed-until-november/]</ref>
*Mayor [[Jerramiah Healy]] was convicted for obstruction of justice in 2007<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/07/jersey_city_mayor_jerramiah_he.html</ref> and more recently was implicated in the corruption sweep in New Jersey involving the sale of body parts and money laundering. In all, 44 individuals were indicted. (Healy was named as "JC Official 4" and implicated, but was not indicted, in the probe.)<ref>http://www.northjersey.com/hudson_essex/HEALY0725.html</ref><ref>http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Key-Player-in-Jersey-Corruption-Probe-Found-Dead.html</ref><ref>http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=6931021</ref>
*Former Mayor [[Kwame Kilpatrick]] was indicted, arrested, and convicted. and subsequently jailed for 99 days. Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to two felony obstruction of justice charges stemming from his efforts to cover up an extramarital affair. He also pleaded no contest to charges of assaulting a police officer attempting to serve a subpoena on a Kilpatrick friend in that case.<ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/03/national/main4771394.shtml</ref> The charges and allegations (not all against Kilpatrick himself) were of marital infidelity, conspiracy, perjury, corruption and murder.<ref>http://www.wxyz.com/content/news/detroitmayorinvestigation/default.aspx</ref> Following Kilpatrick's conviction, the [[Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms]] called on Kilpatrick to resign from the Coalition.<ref>[http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/bloomberg-anti-gun-soul-mate-kilpatrick-now/story.aspx?guid={4D97B9A9-CC96-4AEE-9547-8047955BB209}&dist=hppr Bloomberg Anti-Gun "Soul-Mate" Kilpatrick Now a Cellmate; Should Resign, Says CCRKBA - MarketWatch]</ref>
*Mayor [[Larry Langford]] was investigated in 2007 by the [[Securities and Exchange Commission|SEC]] on corruption charges. In 2008 a lawsuit was filed against him for illegally accepting $156,000 in cash and benefits. On December 1, 2008, Larry Langford was arrested by the [[FBI]] on a 101 count indictment<ref>[http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/12/0006_001.pdf Copy of indictment, via the Birmingham News]</ref> alleging conspiracy, bribery, fraud, money laundering, and filing false tax returns<ref>http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/12/0006_001.pdf</ref> in connection with a long-running bribery scheme.<ref>[http://www.myfoxal.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=7976053&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1]</ref><ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/12/01/birmingham-mayor-arrested-federal-charges/</ref><ref>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28001239/</ref> His trial date was postponed to October 2009, and the trial venue moved to Tuscaloosa, Alabama.<ref>http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/metro.ssf?/base/news/1250842555162350.xml&coll=2</ref>
*Deceased Mayor [[Frank Melton]] at the time of his death was under felony indictment on civil rights charges.<ref>http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/index.php/site/comments/breaking_frank_melton_indicted_on_felony_charges/</ref> (He died before a scheduled re-trial, following a mistrial.) In 2006, Melton pled guilty to a firearms charge, stemming from a raid (in which he was armed with a concealed pistol) on a suspected crack house. Melton conducted the extra-official [[Buford Pusser]]-style raid without a warrant to "bust up" a duplex apartment, accompanied by a group of youths that were not sworn law enforcement officers. That same event led to Melton's civil rights indictment. In November 2006, he pleaded no contest to three misdemeanor charges: carrying a gun in a park and in a church, and carrying a concealed weapon.<ref>v</ref>
*Mayor [[Eddie Pérez (politician)|Eddie Perez]] was indicted on bribery, fabricating evidence, and conspiracy to fabricate evidence felony charges.<ref>http://www.inqnews.com/Article.php?id=883</ref> Perez turned himself in to state police, stating that he had a lapse in judgment but did nothing illegal, and vowed that he would not step down as Hartford's mayor.<ref>{{cite news|title=Statement By Mayor Eddie Perez|url=http://www.courant.com/news/custom/topnews/hc-webstatement0127jan27,0,2148065.story|publisher=The Hartford Courant|accessdate=2009-01-29 |date=2009-01-27}}</ref> He was arraigned on September 8, 2009.<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-09-08-hartford-mayor_N.htm</ref> His trial date was postponed to November 2009<ref>http://www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-hartford-perez-court-0825.artaug25,0,6295095.story</ref>, and then to February, 2010.<ref>http://www.1010wins.com/Judge-Delays-Corruption-Trial-of-Hartford-Mayor/5152594</ref> On September 2, 2009 Perez was again arrested, and additionally charged with first-degree larceny by extortion, stemming from a no-bid parking lot deal, unrelated to the other corruption charges.<ref>http://www.wfsb.com/politics/20685092/detail.html</ref> He again proclaimed that he would stay in office, despite these new felony charges.<ref>http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Mayor-Could-Be-Charged-Today-56711267.html</ref>
*Former Mayor [[Samuel Rivera]], of Passaic, New Jersey was convicted of corruption, influence peddling, and extortion charges.<ref>http://patersononline.net/potm/2008/01/16/sammy-rivera-mayor-of-passaic-indicted/</ref><ref>http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nj/press/files/pdffiles/RiveracomplaintFINAL.pdf</ref> In August 2008 he pled guilty,and was sentenced to 21 months in prison.<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/08/former_passaic_mayor_sentenced.html</ref>
*In 2008, former Mayor [[Will Wynn]] was convicted of Class C misdemeanor, for a choking assault on a man who had crashed a party.<ref>http://www.dailytexanonline.com/state-local/will-wynn-charged-with-assault-sentenced-to-community-service-1.949829</ref>

Five current members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition have been troubled by scandals that involved firearms:
*As New York Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]] came into office, he inherited a chronic firearms permit favoritism scandal from his predecessors that still remains an unresolved issue. Writing in the New York Sun, attorney [[David Kopel]] observed: "The problem is acute in New York City. Celebrities, the ultra-wealthy, and the politically influential get carry permits. But many of the people who need them the most — such as stalking victims, or crime witnesses who have been threatened by the criminal's friends — often do not."<ref>http://www.nysun.com/opinion/hellers-kitchen/80928/</ref> There are currently only about 36,169 permits to keep firearms in private homes in New York City, with the majority issued to retired police officers. Of these permit holders, only 2,516 are more liberally licensed for [[concealed carry]] outside their homes. The issuance of permits is discretionary in New York City, per Penal Law 400<ref>http://www.saf.org/LawReviews/Novak1.html</ref>. (It is considered a "may issue" locality, unlike the "shall issue" policy used for concealed carry in most other localities.) Despite "tight" restrictions on "demonstrated need or special danger", a who’s-who list of celebrities, billionaires<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/08292007/news/regionalnews/trump_junior_packin.htm</ref>, entertainers<ref>http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nypost/access/246975111.html?did=246975111&FMT=ABS&FMTS=FT&PMID=42522&desc=NYPD+BIG+UNDER+FIRE+IN+AEROSMITH+%27GOT+A+GUN%27+SCANDAL</ref>, professional athletes<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/10262008/news/regionalnews/the_mets_are_loaded_135381.htm</ref>, and politicians<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/10262008/news/regionalnews/the_mets_are_loaded_135381.htm</ref> has somehow managed to get firearms permits. This list includes New York Times publisher [[Arthur Ochs Sulzberger]], publisher [[Michael Korda]], and talk show host [[Howard Stern]].<ref>http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=1143&full=1</ref> In 2007, The New York Post reported that gun license holders include financier [[Donald Trump]], his son [[Donald Trump Jr.]], Queens district attorney Richard A. Brown, Westchester County district attorney, Janet DiFiore, music executive [[Tommy Mottola]], chief executive of Marvel Comics, [[Isaac Perlmutter]], radio show host [[Don Imus]], lawyer [[Barry Slotnick]], lawyer [[Raoul Felder]]; publisher Robert Forbes, the cab-driving political activist [[Fernando Mateo]], former new York Senate Majority Leader [[Joe Bruno]] (recently indicted for fraud), actor [[Robert De Niro]], actor [[Harvey Keitel]], film producer Martin Bregman, cosmetics heir [[Ronald Lauder]], and [[Aerosmith]] singer [[Steven Tyler]].<ref>http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nypost/access/246975111.html?did=246975111&FMT=ABS&FMTS=FT&PMID=42522&desc=NYPD+BIG+UNDER+FIRE+IN+AEROSMITH+%27GOT+A+GUN%27+SCANDAL</ref><ref>http://www.nndb.com/event/349/000172830/</ref> All of these individuals have retained their gun licenses under Bloomberg's "tough on guns" administration. The New York Post noted: "Television news anchor [[John Roland]], who let his license lapse in 2006, got his gun permit back in 2007."<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/08292007/news/regionalnews/trump_junior_packin.htm</ref> A surprisingly high number of celebrities have concealed carry permits, rather than the more common "keep at home" (premise) permits. According to The New York Times, "Mr. Bloomberg asked Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly to look at the issue, and added: 'If you want a gun permit, you should have to really show that your life is in danger, and that having a gun will protect you, will improve the chances of you surviving.'"<ref>http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/02/a-guide-to-city-gun-licenses/</ref> But despite Bloomberg's publicly-stated concern, there have been no announcements of any celebrity gun permits being rescinded, or any reforms to prevent favoritism, cronyism, bribes, or other abuse of discretion in license issuance. With a city population of 8.3 million, the 36,169 gun permit holders represent just .043% of the population and the 2,516 concealed carry permit holders represent a scant .003% of the population.
*Mayor [[Richard M. Daley]] has been criticized for the city of Chicago's long-standing practice of providing armed bodyguards for a number of city politicians, including city clerk James "Jim" Laski. In the city clerk scandal, Daley was shamed into removing the perk of the armed bodyguards for the clerk. The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' reported: "The decision was made almost immediately after Laski became the first elected official to be caught up in the Hired Truck scandal. But Daley insisted that the bribery and extortion charges against Laski were not the trigger. It was the fact that, until this week, Laski had not been showing up for work."<ref>http://www.suntimes.com/news/hired/31589,cst-nws-laski19.article</ref> Laski was later convicted of taking $48,000 in bribes and received a two year sentence.<ref>http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1621311.html</ref> Former Mayor Eugene Sawyer, City Treasurer Judy Rice and Alderman Edward M. Burke, chairman of the City Council's Finance Committee still have armed bodyguards.<ref>http://www.suntimes.com/news/hired/31589,cst-nws-laski19.article</ref>
*Mayor [[Gerald Jennings]] of Albany, New York was implicated in a scandal regarding the alleged illegal purchase of 52 machine guns.<ref>http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=773606</ref> It is unclear whether the weapons were purchased for departmental use or for the use of private individuals. Weapons were delivered to Police Department addresses but apparently paid for with private funds. The Department has not produced a list of weapons, their location, the names of the individuals who purchased them, or their disposition or destruction. At least one later turned up, illegally for sale to the public, in an area gun store. The police officer who sold the gun to the store has testified that he bought it from a Police Union official who was also the Department's armorer.<ref>http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=773606</ref> The current Chief of Police is the fifth appointed by Jennings.<ref>[http://timesunion.com/ASPStories/storyprint.asp?StoryID=630735]</ref> The case is still open.<ref> http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=773606&category=REGION</ref>
*Following the illegal seizure of firearms in the wake of [[Hurricane Katrina]], Mayor [[Ray Nagin]] settled a lawsuit and had a permanent injunction issued prohibiting Nagin or any New Orleans employee from confiscating any lawfully possessed firearm and ordering the return of hundreds of illegally confiscated firearms. (They had been confiscated at Mayor Nagin's order.).<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-10-08-nra-katrina_N.htm</ref> Nagin's administration has also been troubled by reports of improprieties with the police department evidence rooms, where guns were stolen, guns were allowed to rust, and $200,000 in cash was stolen.<ref>http://www.wwltv.com/topstories/stories/wwl011409mlevidencce.3cc661c.html</ref><ref>http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/state_auditors_report_cites_pr.html</ref>
*Mayor [[Bill White (mayor)|Bill White]]'s administration has been embarrassed by an ongoing scandal involving guns stolen from the Houston Police Department's evidence room. In January 2009, the [[Houston Chronicle]] reported: "For months, maybe years, people with criminal backgrounds had access to secure areas of the police station, including a property room from which 30 guns disappeared within six months, according to internal police documents. The documents, obtained by the Houston Chronicle, indicated that lax security created an environment ripe for theft. No one has been charged in the gun thefts, although police suspected telephone repairmen who admitted stealing other items, and a temporary employee who had access to the property room while awaiting trial on aggravated robbery charges."<ref>Houston Chronicle, "Room for Doubt", January 22, 2009</ref><ref>http://www.uslaw.com/library/Criminal_Law/Houston_Chronicle_Room_doubt.php?item=359041</ref>

==Resignations from the coalition==
More than a dozen mayors have resigned from the coalition, claiming that they were either misled about the organization's true goals, or that they were enrolled without their knowledge.

In his resignation letter to Bloomberg, Mayor Harry Moore stated: "It is simply unconscionable that this coalition, under your leadership, would call for a repeal of the Shelby /Tiahrt amendment that helps to safeguard criminal investigations and the lives of law enforcement officers, witnesses and others by restricting access to firearms trace data solely to law enforcement. How anyone, least of all a public official, could be willing to sacrifice such a law enforcement lifeline in order to gain an edge in suing an industry they have political differences with is repugnant to me. The fact that your campaign against this protective language consisted of overheated rhetoric, deception and falsehoods is disturbing."<ref> http://www.nssf.org/share/PDF/070907_MooreResignationMAIG.pdf</ref>

The resignations of Kevin Jackson and Jared Fuhriman left the state of Idaho completely unrepresented in the organization, and Alaska with just one representative mayor.

According to the U.S. [[Conference of Mayors]] there are 1,201 cities in the US with a population of 30,000 or more that are headed by mayors.<ref>http://usmayors.org/about/overview.asp</ref> Several of the mayors in the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition represent even smaller towns and cities--particularly in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, which are disproportionately represented.

==Legislative Initiatives==
With the stated goal of reducing the number of [[straw purchase]] of guns, the coalition has favored new legislation to require mandatory reporting of lost or stolen guns.<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/local/lost-stolen.shtml</ref> As of September, 2009, seven states (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island) and the District of Columbia have laws criminalizing failure to report lost and stolen guns to law enforcement. Several other states and local governments are working to pass similar laws.<ref>http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2009/03/gun_control_proposal_on_tonigh_1.html</ref> Critics counter that straw purchases are already illegal, and hence mandatory theft and loss reporting laws are redundant.<ref>http://www.pagunrights.com/2009/08/update-on-york-pennsylvania-lost-stolen-gun-reporting-proposal/</ref>

Former prosecuting attorney C.D. Michel analyzed mandatory reporting laws, using one in Ventura County, California as an example: "Ironically, the ordinance cannot be used against the real bad guys. No law can compel lawbreakers to report themselves. So a straw purchaser who legally buys a gun cannot be compelled to report that he resold it illegally. And since it wasn't actually lost or stolen, he hasn't violated the ordinance. Similarly, if a felon prohibited from possessing a gun illegally possesses one anyway, and it is lost or stolen, he can be prosecuted for having the gun in the first place, but cannot be prosecuted for failing to incriminate himself by reporting the loss. Enforcement of these ordinances places prosecutors in a precarious legal and ethical position. Say a straw-purchaser's gun is recovered at a crime scene and traced back to him. If he lies to police claiming his gun was "stolen" when he really sold it on the black market, will we nonetheless prosecute him for something he did not do (fail to report the "stolen" gun -- which wasn't actually stolen) but to which he "confessed"? Ethics and legality aside, securing a misdemeanor conviction for failing to report a theft (that never occurred) likely prohibits prosecuting the straw purchaser for the more serious felony black market sale or for making a false statement to police. Perhaps worse, gun owners who truly are burglary victims must now hesitate to speak with police if their stolen gun is recovered at a crime scene. If the gun owner failed to report the loss at all, or on time, she faces possible criminal prosecution if she cooperates with police investigating the recovered gun. She should remain silent, get a lawyer and seek immunity first. Legal representation may also be appropriate when a gun is first discovered missing. The owner can be prosecuted if the theft is not reported within 48 hours of when the owner "should have known" the gun was missing. Proponents have made clear they believe "responsible" gun owners should know where their gun is at every single moment and "should know" a gun is gone immediately. And the fear of prosecution will encourage those who miss the 48-hour window not to report the loss at all. Effectively, these ordinances place the legitimate gun owner in jeopardy of prosecution for becoming a victim of a crime. In light of these liabilities, gun-rights groups and the criminal-defense bar have begun advising gun owners -- who would ordinarily be happy to assist police with their investigation -- that they need a lawyer if they are contacted by police."<reF>http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/aug/10/why-pass-an-ineffective-law-on-guns/</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist | 2}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org Mayors Against Illegal Guns]

[[Category:Gun control advocacy groups in the United States]]
[[Category:Gun politics in the United States]]

Mayors Against Illegal Guns

2009-09-13T01:29:41Z

Fongman: New page, authored entirely by myself. A large portion of my fully-referenced content was recently axed by an anti-gun cabal at Wikipedia. Please add to this page!

The '''Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition''' is a leftist political coalition of mayors from about 400 United States cities, with a stated agenda of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The group was formed by [[Boston]] Mayor [[Thomas Menino]] and New York Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]]. The coalition's CEO is [[Chicago]] Mayor [[Richard M. Daley]].

The majority of members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition are Democrats.

==Criticism of Methods and Hypocrisy==

Bloomberg has been sued for defamation by a Smyrna, Georgia gun dealer represented by former congressman [[Bob Barr]].<ref>http://www.insidecounsel.com/Issues/2006/September%202006/Pages/Gun-Dealer-Shoots-Back-at-NY-Mayor.aspx</ref><ref>http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2006/07/17/daily39.html</ref>

===Indicted, convicted, and scandalized members===

A substantial number of member of the coalition have been indicted in recent months, on felony charges. Here in the US, conviction of felony means the immediate loss of both the right to vote and the right to own a gun for the rest of one's life. This is an organization that espouses doing away with "illegal guns", yet a surprising number of their members have made choices in their lives that have set themselves on the path to being disenfranchised from ever owning a gun.

Personal character and integrity are prerequisites for anyone entering public office, to serve in an elected position of "special trust and confidence", such as a mayorship. Abuses of that trust, gross lapses of integrity, and forays into criminal conduct are not tolerated in our society. If anything, elected politicians are held to a higher standard than the general public, and their actions are closely watched. For an elected official to become a criminal, when they themselves are entrusted to protect us from criminals is nearly the most heinous and unforgivable thing imaginable in a democratically-ruled republic. For some of these same individuals to continue to be considered members in good standing of a "crime-fighting" organization--and not even censured by the organization--has been criticized as being hypocritical.

Four current and former members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition are currently under felony indictments, five others were recently convicted of felonies, one indicted member died of a heart attack before completion of his trial, and one member was recently convicted of a violent misdemeanor. The indicted and convicted members and former members include:
*Former Mayor Gary Becker<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/letter_to_congress_101707.pdf</ref> of Racine, Wisconsin is under five felony indictments for child pornography, attempted child sexual assault and child enticement.<ref>http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/37649499.html</ref> He resigned after pleading not guilty and being released on bond.<ref> http://www.nbc15.com/state/headlines/37567789.html</ref> His location is currently being monitored electronically, as he awaits a trial scheduled to begin in October, 2009.<ref>http://www.620wtmj.com/news/local/45360062.html</ref>
*Former Mayor David Della Donna<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/letter_to_congress_101707.pdf</ref>, of Guttenberg, New Jersey was indicted under a Federal extortion and mail fraud charges.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/29/nyregion/29fraud.html?_r=1</ref> He was convicted in 2008<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/04/jurors_in_the_federal_corrupti.html</ref> and sentenced to four years and three months in federal prison.<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/guttenberg/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1224916016161280.xml&coll=3</ref>
*Mayor [[Sheila Dixon]] was indicted in 2009 on twelve counts<ref> http://www.baltimoresun.com/media/acrobat/2009-07/48351943.pdf</ref>, comprising four counts of perjury, two counts of misconduct, three counts of theft, and three counts of fraudulent misappropriations.<ref>http://breakingnews.baltimoresun.com/2009/01/09/mayor-dixon-indicted-by-grand-jury/</ref> The felony theft charges stem partly from incidents in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 in which she allegedly misappropriated gift cards intended for the poor and used them for personal purchases.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/10/us/10baltimore.html?_r=1</ref><ref>http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/07/30/Mayor-indicted-for-theft-perjury-again/UPI-93311248967375/</ref> Dixon's trial, originally scheduled for September 8, 2009, was postponed to November 9, 2009.<ref>[http://breakingnews.baltimoresun.com/2009/08/05/dixons-trial-postponed-until-november/]</ref>
*Mayor [[Jerramiah Healy]] was convicted for obstruction of justice in 2007<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/07/jersey_city_mayor_jerramiah_he.html</ref> and more recently was implicated in the corruption sweep in New Jersey involving the sale of body parts and money laundering. In all, 44 individuals were indicted. (Healy was named as "JC Official 4" and implicated, but was not indicted, in the probe.)<ref>http://www.northjersey.com/hudson_essex/HEALY0725.html</ref><ref>http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Key-Player-in-Jersey-Corruption-Probe-Found-Dead.html</ref><ref>http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=6931021</ref>
*Former Mayor [[Kwame Kilpatrick]] was indicted, arrested, and convicted. and subsequently jailed for 99 days. Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to two felony obstruction of justice charges stemming from his efforts to cover up an extramarital affair. He also pleaded no contest to charges of assaulting a police officer attempting to serve a subpoena on a Kilpatrick friend in that case.<ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/03/national/main4771394.shtml</ref> The charges and allegations (not all against Kilpatrick himself) were of marital infidelity, conspiracy, perjury, corruption and murder.<ref>http://www.wxyz.com/content/news/detroitmayorinvestigation/default.aspx</ref> Following Kilpatrick's conviction, the [[Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms]] called on Kilpatrick to resign from the Coalition.<ref>[http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/bloomberg-anti-gun-soul-mate-kilpatrick-now/story.aspx?guid={4D97B9A9-CC96-4AEE-9547-8047955BB209}&dist=hppr Bloomberg Anti-Gun "Soul-Mate" Kilpatrick Now a Cellmate; Should Resign, Says CCRKBA - MarketWatch]</ref>
*Mayor [[Larry Langford]] was investigated in 2007 by the [[Securities and Exchange Commission|SEC]] on corruption charges. In 2008 a lawsuit was filed against him for illegally accepting $156,000 in cash and benefits. On December 1, 2008, Larry Langford was arrested by the [[FBI]] on a 101 count indictment<ref>[http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/12/0006_001.pdf Copy of indictment, via the Birmingham News]</ref> alleging conspiracy, bribery, fraud, money laundering, and filing false tax returns<ref>http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/12/0006_001.pdf</ref> in connection with a long-running bribery scheme.<ref>[http://www.myfoxal.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=7976053&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1]</ref><ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/12/01/birmingham-mayor-arrested-federal-charges/</ref><ref>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28001239/</ref> His trial date was postponed to October 2009, and the trial venue moved to Tuscaloosa, Alabama.<ref>http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/metro.ssf?/base/news/1250842555162350.xml&coll=2</ref>
*Deceased Mayor [[Frank Melton]] at the time of his death was under felony indictment on civil rights charges.<ref>http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/index.php/site/comments/breaking_frank_melton_indicted_on_felony_charges/</ref> (He died before a scheduled re-trial, following a mistrial.) In 2006, Melton pled guilty to a firearms charge, stemming from a raid (in which he was armed with a concealed pistol) on a suspected crack house. Melton conducted the extra-official [[Buford Pusser]]-style raid without a warrant to "bust up" a duplex apartment, accompanied by a group of youths that were not sworn law enforcement officers. That same event led to Melton's civil rights indictment. In November 2006, he pleaded no contest to three misdemeanor charges: carrying a gun in a park and in a church, and carrying a concealed weapon.<ref>v</ref>
*Mayor [[Eddie Pérez (politician)|Eddie Perez]] was indicted on bribery, fabricating evidence, and conspiracy to fabricate evidence felony charges.<ref>http://www.inqnews.com/Article.php?id=883</ref> Perez turned himself in to state police, stating that he had a lapse in judgment but did nothing illegal, and vowed that he would not step down as Hartford's mayor.<ref>{{cite news|title=Statement By Mayor Eddie Perez|url=http://www.courant.com/news/custom/topnews/hc-webstatement0127jan27,0,2148065.story|publisher=The Hartford Courant|accessdate=2009-01-29 |date=2009-01-27}}</ref> He was arraigned on September 8, 2009.<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-09-08-hartford-mayor_N.htm</ref> His trial date was postponed to November 2009<ref>http://www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-hartford-perez-court-0825.artaug25,0,6295095.story</ref>, and then to February, 2010.<ref>http://www.1010wins.com/Judge-Delays-Corruption-Trial-of-Hartford-Mayor/5152594</ref> On September 2, 2009 Perez was again arrested, and additionally charged with first-degree larceny by extortion, stemming from a no-bid parking lot deal, unrelated to the other corruption charges.<ref>http://www.wfsb.com/politics/20685092/detail.html</ref> He again proclaimed that he would stay in office, despite these new felony charges.<ref>http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Mayor-Could-Be-Charged-Today-56711267.html</ref>
*Former Mayor [[Samuel Rivera]], of Passaic, New Jersey was convicted of corruption, influence peddling, and extortion charges.<ref>http://patersononline.net/potm/2008/01/16/sammy-rivera-mayor-of-passaic-indicted/</ref><ref>http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nj/press/files/pdffiles/RiveracomplaintFINAL.pdf</ref> In August 2008 he pled guilty,and was sentenced to 21 months in prison.<ref>http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/08/former_passaic_mayor_sentenced.html</ref>
*In 2008, former Mayor [[Will Wynn]] was convicted of Class C misdemeanor, for a choking assault on a man who had crashed a party.<ref>http://www.dailytexanonline.com/state-local/will-wynn-charged-with-assault-sentenced-to-community-service-1.949829</ref>

Five current members of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition have been troubled by scandals that involved firearms:
*As New York Mayor [[Michael Bloomberg]] came into office, he inherited a chronic firearms permit favoritism scandal from his predecessors that still remains an unresolved issue. Writing in the New York Sun, attorney [[David Kopel]] observed: "The problem is acute in New York City. Celebrities, the ultra-wealthy, and the politically influential get carry permits. But many of the people who need them the most — such as stalking victims, or crime witnesses who have been threatened by the criminal's friends — often do not."<ref>http://www.nysun.com/opinion/hellers-kitchen/80928/</ref> There are currently only about 36,169 permits to keep firearms in private homes in New York City, with the majority issued to retired police officers. Of these permit holders, only 2,516 are more liberally licensed for [[concealed carry]] outside their homes. The issuance of permits is discretionary in New York City, per Penal Law 400<ref>http://www.saf.org/LawReviews/Novak1.html</ref>. (It is considered a "may issue" locality, unlike the "shall issue" policy used for concealed carry in most other localities.) Despite "tight" restrictions on "demonstrated need or special danger", a who’s-who list of celebrities, billionaires<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/08292007/news/regionalnews/trump_junior_packin.htm</ref>, entertainers<ref>http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nypost/access/246975111.html?did=246975111&FMT=ABS&FMTS=FT&PMID=42522&desc=NYPD+BIG+UNDER+FIRE+IN+AEROSMITH+%27GOT+A+GUN%27+SCANDAL</ref>, professional athletes<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/10262008/news/regionalnews/the_mets_are_loaded_135381.htm</ref>, and politicians<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/10262008/news/regionalnews/the_mets_are_loaded_135381.htm</ref> has somehow managed to get firearms permits. This list includes New York Times publisher [[Arthur Ochs Sulzberger]], publisher [[Michael Korda]], and talk show host [[Howard Stern]].<ref>http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=1143&full=1</ref> In 2007, The New York Post reported that gun license holders include financier [[Donald Trump]], his son [[Donald Trump Jr.]], Queens district attorney Richard A. Brown, Westchester County district attorney, Janet DiFiore, music executive [[Tommy Mottola]], chief executive of Marvel Comics, [[Isaac Perlmutter]], radio show host [[Don Imus]], lawyer [[Barry Slotnick]], lawyer [[Raoul Felder]]; publisher Robert Forbes, the cab-driving political activist [[Fernando Mateo]], former new York Senate Majority Leader [[Joe Bruno]] (recently indicted for fraud), actor [[Robert De Niro]], actor [[Harvey Keitel]], film producer Martin Bregman, cosmetics heir [[Ronald Lauder]], and [[Aerosmith]] singer [[Steven Tyler]].<ref>http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nypost/access/246975111.html?did=246975111&FMT=ABS&FMTS=FT&PMID=42522&desc=NYPD+BIG+UNDER+FIRE+IN+AEROSMITH+%27GOT+A+GUN%27+SCANDAL</ref><ref>http://www.nndb.com/event/349/000172830/</ref> All of these individuals have retained their gun licenses under Bloomberg's "tough on guns" administration. The New York Post noted: "Television news anchor [[John Roland]], who let his license lapse in 2006, got his gun permit back in 2007."<ref>http://www.nypost.com/seven/08292007/news/regionalnews/trump_junior_packin.htm</ref> A surprisingly high number of celebrities have concealed carry permits, rather than the more common "keep at home" (premise) permits. According to The New York Times, "Mr. Bloomberg asked Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly to look at the issue, and added: 'If you want a gun permit, you should have to really show that your life is in danger, and that having a gun will protect you, will improve the chances of you surviving.'"<ref>http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/02/a-guide-to-city-gun-licenses/</ref> But despite Bloomberg's publicly-stated concern, there have been no announcements of any celebrity gun permits being rescinded, or any reforms to prevent favoritism, cronyism, bribes, or other abuse of discretion in license issuance. With a city population of 8.3 million, the 36,169 gun permit holders represent just .043% of the population and the 2,516 concealed carry permit holders represent a scant .003% of the population.
*Mayor [[Richard M. Daley]] has been criticized for the city of Chicago's long-standing practice of providing armed bodyguards for a number of city politicians, including city clerk James "Jim" Laski. In the city clerk scandal, Daley was shamed into removing the perk of the armed bodyguards for the clerk. The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' reported: "The decision was made almost immediately after Laski became the first elected official to be caught up in the Hired Truck scandal. But Daley insisted that the bribery and extortion charges against Laski were not the trigger. It was the fact that, until this week, Laski had not been showing up for work."<ref>http://www.suntimes.com/news/hired/31589,cst-nws-laski19.article</ref> Laski was later convicted of taking $48,000 in bribes and received a two year sentence.<ref>http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1621311.html</ref> Former Mayor Eugene Sawyer, City Treasurer Judy Rice and Alderman Edward M. Burke, chairman of the City Council's Finance Committee still have armed bodyguards.<ref>http://www.suntimes.com/news/hired/31589,cst-nws-laski19.article</ref>
*Mayor [[Gerald Jennings]] of Albany, New York was implicated in a scandal regarding the alleged illegal purchase of 52 machine guns.<ref>http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=773606</ref> It is unclear whether the weapons were purchased for departmental use or for the use of private individuals. Weapons were delivered to Police Department addresses but apparently paid for with private funds. The Department has not produced a list of weapons, their location, the names of the individuals who purchased them, or their disposition or destruction. At least one later turned up, illegally for sale to the public, in an area gun store. The police officer who sold the gun to the store has testified that he bought it from a Police Union official who was also the Department's armorer.<ref>http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=773606</ref> The current Chief of Police is the fifth appointed by Jennings.<ref>[http://timesunion.com/ASPStories/storyprint.asp?StoryID=630735]</ref> The case is still open.<ref> http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=773606&category=REGION</ref>
*Following the illegal seizure of firearms in the wake of [[Hurricane Katrina]], Mayor [[Ray Nagin]] settled a lawsuit and had a permanent injunction issued prohibiting Nagin or any New Orleans employee from confiscating any lawfully possessed firearm and ordering the return of hundreds of illegally confiscated firearms. (They had been confiscated at Mayor Nagin's order.).<ref>http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-10-08-nra-katrina_N.htm</ref> Nagin's administration has also been troubled by reports of improprieties with the police department evidence rooms, where guns were stolen, guns were allowed to rust, and $200,000 in cash was stolen.<ref>http://www.wwltv.com/topstories/stories/wwl011409mlevidencce.3cc661c.html</ref><ref>http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/state_auditors_report_cites_pr.html</ref>
*Mayor [[Bill White (mayor)|Bill White]]'s administration has been embarrassed by an ongoing scandal involving guns stolen from the Houston Police Department's evidence room. In January 2009, the [[Houston Chronicle]] reported: "For months, maybe years, people with criminal backgrounds had access to secure areas of the police station, including a property room from which 30 guns disappeared within six months, according to internal police documents. The documents, obtained by the Houston Chronicle, indicated that lax security created an environment ripe for theft. No one has been charged in the gun thefts, although police suspected telephone repairmen who admitted stealing other items, and a temporary employee who had access to the property room while awaiting trial on aggravated robbery charges."<ref>Houston Chronicle, "Room for Doubt", January 22, 2009</ref><ref>http://www.uslaw.com/library/Criminal_Law/Houston_Chronicle_Room_doubt.php?item=359041</ref>

More than a dozen mayors have resigned from the coalition, claiming that they were either misled about the organization's true goals, or that they were enrolled without their knowledge.

In his resignation letter to Bloomberg, Mayor Harry Moore stated: "It is simply unconscionable that this coalition, under your leadership, would call for a repeal of the Shelby /Tiahrt amendment that helps to safeguard criminal investigations and the lives of law enforcement officers, witnesses and others by restricting access to firearms trace data solely to law enforcement. How anyone, least of all a public official, could be willing to sacrifice such a law enforcement lifeline in order to gain an edge in suing an industry they have political differences with is repugnant to me. The fact that your campaign against this protective language consisted of overheated rhetoric, deception and falsehoods is disturbing."<ref> http://www.nssf.org/share/PDF/070907_MooreResignationMAIG.pdf</ref>

The resignations of Kevin Jackson and Jared Fuhriman left the state of Idaho completely unrepresented in the organization, and Alaska with just one representative mayor.

According to the U.S. [[Conference of Mayors]] there are 1,201 cities in the US with a population of 30,000 or more that are headed by mayors.<ref>http://usmayors.org/about/overview.asp</ref> Several of the mayors in the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition represent even smaller towns and cities--particularly in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, which are disproportionately represented.

==Legislative Initiatives==
With the stated goal of reducing the number of [[straw purchase]] of guns, the coalition has favored new legislation to require mandatory reporting of lost or stolen guns.<ref>http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/local/lost-stolen.shtml</ref> As of September, 2009, seven states (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island) and the District of Columbia have laws criminalizing failure to report lost and stolen guns to law enforcement. Several other states and local governments are working to pass similar laws.<ref>http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2009/03/gun_control_proposal_on_tonigh_1.html</ref> Critics counter that straw purchases are already illegal, and hence mandatory theft and loss reporting laws are redundant.<ref>http://www.pagunrights.com/2009/08/update-on-york-pennsylvania-lost-stolen-gun-reporting-proposal/</ref>

Former prosecuting attorney C.D. Michel analyzed mandatory reporting laws, using one in Ventura County, California as an example: "Ironically, the ordinance cannot be used against the real bad guys. No law can compel lawbreakers to report themselves. So a straw purchaser who legally buys a gun cannot be compelled to report that he resold it illegally. And since it wasn't actually lost or stolen, he hasn't violated the ordinance. Similarly, if a felon prohibited from possessing a gun illegally possesses one anyway, and it is lost or stolen, he can be prosecuted for having the gun in the first place, but cannot be prosecuted for failing to incriminate himself by reporting the loss. Enforcement of these ordinances places prosecutors in a precarious legal and ethical position. Say a straw-purchaser's gun is recovered at a crime scene and traced back to him. If he lies to police claiming his gun was "stolen" when he really sold it on the black market, will we nonetheless prosecute him for something he did not do (fail to report the "stolen" gun -- which wasn't actually stolen) but to which he "confessed"? Ethics and legality aside, securing a misdemeanor conviction for failing to report a theft (that never occurred) likely prohibits prosecuting the straw purchaser for the more serious felony black market sale or for making a false statement to police. Perhaps worse, gun owners who truly are burglary victims must now hesitate to speak with police if their stolen gun is recovered at a crime scene. If the gun owner failed to report the loss at all, or on time, she faces possible criminal prosecution if she cooperates with police investigating the recovered gun. She should remain silent, get a lawyer and seek immunity first. Legal representation may also be appropriate when a gun is first discovered missing. The owner can be prosecuted if the theft is not reported within 48 hours of when the owner "should have known" the gun was missing. Proponents have made clear they believe "responsible" gun owners should know where their gun is at every single moment and "should know" a gun is gone immediately. And the fear of prosecution will encourage those who miss the 48-hour window not to report the loss at all. Effectively, these ordinances place the legitimate gun owner in jeopardy of prosecution for becoming a victim of a crime. In light of these liabilities, gun-rights groups and the criminal-defense bar have begun advising gun owners -- who would ordinarily be happy to assist police with their investigation -- that they need a lawyer if they are contacted by police."<reF>http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/aug/10/why-pass-an-ineffective-law-on-guns/</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist | 2}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org Mayors Against Illegal Guns]

[[Category:Gun control advocacy groups in the United States]]
[[Category:Gun politics in the United States]]

Talk:James Wesley Rawles

2008-04-25T16:18:14Z

Fongman:

{{Copied from|user=Fongman|site user=Trasel}} --[[User:Fongman|Fongman]] 09:33, 25 April 2008 (EDT)

:If it ever comes to it, would you be willing to write on the article's WP talk page a comment to the effect that you copied your version to Conservapedia? --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 09:37, 25 April 2008 (EDT)

::Sure, I'd be happy to. FWIW, I posted a clarification on my wikipedia Talk page that includes this: "..., I posted four articles on Conservapedia. If you examine those posts and compare them with their respective original draft editions, of which I was the author, you will see that there has been no violation of copyright. (All of what I've posted at Wikipedia was either from my original draft articles, or from my subsequent edits. I very carefully edited out any content that was from other wiki editors." -- [[User:Fongman|Fongman]] 12:17, 25 April 2008 (EDT)

Talk:James Wesley Rawles

2008-04-25T16:17:41Z

Fongman:

{{Copied from|user=Fongman|site user=Trasel}} --[[User:Fongman|Fongman]] 09:33, 25 April 2008 (EDT)

:If it ever comes to it, would you be willing to write on the article's WP talk page a comment to the effect that you copied your version to Conservapedia? --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 09:37, 25 April 2008 (EDT)

::Sure, I'd be happy to. FWIW, I posted a clarification on my wikipedia page that includes this: "..., I posted four articles on Conservapedia. If you examine those posts and compare them with their respective original draft editions, of which I was the author, you will see that there has been no violation of copyright. (All of what I've posted at Wikipedia was either from my original draft articles, or from my subsequent edits. I very carefully edited out any content that was from other wiki editors." -- [[User:Fongman|Fongman]] 12:17, 25 April 2008 (EDT)

Survivalist retreat

2008-04-25T14:25:54Z

Fongman: /* Common retreat locale parameters */ Removed link

A '''retreat''' is a commonly used term for a place of refuge for those in the Survivalist movement. Survivalist retreats are intended to be self-sufficient and are generally located in lightly-populated rural areas.

Perhaps the most important newsletter on survivalism and survivalist retreats in the 1970s was the ''Personal Survival ("P.S.") Letter'' (circa 1977-1982) published by Mel Tappan, who also authored the books ''Survival Guns'' and ''Tappan on Survival''. The newsletter included columns from Tappan himself as well from Jeff Cooper, Al J. Venter, Bill Pier, Bruce D. Clayton, Rick Fines, Nancy Mack Tappan, J.B. Wood, Dr. Carl Kirsch, Charles Avery, Karl Hess, Eugene A. Barron, Janet Groene, Dean Ing, Bob Taylor, Reginald Bretnor, C.G. Cobb, and several other writers, some under pen names. The majority of this newsletter revolved around selecting, constructing and logistically equipping survival retreats.<ref>[http://www.frfrogspad.com/persurv.htm Magazine Articles By Jeff Cooper(]</ref> Following Tappan's death in 1980, Karl Hess took over publishing the newsletter, eventually renaming it ''Survival Tomorrow''.

Several books have offered advice on survival retreats and relocation. Some influential in survivalist circles are ''Survival Retreat: A Total Plan For Retreat Defense'' by [[Ragnar Benson]], ''Strategic Relocation--North American Guide to Safe Places'' by [[Joel Skousen]], and ''The Secure Home'', (also by Skousen). Some that have been particularly influential in survivalist circles are ''How to Implement a High Security Shelter in the Home '' by [[Joel Skousen]], ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]], and ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World'' by Bruce D. Clayton.<ref>[http://www.paladin-press.com/detail.aspx?ID=476 ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World''] by Bruce D. Clayton. Paladin Press, 2002, ISBN 1-58160-326-6</ref>

Online survival websites, forums, and blogs (such as SurvivalBlog.com) discuss the best locales for survival retreats, how to build, fortify, and equip them, and how to form survivalist retreat groups.<ref>[http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=survivalist&submit=Search Yahoo! Groups : Search Results]</ref>

Economic troubles emerging from the credit collapse triggered by the 2007 US subprime mortgage lending fiasco have prompted a wider cross-section of the populace to get prepared and establish retreats.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref> [[James Wesley Rawles]], the editor of SurvivalBlog was quoted by the ''New York Times'' in April of 2008 that "interest in the survivalist movement 'is experiencing its largest growth since the late 1970s'”. He also stated that his blog's conservative core readership has been supplemented with "an increasing number of stridently green and left-of-center readers."<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Common retreat locale parameters==
Common retreat locale selection parameters include light population density, plentiful water, arable soil, good solar exposure for gardening and photovoltaics, situation above any flood plains, and a diverse and healthy local economy.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html#CONUS SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Fearing rioting, looting and other unrest, many survivalists advocate selecting retreat locales that are more than one tank of gasoline away from any major metropolitan region. Properties that are not in "channelized areas" or on anticipated "refugee lines of drift" are also touted.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/glossary.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Most survivalist writers, such as [[James Wesley Rawles]] recommend living at a retreat year-round,<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> rather than attempting to flee to a retreat at the 11th hour.

One of the key goals of retreats is to be self-sufficien for the duration of societal collapse. To that end, plentiful water, and arable soil are paramount considerations. But just behind these, comes isolated, defensible terrain. Typically, retreats do not want their habitation or structure jeopardized by being within line of sight of any major highway.

Because of its low population density and diverse economy, [[James Wesley Rawles]] <ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> and [[Joel Skousen]] <ref>[http://www.joelskousen.com/About/about.html About Joel Skousen]</ref> both recommend the Intermountain west region of the [[United States]], as a preferred region for relocation and setting up retreats. Although it has higher population density, Mel Tappan recommended southwestern [[Oregon]], primarily because it is not down-wind of any envisioned nuclear targets in the United States.

==Retreat organization==
Most survivalist retreats are organized by extended families, but some "group retreats" or "covenant communities" are formed along the lines of an Intentional Community.

==Retreat architecture and security==
Jeff Cooper popularized the concept of hardening retreats against [[small arms]] fire. In an article titled "Notes on Tactical Residential Architecture" in Issue #30 of P.S. Letter (April, 1982), Cooper suggested using the "Vauban Principle", wherein, projecting bastion corners would prevent miscreants from being able to approach a retreat's exterior walls in any blind spots. Retreat building corners with this simplified implementation of a Vauban Star are now called "Cooper Corners" by [[James Wesley Rawles]], in honor of Jeff Cooper.

In both his book ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' and in his survivalist novel, ''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'', Rawles describes in great detail retreat groups "upgrading" brick or other masonry houses with steel reinforced window shutters and doors, the excavation of anti-vehicular ditches, warded gate locks, constructing concertina wire obstacles and fougasses, and setting up listening post/observation posts (LP/OPs.)

Bruce D. Clayton and [[Joel Skousen]] have both written extensively on integrating fallout shelters into retreat homes, but they put less emphasis on ballistic protection and exterior perimeter security than Cooper and Rawles.

==Retreat logistics==
Anticipating long periods of time without commerce in the future, retreat groups typically place a strong emphasis on logistics. They amass stockpiles of supplies for their own use, for charity, and for [[barter]]. Frequently cited key logistics for a retreat include long term storage food, common caliber ammunition, medical supplies, tools, gardening seed, and fuel. In an article titled "Ballistic Wampum" in Issue #6 of P.S. Letter (1979) Jeff Cooper wrote about stockpiling ammunition far in excess of his own needs, keeping the extra available to use for bartering.

In his books and in his blog (SurvivalBlog), [[James Wesley Rawles]] uses the generic term "beans, bullets and Band Aids" to describe retreat logistics.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>

In their books, Joel Skousen, Mel Tappan and Howard Ruff all emphasize the need to have a one year supply of storage food. Rawles recommends a two year supply, as well as storing non-hybrid (open pollinated) gardening seed.

Even mainstream economist and financial adviser Barton Biggs is a proponent of well-stocked retreats. In his 2008 book ''Wealth, War and Wisdom'', Biggs has a gloomy outlook for the economic future, and suggests that investors take survivalist measures. In the book, Biggs recommends that his readers should “assume the possibility of a breakdown of the civilized infrastructure.” he goes so far as to recommend setting up survival retreats: “Your safe haven must be self-sufficient and capable of growing some kind of food,” Mr. Biggs writes. “It should be well-stocked with seed, fertilizer, canned food, wine, medicine, clothes, etc. Think Swiss Family Robinson. Even in America and Europe there could be moments of riot and rebellion when law and order temporarily completely breaks down.”<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Survivalist retreats worldwide==

Survivalist retreats, both formal and informal are popular worldwide, most visibly in Australia, <ref>[http://www.aussurvivalist.com Australian Survivalist (Survivalism in the new millennium)]</ref>, Canada<ref>[http://www.survivalbill.ca/ Survival Bill]</ref>, France<ref>[http://le-projet-olduvai.kanak.fr/index.htm le-projet-olduvai]</ref>, Sweden<ref>[http://systemkollaps.wordpress.com/ Systemkollaps]</ref>,New Zealand and The United States<ref>[http://www.alpharubicon.com AlphaRubicon.com]</ref>.

==In fiction==

''Lucifer's Hammer'' by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven (1977) describes a disaster caused by a comet striking the Earth, and a the adventures of people that form an impromptu group retreat in an small mountain community, which they must defend from a large gang of cannibalistic looters.

''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]] (1998) (editor of SurvivalBlog) is a novel about a full-scale socio-economic collapse and subsequent invasion of the US, which a review has called "a survival manual dressed as fiction."

''Wolf and Iron'' (1990) by Gordon Dickson describes a systemic societal collapse. The main character "GeeBee" builds and stocks and earth-sheltered retreat, using salvaged materials.

''The Postman'' by David Brin (1985) takes place in the aftermath of an EMP attack and pandemic plague with subsequent socioeconomic collapse that reduces the societal infrastructure to early 19th Century levels. In the novel, townsmen construct fortified retreats.

==See also==
*[[James Wesley Rawles]]
*[[Joel Skousen]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

Survivalist retreat

2008-04-25T14:24:06Z

Fongman: Added reference to a blog

A '''retreat''' is a commonly used term for a place of refuge for those in the Survivalist movement. Survivalist retreats are intended to be self-sufficient and are generally located in lightly-populated rural areas.

Perhaps the most important newsletter on survivalism and survivalist retreats in the 1970s was the ''Personal Survival ("P.S.") Letter'' (circa 1977-1982) published by Mel Tappan, who also authored the books ''Survival Guns'' and ''Tappan on Survival''. The newsletter included columns from Tappan himself as well from Jeff Cooper, Al J. Venter, Bill Pier, Bruce D. Clayton, Rick Fines, Nancy Mack Tappan, J.B. Wood, Dr. Carl Kirsch, Charles Avery, Karl Hess, Eugene A. Barron, Janet Groene, Dean Ing, Bob Taylor, Reginald Bretnor, C.G. Cobb, and several other writers, some under pen names. The majority of this newsletter revolved around selecting, constructing and logistically equipping survival retreats.<ref>[http://www.frfrogspad.com/persurv.htm Magazine Articles By Jeff Cooper(]</ref> Following Tappan's death in 1980, Karl Hess took over publishing the newsletter, eventually renaming it ''Survival Tomorrow''.

Several books have offered advice on survival retreats and relocation. Some influential in survivalist circles are ''Survival Retreat: A Total Plan For Retreat Defense'' by [[Ragnar Benson]], ''Strategic Relocation--North American Guide to Safe Places'' by [[Joel Skousen]], and ''The Secure Home'', (also by Skousen). Some that have been particularly influential in survivalist circles are ''How to Implement a High Security Shelter in the Home '' by [[Joel Skousen]], ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]], and ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World'' by Bruce D. Clayton.<ref>[http://www.paladin-press.com/detail.aspx?ID=476 ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World''] by Bruce D. Clayton. Paladin Press, 2002, ISBN 1-58160-326-6</ref>

Online survival websites, forums, and blogs (such as SurvivalBlog.com) discuss the best locales for survival retreats, how to build, fortify, and equip them, and how to form survivalist retreat groups.<ref>[http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=survivalist&submit=Search Yahoo! Groups : Search Results]</ref>

Economic troubles emerging from the credit collapse triggered by the 2007 US subprime mortgage lending fiasco have prompted a wider cross-section of the populace to get prepared and establish retreats.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref> [[James Wesley Rawles]], the editor of SurvivalBlog was quoted by the ''New York Times'' in April of 2008 that "interest in the survivalist movement 'is experiencing its largest growth since the late 1970s'”. He also stated that his blog's conservative core readership has been supplemented with "an increasing number of stridently green and left-of-center readers."<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Common retreat locale parameters==
Common retreat locale selection parameters include light population density, plentiful water, arable soil, good solar exposure for gardening and photovoltaics, situation above any flood plains, and a diverse and healthy local economy.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html#CONUS SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Fearing rioting, looting and other unrest, many survivalists advocate selecting retreat locales that are more than one tank of gasoline away from any major metropolitan region. Properties that are not in "channelized areas" or on anticipated "refugee lines of drift" are also touted.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/glossary.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Most survivalist writers, such as [[James Wesley Rawles]] recommend living at a retreat year-round,<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> rather than attempting to flee to a retreat at the 11th hour.

One of the key goals of retreats is to be [[autarky|self-sufficient]] for the duration of societal collapse. To that end, plentiful water, and arable soil are paramount considerations. But just behind these, comes isolated, defensible terrain. Typically, retreats do not want their habitation or structure jeopardized by being within line of sight of any major highway.

Because of its low population density and diverse economy, [[James Wesley Rawles]] <ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> and [[Joel Skousen]] <ref>[http://www.joelskousen.com/About/about.html About Joel Skousen]</ref> both recommend the Intermountain west region of the [[United States]], as a preferred region for relocation and setting up retreats. Although it has higher population density, Mel Tappan recommended southwestern [[Oregon]], primarily because it is not down-wind of any envisioned nuclear targets in the United States.

==Retreat organization==
Most survivalist retreats are organized by extended families, but some "group retreats" or "covenant communities" are formed along the lines of an Intentional Community.

==Retreat architecture and security==
Jeff Cooper popularized the concept of hardening retreats against [[small arms]] fire. In an article titled "Notes on Tactical Residential Architecture" in Issue #30 of P.S. Letter (April, 1982), Cooper suggested using the "Vauban Principle", wherein, projecting bastion corners would prevent miscreants from being able to approach a retreat's exterior walls in any blind spots. Retreat building corners with this simplified implementation of a Vauban Star are now called "Cooper Corners" by [[James Wesley Rawles]], in honor of Jeff Cooper.

In both his book ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' and in his survivalist novel, ''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'', Rawles describes in great detail retreat groups "upgrading" brick or other masonry houses with steel reinforced window shutters and doors, the excavation of anti-vehicular ditches, warded gate locks, constructing concertina wire obstacles and fougasses, and setting up listening post/observation posts (LP/OPs.)

Bruce D. Clayton and [[Joel Skousen]] have both written extensively on integrating fallout shelters into retreat homes, but they put less emphasis on ballistic protection and exterior perimeter security than Cooper and Rawles.

==Retreat logistics==
Anticipating long periods of time without commerce in the future, retreat groups typically place a strong emphasis on logistics. They amass stockpiles of supplies for their own use, for charity, and for [[barter]]. Frequently cited key logistics for a retreat include long term storage food, common caliber ammunition, medical supplies, tools, gardening seed, and fuel. In an article titled "Ballistic Wampum" in Issue #6 of P.S. Letter (1979) Jeff Cooper wrote about stockpiling ammunition far in excess of his own needs, keeping the extra available to use for bartering.

In his books and in his blog (SurvivalBlog), [[James Wesley Rawles]] uses the generic term "beans, bullets and Band Aids" to describe retreat logistics.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>

In their books, Joel Skousen, Mel Tappan and Howard Ruff all emphasize the need to have a one year supply of storage food. Rawles recommends a two year supply, as well as storing non-hybrid (open pollinated) gardening seed.

Even mainstream economist and financial adviser Barton Biggs is a proponent of well-stocked retreats. In his 2008 book ''Wealth, War and Wisdom'', Biggs has a gloomy outlook for the economic future, and suggests that investors take survivalist measures. In the book, Biggs recommends that his readers should “assume the possibility of a breakdown of the civilized infrastructure.” he goes so far as to recommend setting up survival retreats: “Your safe haven must be self-sufficient and capable of growing some kind of food,” Mr. Biggs writes. “It should be well-stocked with seed, fertilizer, canned food, wine, medicine, clothes, etc. Think Swiss Family Robinson. Even in America and Europe there could be moments of riot and rebellion when law and order temporarily completely breaks down.”<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Survivalist retreats worldwide==

Survivalist retreats, both formal and informal are popular worldwide, most visibly in Australia, <ref>[http://www.aussurvivalist.com Australian Survivalist (Survivalism in the new millennium)]</ref>, Canada<ref>[http://www.survivalbill.ca/ Survival Bill]</ref>, France<ref>[http://le-projet-olduvai.kanak.fr/index.htm le-projet-olduvai]</ref>, Sweden<ref>[http://systemkollaps.wordpress.com/ Systemkollaps]</ref>,New Zealand and The United States<ref>[http://www.alpharubicon.com AlphaRubicon.com]</ref>.

==In fiction==

''Lucifer's Hammer'' by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven (1977) describes a disaster caused by a comet striking the Earth, and a the adventures of people that form an impromptu group retreat in an small mountain community, which they must defend from a large gang of cannibalistic looters.

''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]] (1998) (editor of SurvivalBlog) is a novel about a full-scale socio-economic collapse and subsequent invasion of the US, which a review has called "a survival manual dressed as fiction."

''Wolf and Iron'' (1990) by Gordon Dickson describes a systemic societal collapse. The main character "GeeBee" builds and stocks and earth-sheltered retreat, using salvaged materials.

''The Postman'' by David Brin (1985) takes place in the aftermath of an EMP attack and pandemic plague with subsequent socioeconomic collapse that reduces the societal infrastructure to early 19th Century levels. In the novel, townsmen construct fortified retreats.

==See also==
*[[James Wesley Rawles]]
*[[Joel Skousen]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

Talk:Joel Skousen

2008-04-25T14:19:55Z

Fongman: New page: {{Copied from|user=Fongman|site user=Trasel}} --~~~~

{{Copied from|user=Fongman|site user=Trasel}} --[[User:Fongman|Fongman]] 10:19, 25 April 2008 (EDT)

Survivalist retreat

2008-04-25T14:18:03Z

Fongman: /* In fiction */ Clarification

A '''retreat''' is a commonly used term for a place of refuge for those in the Survivalist movement. Survivalist retreats are intended to be self-sufficient and are generally located in lightly-populated rural areas.

Perhaps the most important newsletter on survivalism and survivalist retreats in the 1970s was the ''Personal Survival ("P.S.") Letter'' (circa 1977-1982) published by Mel Tappan, who also authored the books ''Survival Guns'' and ''Tappan on Survival''. The newsletter included columns from Tappan himself as well from Jeff Cooper, Al J. Venter, Bill Pier, Bruce D. Clayton, Rick Fines, Nancy Mack Tappan, J.B. Wood, Dr. Carl Kirsch, Charles Avery, Karl Hess, Eugene A. Barron, Janet Groene, Dean Ing, Bob Taylor, Reginald Bretnor, C.G. Cobb, and several other writers, some under pen names. The majority of this newsletter revolved around selecting, constructing and logistically equipping survival retreats.<ref>[http://www.frfrogspad.com/persurv.htm Magazine Articles By Jeff Cooper(]</ref> Following Tappan's death in 1980, Karl Hess took over publishing the newsletter, eventually renaming it ''Survival Tomorrow''.

Several books have offered advice on survival retreats and relocation. Some influential in survivalist circles are ''Survival Retreat: A Total Plan For Retreat Defense'' by [[Ragnar Benson]], ''Strategic Relocation--North American Guide to Safe Places'' by [[Joel Skousen]], and ''The Secure Home'', (also by Skousen). Some that have been particularly influential in survivalist circles are ''How to Implement a High Security Shelter in the Home '' by [[Joel Skousen]], ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]], and ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World'' by Bruce D. Clayton.<ref>[http://www.paladin-press.com/detail.aspx?ID=476 ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World''] by Bruce D. Clayton. Paladin Press, 2002, ISBN 1-58160-326-6</ref>

Online survival websites, forums, and blogs discuss the best locales for survival retreats, how to build, fortify, and equip them, and how to form survivalist retreat groups.<ref>[http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=survivalist&submit=Search Yahoo! Groups : Search Results]</ref>

Economic troubles emerging from the credit collapse triggered by the 2007 US subprime mortgage lending fiasco have prompted a wider cross-section of the populace to get prepared and establish retreats.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref> [[James Wesley Rawles]], the editor of SurvivalBlog was quoted by the ''New York Times'' in April of 2008 that "interest in the survivalist movement 'is experiencing its largest growth since the late 1970s'”. He also stated that his blog's conservative core readership has been supplemented with "an increasing number of stridently green and left-of-center readers."<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Common retreat locale parameters==
Common retreat locale selection parameters include light population density, plentiful water, arable soil, good solar exposure for gardening and photovoltaics, situation above any flood plains, and a diverse and healthy local economy.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html#CONUS SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Fearing rioting, looting and other unrest, many survivalists advocate selecting retreat locales that are more than one tank of gasoline away from any major metropolitan region. Properties that are not in "channelized areas" or on anticipated "refugee lines of drift" are also touted.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/glossary.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Most survivalist writers, such as [[James Wesley Rawles]] recommend living at a retreat year-round,<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> rather than attempting to flee to a retreat at the 11th hour.

One of the key goals of retreats is to be [[autarky|self-sufficient]] for the duration of societal collapse. To that end, plentiful water, and arable soil are paramount considerations. But just behind these, comes isolated, defensible terrain. Typically, retreats do not want their habitation or structure jeopardized by being within line of sight of any major highway.

Because of its low population density and diverse economy, [[James Wesley Rawles]] <ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> and [[Joel Skousen]] <ref>[http://www.joelskousen.com/About/about.html About Joel Skousen]</ref> both recommend the Intermountain west region of the [[United States]], as a preferred region for relocation and setting up retreats. Although it has higher population density, Mel Tappan recommended southwestern [[Oregon]], primarily because it is not down-wind of any envisioned nuclear targets in the United States.

==Retreat organization==
Most survivalist retreats are organized by extended families, but some "group retreats" or "covenant communities" are formed along the lines of an Intentional Community.

==Retreat architecture and security==
Jeff Cooper popularized the concept of hardening retreats against [[small arms]] fire. In an article titled "Notes on Tactical Residential Architecture" in Issue #30 of P.S. Letter (April, 1982), Cooper suggested using the "Vauban Principle", wherein, projecting bastion corners would prevent miscreants from being able to approach a retreat's exterior walls in any blind spots. Retreat building corners with this simplified implementation of a Vauban Star are now called "Cooper Corners" by [[James Wesley Rawles]], in honor of Jeff Cooper.

In both his book ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' and in his survivalist novel, ''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'', Rawles describes in great detail retreat groups "upgrading" brick or other masonry houses with steel reinforced window shutters and doors, the excavation of anti-vehicular ditches, warded gate locks, constructing concertina wire obstacles and fougasses, and setting up listening post/observation posts (LP/OPs.)

Bruce D. Clayton and [[Joel Skousen]] have both written extensively on integrating fallout shelters into retreat homes, but they put less emphasis on ballistic protection and exterior perimeter security than Cooper and Rawles.

==Retreat logistics==
Anticipating long periods of time without commerce in the future, retreat groups typically place a strong emphasis on logistics. They amass stockpiles of supplies for their own use, for charity, and for [[barter]]. Frequently cited key logistics for a retreat include long term storage food, common caliber ammunition, medical supplies, tools, gardening seed, and fuel. In an article titled "Ballistic Wampum" in Issue #6 of P.S. Letter (1979) Jeff Cooper wrote about stockpiling ammunition far in excess of his own needs, keeping the extra available to use for bartering.

In his books and in his blog (SurvivalBlog), [[James Wesley Rawles]] uses the generic term "beans, bullets and Band Aids" to describe retreat logistics.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>

In their books, Joel Skousen, Mel Tappan and Howard Ruff all emphasize the need to have a one year supply of storage food. Rawles recommends a two year supply, as well as storing non-hybrid (open pollinated) gardening seed.

Even mainstream economist and financial adviser Barton Biggs is a proponent of well-stocked retreats. In his 2008 book ''Wealth, War and Wisdom'', Biggs has a gloomy outlook for the economic future, and suggests that investors take survivalist measures. In the book, Biggs recommends that his readers should “assume the possibility of a breakdown of the civilized infrastructure.” he goes so far as to recommend setting up survival retreats: “Your safe haven must be self-sufficient and capable of growing some kind of food,” Mr. Biggs writes. “It should be well-stocked with seed, fertilizer, canned food, wine, medicine, clothes, etc. Think Swiss Family Robinson. Even in America and Europe there could be moments of riot and rebellion when law and order temporarily completely breaks down.”<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Survivalist retreats worldwide==

Survivalist retreats, both formal and informal are popular worldwide, most visibly in Australia, <ref>[http://www.aussurvivalist.com Australian Survivalist (Survivalism in the new millennium)]</ref>, Canada<ref>[http://www.survivalbill.ca/ Survival Bill]</ref>, France<ref>[http://le-projet-olduvai.kanak.fr/index.htm le-projet-olduvai]</ref>, Sweden<ref>[http://systemkollaps.wordpress.com/ Systemkollaps]</ref>,New Zealand and The United States<ref>[http://www.alpharubicon.com AlphaRubicon.com]</ref>.

==In fiction==

''Lucifer's Hammer'' by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven (1977) describes a disaster caused by a comet striking the Earth, and a the adventures of people that form an impromptu group retreat in an small mountain community, which they must defend from a large gang of cannibalistic looters.

''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]] (1998) (editor of SurvivalBlog) is a novel about a full-scale socio-economic collapse and subsequent invasion of the US, which a review has called "a survival manual dressed as fiction."

''Wolf and Iron'' (1990) by Gordon Dickson describes a systemic societal collapse. The main character "GeeBee" builds and stocks and earth-sheltered retreat, using salvaged materials.

''The Postman'' by David Brin (1985) takes place in the aftermath of an EMP attack and pandemic plague with subsequent socioeconomic collapse that reduces the societal infrastructure to early 19th Century levels. In the novel, townsmen construct fortified retreats.

==See also==
*[[James Wesley Rawles]]
*[[Joel Skousen]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

Survivalist retreat

2008-04-25T14:16:45Z

Fongman: Removed all edits from the paste from the ewikipedia version of this article that I did not persoanlly author. (I am the original author of the article.))

A '''retreat''' is a commonly used term for a place of refuge for those in the Survivalist movement. Survivalist retreats are intended to be self-sufficient and are generally located in lightly-populated rural areas.

Perhaps the most important newsletter on survivalism and survivalist retreats in the 1970s was the ''Personal Survival ("P.S.") Letter'' (circa 1977-1982) published by Mel Tappan, who also authored the books ''Survival Guns'' and ''Tappan on Survival''. The newsletter included columns from Tappan himself as well from Jeff Cooper, Al J. Venter, Bill Pier, Bruce D. Clayton, Rick Fines, Nancy Mack Tappan, J.B. Wood, Dr. Carl Kirsch, Charles Avery, Karl Hess, Eugene A. Barron, Janet Groene, Dean Ing, Bob Taylor, Reginald Bretnor, C.G. Cobb, and several other writers, some under pen names. The majority of this newsletter revolved around selecting, constructing and logistically equipping survival retreats.<ref>[http://www.frfrogspad.com/persurv.htm Magazine Articles By Jeff Cooper(]</ref> Following Tappan's death in 1980, Karl Hess took over publishing the newsletter, eventually renaming it ''Survival Tomorrow''.

Several books have offered advice on survival retreats and relocation. Some influential in survivalist circles are ''Survival Retreat: A Total Plan For Retreat Defense'' by [[Ragnar Benson]], ''Strategic Relocation--North American Guide to Safe Places'' by [[Joel Skousen]], and ''The Secure Home'', (also by Skousen). Some that have been particularly influential in survivalist circles are ''How to Implement a High Security Shelter in the Home '' by [[Joel Skousen]], ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]], and ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World'' by Bruce D. Clayton.<ref>[http://www.paladin-press.com/detail.aspx?ID=476 ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World''] by Bruce D. Clayton. Paladin Press, 2002, ISBN 1-58160-326-6</ref>

Online survival websites, forums, and blogs discuss the best locales for survival retreats, how to build, fortify, and equip them, and how to form survivalist retreat groups.<ref>[http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=survivalist&submit=Search Yahoo! Groups : Search Results]</ref>

Economic troubles emerging from the credit collapse triggered by the 2007 US subprime mortgage lending fiasco have prompted a wider cross-section of the populace to get prepared and establish retreats.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref> [[James Wesley Rawles]], the editor of SurvivalBlog was quoted by the ''New York Times'' in April of 2008 that "interest in the survivalist movement 'is experiencing its largest growth since the late 1970s'”. He also stated that his blog's conservative core readership has been supplemented with "an increasing number of stridently green and left-of-center readers."<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Common retreat locale parameters==
Common retreat locale selection parameters include light population density, plentiful water, arable soil, good solar exposure for gardening and photovoltaics, situation above any flood plains, and a diverse and healthy local economy.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html#CONUS SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Fearing rioting, looting and other unrest, many survivalists advocate selecting retreat locales that are more than one tank of gasoline away from any major metropolitan region. Properties that are not in "channelized areas" or on anticipated "refugee lines of drift" are also touted.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/glossary.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Most survivalist writers, such as [[James Wesley Rawles]] recommend living at a retreat year-round,<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> rather than attempting to flee to a retreat at the 11th hour.

One of the key goals of retreats is to be [[autarky|self-sufficient]] for the duration of societal collapse. To that end, plentiful water, and arable soil are paramount considerations. But just behind these, comes isolated, defensible terrain. Typically, retreats do not want their habitation or structure jeopardized by being within line of sight of any major highway.

Because of its low population density and diverse economy, [[James Wesley Rawles]] <ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> and [[Joel Skousen]] <ref>[http://www.joelskousen.com/About/about.html About Joel Skousen]</ref> both recommend the Intermountain west region of the [[United States]], as a preferred region for relocation and setting up retreats. Although it has higher population density, Mel Tappan recommended southwestern [[Oregon]], primarily because it is not down-wind of any envisioned nuclear targets in the United States.

==Retreat organization==
Most survivalist retreats are organized by extended families, but some "group retreats" or "covenant communities" are formed along the lines of an Intentional Community.

==Retreat architecture and security==
Jeff Cooper popularized the concept of hardening retreats against [[small arms]] fire. In an article titled "Notes on Tactical Residential Architecture" in Issue #30 of P.S. Letter (April, 1982), Cooper suggested using the "Vauban Principle", wherein, projecting bastion corners would prevent miscreants from being able to approach a retreat's exterior walls in any blind spots. Retreat building corners with this simplified implementation of a Vauban Star are now called "Cooper Corners" by [[James Wesley Rawles]], in honor of Jeff Cooper.

In both his book ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' and in his survivalist novel, ''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'', Rawles describes in great detail retreat groups "upgrading" brick or other masonry houses with steel reinforced window shutters and doors, the excavation of anti-vehicular ditches, warded gate locks, constructing concertina wire obstacles and fougasses, and setting up listening post/observation posts (LP/OPs.)

Bruce D. Clayton and [[Joel Skousen]] have both written extensively on integrating fallout shelters into retreat homes, but they put less emphasis on ballistic protection and exterior perimeter security than Cooper and Rawles.

==Retreat logistics==
Anticipating long periods of time without commerce in the future, retreat groups typically place a strong emphasis on logistics. They amass stockpiles of supplies for their own use, for charity, and for [[barter]]. Frequently cited key logistics for a retreat include long term storage food, common caliber ammunition, medical supplies, tools, gardening seed, and fuel. In an article titled "Ballistic Wampum" in Issue #6 of P.S. Letter (1979) Jeff Cooper wrote about stockpiling ammunition far in excess of his own needs, keeping the extra available to use for bartering.

In his books and in his blog (SurvivalBlog), [[James Wesley Rawles]] uses the generic term "beans, bullets and Band Aids" to describe retreat logistics.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>

In their books, Joel Skousen, Mel Tappan and Howard Ruff all emphasize the need to have a one year supply of storage food. Rawles recommends a two year supply, as well as storing non-hybrid (open pollinated) gardening seed.

Even mainstream economist and financial adviser Barton Biggs is a proponent of well-stocked retreats. In his 2008 book ''Wealth, War and Wisdom'', Biggs has a gloomy outlook for the economic future, and suggests that investors take survivalist measures. In the book, Biggs recommends that his readers should “assume the possibility of a breakdown of the civilized infrastructure.” he goes so far as to recommend setting up survival retreats: “Your safe haven must be self-sufficient and capable of growing some kind of food,” Mr. Biggs writes. “It should be well-stocked with seed, fertilizer, canned food, wine, medicine, clothes, etc. Think Swiss Family Robinson. Even in America and Europe there could be moments of riot and rebellion when law and order temporarily completely breaks down.”<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Survivalist retreats worldwide==

Survivalist retreats, both formal and informal are popular worldwide, most visibly in Australia, <ref>[http://www.aussurvivalist.com Australian Survivalist (Survivalism in the new millennium)]</ref>, Canada<ref>[http://www.survivalbill.ca/ Survival Bill]</ref>, France<ref>[http://le-projet-olduvai.kanak.fr/index.htm le-projet-olduvai]</ref>, Sweden<ref>[http://systemkollaps.wordpress.com/ Systemkollaps]</ref>,New Zealand and The United States<ref>[http://www.alpharubicon.com AlphaRubicon.com]</ref>.

==In fiction==

''Lucifer's Hammer'' by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven (1977) describes a disaster caused by a comet striking the Earth, and a the adventures of people that form an impromptu group retreat in an small mountain community, which they must defend from a large gang of cannibalistic looters.

''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]] (1998) (editor of SurvivalBlog) is a novel about a full-scale socio-economic collapse and subsequent invasion of the US, which a review has called "a survival manual dressed as fiction."

''Wolf and Iron'' (1990) by Gordon Dickson describes a systemic societal collapse. The main character "GeeBee" builds and stocks and earth-sheltered retreat, using salvaged materials.

''The Postman'' by David Brin (1985) takes place in the aftermath of an EMP attack and pandemic plague with subsequent socioeconomic collapse that reduces the societal infrastructure to early 19th Century levels. Both the Holnists and townsmen construct fortified retreats.

==See also==
*[[James Wesley Rawles]]
*[[Joel Skousen]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

Joel Skousen

2008-04-25T14:07:05Z

Fongman: Removed all edits from the paste from the wikipedia version of this article that I did not persoanlly author. (I am the original author of the article.))

'''Joel M. Skousen''' is an [[United States|American]] [[conservatism|conservative]] political scientist<ref>http://www.joelskousen.com/Philosophy/philosophy.html</ref>, non-fiction Survivalist author, and consultant that specializes in preparedness topics, particularly [[Retreat|survival retreat]] and fallout shelter design and construction, as well as what he calls "strategic relocation."<ref>http://www.joelskousen.com/Strategic/strategic.html</ref> Skousen is the founder and chief editor of ''World Affairs Brief''<ref>http://www.worldaffairsbrief.com/</ref>, a weekly news analysis service. He has done architectural and retreat design consulting in both North America and Central America.<ref>http://www.joelskousen.com/About/about.html</ref>

Skousen is the author of several books including ''Essential Principles for the Conservation of Liberty'', ''Strategic Relocation--North American Guide to Safe Places'', ''The Secure Home'', ''Survival Home Manual: Architectural Design, Construction, and Remodeling Of Self-Sufficient Residences and Retreats'', and ''How to Implement a High Security Shelter in the Home''. He also published a booklet titled ''10 Packs for Survival'', which he has also posted to several web sites.<ref>http://www.captaindaves.com/dl-list/dl30-pak.htm</ref>

Skousen designs and consults on hardened retreat homes, often complete with fallout shelters with HEPA air filtration. In the book ''Dancing at Armageddon: Survivalism and Chaos in Modern Times'' by Richard G. Mitchell, Jr., (2001) Skousen is quoted: ""You never want to make a house look like an obvious fortress. Those who want in can always move up a bigger gun. There is no way you can design a home to withstand RPG rockets and tanks. I design these homes so you virtually cannot tell inside or out that they are any different from a conventional home."<ref>http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/532445.html</ref>

Because of its low population density and diverse economy, Skousen<ref>http://www.joelskousen.com/About/about.html</ref> and [[James Wesley Rawles]]<ref>http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html</ref> both recommend the Intermountain west region of the [[United States]], as a preferred region for relocation and setting up [[Retreat|survival retreats]].

During the 1980s Skousen was the Chairman of the Conservative National Committee. He was also the Executive Editor of Conservative Digest.<ref>http://www.mskousen.com/About/Family/famous.html</ref>

In late 2007, Skousen gained attention when he gave his support to [[Ron Paul]] rather than to fellow LDS church member [[Mitt Romney]] in the 2008 US presidential campaign, in a widely-circulated YouTube video clip.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbYxtA5PBXU</ref>

Joel Skousen is the older brother of Mark Skousen and the younger brother of Royal Skousen. The three Skousen brothers are the nephews of Cleon Skousen.<ref>http://www.mskousen.com/About/Family/famous.html</ref>

===Books===
*''Essential Principles for the Conservation of Liberty'', ISBN 1199306614 (1984)

*''The Secure Home'', ISBN 1199306720 (May, 1999)

*''Strategic Relocation--North American Guide to Safe Places'', ISBN 156861053X (various editions, latest listed is February, 2006)

*''Survival Home Manual: Architectural Design, Construction, and Remodeling Of Self-Sufficient Residences and Retreats'', ISBN 1199306396 (1982)

*''How to Implement a High Security Shelter in the Home'', ISBN 1199306524 (1998)

==See also==
*[[Retreat]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.JoelSkousen.com Skousen's web site]
* [http://www.worldaffairsbrief.com World Affairs Brief], Joel Skousen's weekly news analysis
* [http://www.captaindaves.com/dl-list/dl30-pak.htm 10 Packs for Survival]

[[Category:Conservatives]]
[[Category:Political Scientists]]

James Wesley Rawles

2008-04-25T13:47:27Z

Fongman: /* Philosophical and political views */ Added a clarification on what he said about Y2K

'''James Wesley Rawles''' (born 1960) is a non-fiction author,
survivalist-fiction author, [[economist]], blogger, and [[Retreat|survival retreat]] consultant. He has been called an expert<ref>[http://derekclontz.wordpress.com/2007/09/10/second-great-depression-just-weeks-away-warns-expert/ Second Great Depression just weeks away, warns expert] by Derek Clontz</ref> on survival and preparedness topics.<ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/13/MNIL1008L2.DTL</ref> Rawles is a Christian who is a conservative, Constitutionalism|constitutionalist [[Libertarianism|libertarian]].<ref name="blogbio">[http://www.survivalblog.com/biographies.html SurvivalBlog Staff Biographies]</ref>

==Biography==
Rawles was born in Livermore, California in 1960 and received a Bachelor of Arts|BA degree from San Jose State University. He was a [[United States Army]] Military Intelligence officer, serving from 1984 to 1993.<ref>[http://www.rawles.to/miobc/index.html]</ref> He resigned his commission as an army Captain, immediately after [[Bill Clinton]] was sworn in as President of the United States.<ref>[http://www.rawles.to/miobc/index.html]</ref> Rawles worked as an Associate Editor with ''Defense Electronics'' magazine in the late 1980s<ref>[http://www.fas.org/spp/military/docops/operate/ds/signals.htm]</ref>, and was the managing editor of ''The C3I Handbook'' and ''The International Countermeasures Handbook''.<ref>[http://www.mpr.co.uk/scripts/sweb.dll/li_archive_item?method=GET&object=DELEC_1988_20_12_NOV]</ref> He worked as a technical writer through most of the 1990s with a variety of California and Nevada companies including DAZIX, Grass Valley Group, Oracle Corporation<ref>[http://download-uk.oracle.com/docs/cd/A91202_01/901_doc/appdev.901/a89865/title.htm]</ref>, and Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC). In 2005 he began full-time blogging. <ref>[http://www.cafepress.com/clearwaterpress.112283261]</ref> Sometime after 2001 he relocated to a remote ranch at an undisclosed location "Somewhere West of the Rockies". <ref>[http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/AUVJYOISOM0TT]</ref>

He is now a freelance writer, blogger and [[Retreat|retreat]] consultant. His children are home schooled.<ref name="blogbio"/>

==Philosophical and political views==

Rawles is an outspoken proponent of family preparedness, especially regarding food storage and his advocacy of relocating to lightly populated rural "retreat" areas.

Rawles warned about possible disruption that could be caused by the Year 2000 (Y2K) problem, and urged "an all-out effort" by programmers to be ready for the four digit date rollover.<ref>[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SB&p_theme=sb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1& p_text_direct-0=0EB0477D786595EE&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM THURSDAY OFFERS A MINI-Y2K SITUATION, EXPERTS SAY] The Sacramento Bee, September 8, 1999</ref><ref>[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LB&p_theme=lb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAE929EEB312718&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM GETTING IN TOUCH WITH Y2K AND THE PROPHETS OF DOOM] Press-Telegram, January 7, 1999</ref><ref>"Do you live in fear of the millennium?", South China Morning Post, April 6, 1999</ref>

Rawles credits Mel Tappan as the primary influence in the development of his survivalist philosophy as well as the impetus for launching SurvivalBlog.com.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/kudos.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>. Rawles has been called "The intellectual heir of Mel Tappan", and has been described as "...the survivalist voice of reason, following in the footsteps of Mel Tappan." <ref>http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/03/four_letters_re_use_of_force_i.html</ref>

Rawles was quoted by the ''New York Times'' in April of 2008 that "interest in the survivalist movement 'is experiencing its largest growth since the late 1970s'”. He also stated that his blog's conservative core readership has been supplemented with "an increasing number of stridently green and left-of-center readers."<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Economic views==
In a [[Usenet]] post in February of 2001, Rawles fairly accurately called the bottom of the two-decade long bear market in the price of silver that had brought silver down from a high of $50 per ounce, to under $5 per ounce.<ref>http://groups.google.com/group/misc.survivalism/browse_thread/thread/91d596201f5f4099/00bfb0230b744507?hl=en&lnk=st&q=Rawles%2BCall%2BBottom%2Bsilver#00bfb0230b744507</ref> In the post, Rawles mentioned a low of $4.25 per ounce. It actually bottomed just a few months later (intraday) at $4.03 per ounce.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/01/notes_from_jwr_98.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>

As of January, 2008, Rawles stills sees silver and gold in "primary bull markets."<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/01/the_precious_metals_bull_charg.html]</ref>

Rawles predicts a deep recession or possibly a depression in the near future<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/03/news_from_wall_street_and_capi.html]</ref>, triggered by a housing market collapse and an "implosion" of global credit and the derivatives market.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/derivatives.html SurvivalBlog.com - Derivatives]</ref>

==Blog presence==
Rawles is the editor of SurvivalBlog.com, a very widely-read and cited <ref>[http://charts.technorati.com/blogs/www.survivalblog.com?reactionsdaily</ref> [[blog]] on survival and preparedness topics. According to its statistics page, it has more than 71,000 unique visitors per week.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/ SurvivalBlog home page]</ref> <ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/cgi-bin/awstats.pl]</ref> The main focus of his blog is family preparedness for disasters. In his blog writings, Rawles recommends that investors put at least 25% of their portfolios into [[gold]], [[silver]], and [[barter]] goods.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2007/12/coping_with_inflationsome_stra.html]</ref> He also advises his blog readers to store four year's supply of food<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/01/a_honeybee_ccd_disaster_soonbe.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> in preparation for future hard times, and "double up" with other families<ref>[http://www.shtfblog.com/wealth-war-and-wisdom-by-barton-biggs-a-book-review/]</ref> to establish [[Retreat|survival retreats]]. Rawles believes (as of his 2005-2008 writings) that the United States is headed for a hyperinflationary economic depression.<ref>[http://www.peakoilstore.com/forum/index.php/topic,13888.0.html]</ref> Rawles favors the abolition of the fractional-reserve banking system, and a return to the [[gold standard]].<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/02/are_simultaneous_inflation_and.html]</ref> Rawles is also a proponent of [[Home schooling]].<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/home_schooling/]</ref>

==Published works==

His first book, ''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'', a novel, was first released in 1998. It was first released as Internet shareware in the early 1990s, and later published in interim form as ''TEOTWAWKI: The End of The World as We Know It'', in the late 1990s.<ref>[http://www.weyrich.com/book_reviews/teotwawki.html]</ref> The story is set in the near future and describes a period of hyperinflation and a socio-economic collapse. While it is a fictional story, it is essentially a survival manual dressed as fiction.<ref>[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=14119 WND Commentary Five novels of freedom] by Claire Wolfe, WorldNetDaily, September 30, 1999</ref> It was re-released in December, 2006 in expanded form. One early reviewer of the novel commented: "While it is true that the protagonists appear to be part of the religious right, it is clearly incorrect to stereotype them as intolerant racists or anti-government zealots."<ref>[http://www.weyrich.com/book_reviews/teotwawki.html]</ref>. The publisher's synopsis describes the novel as "distinctly pro-Christian, pro-preparedness, pro-gun ownership, and anti-racist." <ref>[http://www.powells.com/biblio/61-1425734073-0]</ref>

His second book, ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'', was non-fiction. It describes how to geographically select a [[Retreat|survival retreat]] and stock it with key logistics.

His third book, ''SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog, Volume 1'', was non-fiction. It is a compendium of posts and letters from the first six months of SurvivalBlog.

He also authored an action-adventure screenplay, loosely based on his novel ''Patriots''.

Rawles also co-authored the ''Rawles Gets You Ready'' preparedness course, released in August, 2006.

He is also the author of numerous Internet FAQs, primarily on firearms topics.

===Books===
*''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' from Huntington House Publishers, ISBN 978-1563841552 (November 1998)
*''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' (33 chapter expanded edition) from Xlibris, ISBN 978-1425734077 (December 2006)
*''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' from CafePress, No ISBN (January 2007)
*''SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog, Volume 1'' from CafePress, No ISBN (February 2007)

===Screenplays===
* ''Pulling Through'' (A feature-length action-adventure "spec" screenplay) WGAw (WGA West script registration service) #714352 (April, 2007) <ref>[http://www.rawles.to/Screenplay.html "Pulling Through" Screenplay]</ref>

=== Courseware===
*''Rawles Gets You Ready'' from Arbogast Publishing, No ISBN (August 2006)

===Articles===
Some Internet FAQs and Reference Articles by Rawles.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/faqs.html SurvivalBlog.com FAQ list]</ref>
*[http://www.rawles.to/AR-15_M16_Magazine_FAQ.html ''AR-15 Magazine FAQ''] <ref>[http://www.fulton-armory.com/ARMags.htm The Lowdown on AR-15/M16 Magazines] by James Wesley Rawles, Fulton Armory</ref>
*[http://www.rawles.to/http://www.rawles.to/M1_Carbine_Mag_FAQ.html ''M1 Carbine Magazine FAQ''] <ref>[http://www.fulton-armory.com/Carbinemags.htm The Lowdown on M1 Carbine Magazines] by James Wesley Rawles, Fulton Armory, February 1998</ref>
*[http://www.rawles.to/M1911_Mag_FAQ.html ''M1911 Magazine FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/M14%20Magazine_FAQ.html ''M14/M1A Magazine FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/FAL_FAQ.html ''The FN/FAL & L1A1 FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/Mauser_FAQ.html ''The Mauser Bolt Rifle FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/Pre-1899_FAQ.html ''The Pre-1899 Antique Guns FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/Euro_Box_FAQ.html ''European Ammo Box Translations''] (editor)
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/noncorrosive.html ''Noncorrosive Priming Information for U.S. Military Small Arms Ammunition''](editor)
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/asianflu.html ''Protecting Your Family From an Influenza Pandemic'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html ''Recommended Retreat Areas'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/profiles.html ''Retreat Owner Profiles'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/survivalguns.html ''Survival Gun Selection'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/derivatives.html ''Derivatives'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/nais.html ''The National Animal Identification System (NAIS)'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/peakoil.html ''Peak Oil: Implications for Preparedness and Self-Sufficiency'']

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Economists]]
[[Category:Authors]]

James Wesley Rawles

2008-04-25T13:43:53Z

Fongman: Removed all edits from the paste from the ewikipedia version of this article that I did not persoanlly author. (I am the original author of the article.)

'''James Wesley Rawles''' (born 1960) is a non-fiction author,
survivalist-fiction author, [[economist]], blogger, and [[Retreat|survival retreat]] consultant. He has been called an expert<ref>[http://derekclontz.wordpress.com/2007/09/10/second-great-depression-just-weeks-away-warns-expert/ Second Great Depression just weeks away, warns expert] by Derek Clontz</ref> on survival and preparedness topics.<ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/13/MNIL1008L2.DTL</ref> Rawles is a Christian who is a conservative, Constitutionalism|constitutionalist [[Libertarianism|libertarian]].<ref name="blogbio">[http://www.survivalblog.com/biographies.html SurvivalBlog Staff Biographies]</ref>

==Biography==
Rawles was born in Livermore, California in 1960 and received a Bachelor of Arts|BA degree from San Jose State University. He was a [[United States Army]] Military Intelligence officer, serving from 1984 to 1993.<ref>[http://www.rawles.to/miobc/index.html]</ref> He resigned his commission as an army Captain, immediately after [[Bill Clinton]] was sworn in as President of the United States.<ref>[http://www.rawles.to/miobc/index.html]</ref> Rawles worked as an Associate Editor with ''Defense Electronics'' magazine in the late 1980s<ref>[http://www.fas.org/spp/military/docops/operate/ds/signals.htm]</ref>, and was the managing editor of ''The C3I Handbook'' and ''The International Countermeasures Handbook''.<ref>[http://www.mpr.co.uk/scripts/sweb.dll/li_archive_item?method=GET&object=DELEC_1988_20_12_NOV]</ref> He worked as a technical writer through most of the 1990s with a variety of California and Nevada companies including DAZIX, Grass Valley Group, Oracle Corporation<ref>[http://download-uk.oracle.com/docs/cd/A91202_01/901_doc/appdev.901/a89865/title.htm]</ref>, and Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC). In 2005 he began full-time blogging. <ref>[http://www.cafepress.com/clearwaterpress.112283261]</ref> Sometime after 2001 he relocated to a remote ranch at an undisclosed location "Somewhere West of the Rockies". <ref>[http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/AUVJYOISOM0TT]</ref>

He is now a freelance writer, blogger and [[Retreat|retreat]] consultant. His children are home schooled.<ref name="blogbio"/>

==Philosophical and political views==

Rawles is an outspoken proponent of family preparedness, especially regarding food storage and his advocacy of relocating to lightly populated rural "retreat" areas.

Rawles was one of the many individuals warning about possible disasters related to the Year 2000 problem (Y2K).<ref>[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SB&p_theme=sb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1& p_text_direct-0=0EB0477D786595EE&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM THURSDAY OFFERS A MINI-Y2K SITUATION, EXPERTS SAY] The Sacramento Bee, September 8, 1999</ref><ref>[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LB&p_theme=lb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAE929EEB312718&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM GETTING IN TOUCH WITH Y2K AND THE PROPHETS OF DOOM] Press-Telegram, January 7, 1999</ref><ref>"Do you live in fear of the millennium?", South China Morning Post, April 6, 1999</ref>

Rawles credits Mel Tappan as the primary influence in the development of his survivalist philosophy as well as the impetus for launching SurvivalBlog.com.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/kudos.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>. Rawles has been called "The intellectual heir of Mel Tappan", and has been described as "...the survivalist voice of reason, following in the footsteps of Mel Tappan." <ref>http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/03/four_letters_re_use_of_force_i.html</ref>

Rawles was quoted by the ''New York Times'' in April of 2008 that "interest in the survivalist movement 'is experiencing its largest growth since the late 1970s'”. He also stated that his blog's conservative core readership has been supplemented with "an increasing number of stridently green and left-of-center readers."<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Economic views==
In a [[Usenet]] post in February of 2001, Rawles fairly accurately called the bottom of the two-decade long bear market in the price of silver that had brought silver down from a high of $50 per ounce, to under $5 per ounce.<ref>http://groups.google.com/group/misc.survivalism/browse_thread/thread/91d596201f5f4099/00bfb0230b744507?hl=en&lnk=st&q=Rawles%2BCall%2BBottom%2Bsilver#00bfb0230b744507</ref> In the post, Rawles mentioned a low of $4.25 per ounce. It actually bottomed just a few months later (intraday) at $4.03 per ounce.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/01/notes_from_jwr_98.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>

As of January, 2008, Rawles stills sees silver and gold in "primary bull markets."<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/01/the_precious_metals_bull_charg.html]</ref>

Rawles predicts a deep recession or possibly a depression in the near future<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/03/news_from_wall_street_and_capi.html]</ref>, triggered by a housing market collapse and an "implosion" of global credit and the derivatives market.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/derivatives.html SurvivalBlog.com - Derivatives]</ref>

==Blog presence==
Rawles is the editor of SurvivalBlog.com, a very widely-read and cited <ref>[http://charts.technorati.com/blogs/www.survivalblog.com?reactionsdaily</ref> [[blog]] on survival and preparedness topics. According to its statistics page, it has more than 71,000 unique visitors per week.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/ SurvivalBlog home page]</ref> <ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/cgi-bin/awstats.pl]</ref> The main focus of his blog is family preparedness for disasters. In his blog writings, Rawles recommends that investors put at least 25% of their portfolios into [[gold]], [[silver]], and [[barter]] goods.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2007/12/coping_with_inflationsome_stra.html]</ref> He also advises his blog readers to store four year's supply of food<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/01/a_honeybee_ccd_disaster_soonbe.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> in preparation for future hard times, and "double up" with other families<ref>[http://www.shtfblog.com/wealth-war-and-wisdom-by-barton-biggs-a-book-review/]</ref> to establish [[Retreat|survival retreats]]. Rawles believes (as of his 2005-2008 writings) that the United States is headed for a hyperinflationary economic depression.<ref>[http://www.peakoilstore.com/forum/index.php/topic,13888.0.html]</ref> Rawles favors the abolition of the fractional-reserve banking system, and a return to the [[gold standard]].<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/2008/02/are_simultaneous_inflation_and.html]</ref> Rawles is also a proponent of [[Home schooling]].<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/home_schooling/]</ref>

==Published works==

His first book, ''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'', a novel, was first released in 1998. It was first released as Internet shareware in the early 1990s, and later published in interim form as ''TEOTWAWKI: The End of The World as We Know It'', in the late 1990s.<ref>[http://www.weyrich.com/book_reviews/teotwawki.html]</ref> The story is set in the near future and describes a period of hyperinflation and a socio-economic collapse. While it is a fictional story, it is essentially a survival manual dressed as fiction.<ref>[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=14119 WND Commentary Five novels of freedom] by Claire Wolfe, WorldNetDaily, September 30, 1999</ref> It was re-released in December, 2006 in expanded form. One early reviewer of the novel commented: "While it is true that the protagonists appear to be part of the religious right, it is clearly incorrect to stereotype them as intolerant racists or anti-government zealots."<ref>[http://www.weyrich.com/book_reviews/teotwawki.html]</ref>. The publisher's synopsis describes the novel as "distinctly pro-Christian, pro-preparedness, pro-gun ownership, and anti-racist." <ref>[http://www.powells.com/biblio/61-1425734073-0]</ref>

His second book, ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'', was non-fiction. It describes how to geographically select a [[Retreat|survival retreat]] and stock it with key logistics.

His third book, ''SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog, Volume 1'', was non-fiction. It is a compendium of posts and letters from the first six months of SurvivalBlog.

He also authored an action-adventure screenplay, loosely based on his novel ''Patriots''.

Rawles also co-authored the ''Rawles Gets You Ready'' preparedness course, released in August, 2006.

He is also the author of numerous Internet FAQs, primarily on firearms topics.

===Books===
*''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' from Huntington House Publishers, ISBN 978-1563841552 (November 1998)
*''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' (33 chapter expanded edition) from Xlibris, ISBN 978-1425734077 (December 2006)
*''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' from CafePress, No ISBN (January 2007)
*''SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog, Volume 1'' from CafePress, No ISBN (February 2007)

===Screenplays===
* ''Pulling Through'' (A feature-length action-adventure "spec" screenplay) WGAw (WGA West script registration service) #714352 (April, 2007) <ref>[http://www.rawles.to/Screenplay.html "Pulling Through" Screenplay]</ref>

=== Courseware===
*''Rawles Gets You Ready'' from Arbogast Publishing, No ISBN (August 2006)

===Articles===
Some Internet FAQs and Reference Articles by Rawles.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/faqs.html SurvivalBlog.com FAQ list]</ref>
*[http://www.rawles.to/AR-15_M16_Magazine_FAQ.html ''AR-15 Magazine FAQ''] <ref>[http://www.fulton-armory.com/ARMags.htm The Lowdown on AR-15/M16 Magazines] by James Wesley Rawles, Fulton Armory</ref>
*[http://www.rawles.to/http://www.rawles.to/M1_Carbine_Mag_FAQ.html ''M1 Carbine Magazine FAQ''] <ref>[http://www.fulton-armory.com/Carbinemags.htm The Lowdown on M1 Carbine Magazines] by James Wesley Rawles, Fulton Armory, February 1998</ref>
*[http://www.rawles.to/M1911_Mag_FAQ.html ''M1911 Magazine FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/M14%20Magazine_FAQ.html ''M14/M1A Magazine FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/FAL_FAQ.html ''The FN/FAL & L1A1 FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/Mauser_FAQ.html ''The Mauser Bolt Rifle FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/Pre-1899_FAQ.html ''The Pre-1899 Antique Guns FAQ'']
*[http://www.rawles.to/Euro_Box_FAQ.html ''European Ammo Box Translations''] (editor)
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/noncorrosive.html ''Noncorrosive Priming Information for U.S. Military Small Arms Ammunition''](editor)
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/asianflu.html ''Protecting Your Family From an Influenza Pandemic'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html ''Recommended Retreat Areas'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/profiles.html ''Retreat Owner Profiles'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/survivalguns.html ''Survival Gun Selection'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/derivatives.html ''Derivatives'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/nais.html ''The National Animal Identification System (NAIS)'']
*[http://www.survivalblog.com/peakoil.html ''Peak Oil: Implications for Preparedness and Self-Sufficiency'']

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Economists]]
[[Category:Authors]]

Talk:James Wesley Rawles

2008-04-25T13:33:25Z

Fongman: New page: {{Copied from|site user=Trasel}} --~~~~

{{Copied from|site user=Trasel}} --[[User:Fongman|Fongman]] 09:33, 25 April 2008 (EDT)

Talk:Survivalist retreat

2008-04-25T13:32:42Z

Fongman:

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retreat_%28survivalism%29 Hmmmmm...I'm just sayin' is all.][[User:AliceBG|AliceBG]] 22:40, 24 April 2008 (EDT)

{{Copied from|site user=Trasel}} --[[User:Fongman|Fongman]] 09:32, 25 April 2008 (EDT)

Talk:Ragnar Benson

2008-04-25T13:30:59Z

Fongman:

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragnar_Benson I'm beginning to see a pattern here....][[User:AliceBG|AliceBG]] 22:54, 24 April 2008 (EDT)

{{Copied from|site user=Trasel}} --[[User:Fongman|Fongman]] 09:30, 25 April 2008 (EDT)

Survivalist retreat

2008-04-25T04:29:33Z

Fongman: /* In fiction */ Header clean-up

A '''retreat''' is a commonly used term for a place of refuge for those in the Survivalist movement. Survivalist retreats are intended to be self-sufficient and are generally located in lightly-populated rural areas.

==History==
While fallout shelters have been advocated since the 1950s, dedicated self-sufficient survivalist retreats have been advocated only since the mid-1970s, The survival retreat concept has been touted by a number of influential Survivalist writers including [[Ragnar Benson]], Bruce D. Clayton, Jeff Cooper, Cresson Kearny, [[James Wesley Rawles]], Howard Ruff, Kurt Saxon, [[Joel Skousen]], Don Stephens, and Mel Tappan.

===1960s===

With the increasing inflation of the 1960s and the impending US monetary [[Devaluation]] (predicted by Harry Browne in his 1970 book ''How You Can Profit from the Coming Devaluation''), as well as the continuing concern with possible nuclear exchanges between the US and the Soviet Union, and the increasing vulnerability of urban centers to supply shortages and other systems failures, a number of primarily conservative and [[Libertarian]] thinkers began suggesting that individual preparations would be wise. Mr. Browne began offering seminars on how to survive a monetary collapse in 1967, with Don Stephens, an architectural design innovator, providing input on how to build and equip a remote survival retreat and providing a copy of his original ''Retreater's Bibliography''(1967) for each seminar participant.

===1970s===
In 1975, Kurt Saxon began publishing a newsletter called ''The Survivor'', which advocated moving to lightly-populated regions to "lay low" during a socio-economic collapse, and setting up fortified enclaves for defense against what he termed "killer karavans"<ref>http://www.textfiles.com/survival/caravans</ref> of looters from urban areas.

In 1976, survival bookseller and author Don Stephens in Washington (author of ''The Survivor's Primer & Up-dated Retreater's Bibliography'', 1976) popularized the term "retreater" and advocated relocating to a rural retreat when society breaks down.

Writers such as Howard Ruff warned about socio-economic collapse and recommended moving to lightly-populated farming regions, most notably in his 1979 book ''How to Prosper During the Coming Bad Years'', a best-seller in 1979.

For a time in the 1970s, the terms "survivalist" and "retreater" were used interchangeably. The term "retreater" eventually fell out of favor.<ref>[http://www.aussurvivalist.com/whatissurvivalismsaxon.htm AusSurvivalist - What is Survivalism?]</ref>

Perhaps the most important newsletter on survivalism and survivalist retreats in the 1970s was the ''Personal Survival ("P.S.") Letter'' (circa 1977-1982) published by Mel Tappan, who also authored the books ''Survival Guns'' and ''Tappan on Survival''. The newsletter included columns from Tappan himself as well from Jeff Cooper, Al J. Venter, Bill Pier, Bruce D. Clayton, Rick Fines, Nancy Mack Tappan, J.B. Wood, Dr. Carl Kirsch, Charles Avery, Karl Hess, Eugene A. Barron, Janet Groene, Dean Ing, Bob Taylor, Reginald Bretnor, C.G. Cobb, and several other writers, some under pen names. The majority of this newsletter revolved around selecting, constructing and logistically equipping survival retreats.<ref>[http://www.frfrogspad.com/persurv.htm Magazine Articles By Jeff Cooper(]</ref> Following Tappan's death in 1980, Karl Hess took over publishing the newsletter, eventually renaming it ''Survival Tomorrow''.

In addition to hard copy newsletters, in the 1970s survivalists got their first online presence with BBS<ref>[http://www.survivalbill.ca Survival Bill]</ref> and [[Usenet]] forums dedicated to survivalism and survival retreats.

===1980s===
Survivalist retreat books of the 1980s were typified by the 1980 book ''Life After Doomsday''<ref>''Life After Doomsday'', by Bruce D. Clayton, Dial Press, ISBN 0-8037-4752-7</ref> by Bruce D. Clayton advocating survival retreats in locales that would minimize fallout and specially-constructing Blast shelters and/or Fallout shelters that would provide Fallout Protection in the event of a nuclear war.

===1990s===
Several books published in the 1990s offered advice on survival retreats and relocation. Some influential in survivalist circles are ''Survival Retreat: A Total Plan For Retreat Defense'' by [[Ragnar Benson]], ''Strategic Relocation--North American Guide to Safe Places'' by [[Joel Skousen]], and ''The Secure Home'', (also by Skousen).

===2000-present===
In recent years, advocacy of survivalist retreats has had a strong resurgence after the [[terrorist]] attacks on the [[World Trade Center]] in [[New York]] in 2001 and similar attacks in Bali, [[Spain]], and [[London]].

Several books published since 2000 advocate survival retreats and relocation. Some that have been particularly influential in survivalist circles are ''How to Implement a High Security Shelter in the Home '' by [[Joel Skousen]], ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]], and ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World'' by Bruce D. Clayton.<ref>[http://www.paladin-press.com/detail.aspx?ID=476 ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World''] by Bruce D. Clayton. Paladin Press, 2002, ISBN 1-58160-326-6</ref>

Online survival websites, forums, and blogs discuss the best locales for survival retreats, how to build, fortify, and equip them, and how to form survivalist retreat groups.<ref>[http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=survivalist&submit=Search Yahoo! Groups : Search Results]</ref>

Economic troubles emerging from the credit collapse triggered by the 2007 US subprime mortgage lending fiasco have prompted a wider cross-section of the populace to get prepared and establish retreats.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref> [[James Wesley Rawles]], the editor of SurvivalBlog was quoted by the ''New York Times'' in April of 2008 that "interest in the survivalist movement 'is experiencing its largest growth since the late 1970s'”. He also stated that his blog's conservative core readership has been supplemented with "an increasing number of stridently green and left-of-center readers."<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Common retreat locale parameters==
Common retreat locale selection parameters include light population density, plentiful water, arable soil, good solar exposure for gardening and photovoltaics, situation above any flood plains, and a diverse and healthy local economy.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html#CONUS SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Fearing rioting, looting and other unrest, many survivalists advocate selecting retreat locales that are more than one tank of gasoline away from any major metropolitan region. Properties that are not in "channelized areas" or on anticipated "refugee lines of drift" are also touted.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/glossary.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Most survivalist writers, such as [[James Wesley Rawles]] recommend living at a retreat year-round,<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> rather than attempting to flee to a retreat at the 11th hour.

One of the key goals of retreats is to be [[autarky|self-sufficient]] for the duration of societal collapse. To that end, plentiful water, and arable soil are paramount considerations. But just behind these, comes isolated, defensible terrain. Typically, retreats do not want their habitation or structure jeopardized by being within line of sight of any major highway.

Because of its low population density and diverse economy, [[James Wesley Rawles]] <ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> and [[Joel Skousen]] <ref>[http://www.joelskousen.com/About/about.html About Joel Skousen]</ref> both recommend the Intermountain west region of the [[United States]], as a preferred region for relocation and setting up retreats. Although it has higher population density, Mel Tappan recommended southwestern [[Oregon]], primarily because it is not down-wind of any envisioned nuclear targets in the United States.

==Retreat organization==
Most survivalist retreats are organized by extended families, but some "group retreats" or "covenant communities" are formed along the lines of an Intentional Community.

==Retreat architecture and security==
Jeff Cooper popularized the concept of hardening retreats against [[small arms]] fire. In an article titled "Notes on Tactical Residential Architecture" in Issue #30 of P.S. Letter (April, 1982), Cooper suggested using the "Vauban Principle", wherein, projecting bastion corners would prevent miscreants from being able to approach a retreat's exterior walls in any blind spots. Retreat building corners with this simplified implementation of a Vauban Star are now called "Cooper Corners" by [[James Wesley Rawles]], in honor of Jeff Cooper.

In both his book ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' and in his survivalist novel, ''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'', Rawles describes in great detail retreat groups "upgrading" brick or other masonry houses with steel reinforced window shutters and doors, the excavation of anti-vehicular ditches, warded gate locks, constructing concertina wire obstacles and fougasses, and setting up listening post/observation posts (LP/OPs.)

Bruce D. Clayton and [[Joel Skousen]] have both written extensively on integrating fallout shelters into retreat homes, but they put less emphasis on ballistic protection and exterior perimeter security than Cooper and Rawles.

==Retreat logistics==
Anticipating long periods of time without commerce in the future, retreat groups typically place a strong emphasis on logistics. They amass stockpiles of supplies for their own use, for charity, and for [[barter]]. Frequently cited key logistics for a retreat include long term storage food, common caliber ammunition, medical supplies, tools, gardening seed, and fuel. In an article titled "Ballistic Wampum" in Issue #6 of P.S. Letter (1979) Jeff Cooper wrote about stockpiling ammunition far in excess of his own needs, keeping the extra available to use for bartering.

In his books and in his blog (SurvivalBlog), [[James Wesley Rawles]] uses the generic term "beans, bullets and Band Aids" to describe retreat logistics.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>

In their books, Joel Skousen, Mel Tappan and Howard Ruff all emphasize the need to have a one year supply of storage food. Rawles recommends a two year supply, as well as storing non-hybrid (open pollinated) gardening seed.

Even mainstream economist and financial adviser Barton Biggs is a proponent of well-stocked retreats. In his 2008 book ''Wealth, War and Wisdom'', Biggs has a gloomy outlook for the economic future, and suggests that investors take survivalist measures. In the book, Biggs recommends that his readers should “assume the possibility of a breakdown of the civilized infrastructure.” he goes so far as to recommend setting up survival retreats: “Your safe haven must be self-sufficient and capable of growing some kind of food,” Mr. Biggs writes. “It should be well-stocked with seed, fertilizer, canned food, wine, medicine, clothes, etc. Think Swiss Family Robinson. Even in America and Europe there could be moments of riot and rebellion when law and order temporarily completely breaks down.”<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Survivalist retreats worldwide==

Survivalist retreats, both formal and informal are popular worldwide, most visibly in Australia, <ref>[http://www.aussurvivalist.com Australian Survivalist (Survivalism in the new millennium)]</ref>, Canada<ref>[http://www.survivalbill.ca/ Survival Bill]</ref>, France<ref>[http://le-projet-olduvai.kanak.fr/index.htm le-projet-olduvai]</ref>, Sweden<ref>[http://systemkollaps.wordpress.com/ Systemkollaps]</ref>,New Zealand and The United States<ref>[http://www.alpharubicon.com AlphaRubicon.com]</ref>.

==In fiction==

''Lucifer's Hammer'' by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven (1977) is about a cataclysmic comet hitting the Earth, and a group people struggling to survive the aftermath in southern California. Their retreat is an isolated mountain community, which they barricade from outsiders.

''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]] (1998) (editor of SurvivalBlog) is a novel about a full-scale socio-economic collapse and subsequent invasion of the US, which a review has called "a survival manual dressed as fiction."

''Wolf and Iron'' (1990) by Gordon Dickson describes a systemic societal collapse. The main character "GeeBee" builds and stocks and earth-sheltered retreat, using salvaged materials.

''The Postman'' by David Brin (1985) is set in a time after a massive plague and political fracture result in a complete collapse of society. Both the Holnists and townsmen construct fortified retreats.

==See also==
*[[James Wesley Rawles]]
*[[Joel Skousen]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

Ragnar Benson

2008-04-25T04:25:22Z

Fongman: Removed dead redlink

'''Ragnar Benson''' is the pen name of a prolific non-fiction Survivalist author that specializes in preparedness topics, particularly [[Retreat|survival retreats]], trapping, austere medicine, false identities, explosives, and improvised weapons. Many of his books have been published by Paladin Press. Benson reportedly worked as a private investigator for more than 20 years.<ref>[http://www.militiaofmontana.com/peresonbk.htm personbk]</ref>. Both Benson and Paladin Press are controversial<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/features/paladin.htm washingtonpost.com: Style Live: Showcase]</ref>, because actually formulating or constructing many of the explosives and weapons that he describes would be illegal in most jurisdictions. Some of his books have been banned ("challenged") from importation into Canada, by the Customs Canada censors. His book "Ragnar's Guide to Home and Recreational Use of High Explosives" was reportedly pulled from distribution in 1999.<ref>[http://www.salon.com/health/col/roac/1999/12/17/survivalists/print.html Salon Column | The survivalist's guide to do-it-yourself medicine]</ref>

Benson's real name has not been revealed publicly. He was reportedly born in Indiana, and as of 1999 lived in southern Idaho. <ref>[http://www.salon.com/health/col/roac/1999/12/17/survivalists/print.html Salon Column | The survivalist's guide to do-it-yourself medicine]</ref>

==Bibliography==
*''Acquiring New ID : How To Easily Use The Latest Technology To Drop Out, Start Over, and Get On with Your Life''
*''Action Careers: Employment in the High-Risk Job Market''
*''Breath Of The Dragon: Homebuilt Flamethrowers''
*''Bull's Eye: Crossbow''
*''David's Tool Kit: A Citizen's Guide to Taking Out Big Brother's Heavy Weapons''
*''Do-It-Yourself Medicine: How to Find and Use the Most Effective Antibiotics, Painkillers, Anesthetics and Other Miracle Drugs... Without Costly Doctors' Prescriptions or Hospitals''
*''Eating Cheap''
*''The Greatest Explosions in History: Fire, Flash and Fury''
*''Guerrilla Gunsmithing: Quick And Dirty Methods For Fixing Firearms In Desperate Times''
*''Hardcore Poaching''
*''Home-Built Claymore Mines: A Blueprint For Survival''
*''Homemade C-4: A Recipe For Survival''
*''Homemade Grenade Launchers: Constructing The Ultimate Hobby Weapon''
*''Live Off The Land In The City And Country''
*''Long Term Survival in the Coming Dark Age - Preparing to Live after Society Crumbles''
*''Mantrapping''
*''The Modern Survival Retreat''
*''Modern Weapons Caching: A Down-To-Earth Approach To Beating The Government Gun Grab''
*''The Most Dangerous Game: Advanced Mantrapping Techniques''
*''New And Improved C-4: Better-Than-Ever Recipes For Half The Money And Double the Fun''
*''Ragnar's Action Encyclopedia of Practical Knowledge and Proven Techniques'' (A compilation from some of his other books)
*''Ragnar's Big Book Of Homemade Weapons: Building And Keeping Your Arsenal Secure''
*''Ragnar's Guide To Home And Recreational Use Of High Explosives''
*''Ragnar's Guide To Interviews, Investigations, And Interrogations: How To Conduct Them, How to Survive Them''
*''Ragnar's Guide to the Underground Economy''
*''Ragnar's Homemade Detonators''
*''Ragnar's Tall Tales''
*''Ragnar's Ten Best Traps: And A Few Others That Are Damn Good Too''
*''Ragnar's Urban Survival: A Hard-Times Guide to Staying Alive in the City''
*''Survivalist's Medicine Chest''
*''Survival Nurse: Running an Emergency Nursing Station Under Adverse Conditions''
*''Survival Poaching''
*''The Survival Retreat: A Total Plan For Retreat Defense''
*''Switchblade: The Ace Of Blades''
*''Starting a New Life in Rural America: 21 Things You Need to Know Before You Make Your Move''

==See also==
*[[Retreat]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Authors]]

Joel Skousen

2008-04-25T04:22:25Z

Fongman: Removed dead redlink

'''Joel M. Skousen''' is an [[United States|American]] [[conservatism|conservative]] political scientist<ref>http://www.joelskousen.com/Philosophy/philosophy.html</ref>, non-fiction Survivalist author, and consultant that specializes in preparedness topics, particularly [[Retreat|survival retreat]] and fallout shelter design and construction, as well as what he calls "strategic relocation."<ref>http://www.joelskousen.com/Strategic/strategic.html</ref> Skousen is the founder and chief editor of ''World Affairs Brief''<ref>http://www.worldaffairsbrief.com/</ref>, a weekly news analysis service. He has done architectural and retreat design consulting in both North America and Central America.<ref>http://www.joelskousen.com/About/about.html</ref>

Skousen is the author of several books including ''Essential Principles for the Conservation of Liberty'', ''Strategic Relocation--North American Guide to Safe Places'', ''The Secure Home'', ''Survival Home Manual: Architectural Design, Construction, and Remodeling Of Self-Sufficient Residences and Retreats'', and ''How to Implement a High Security Shelter in the Home''. He also published a booklet titled ''10 Packs for Survival'', which he has also posted to several web sites.<ref>http://www.captaindaves.com/dl-list/dl30-pak.htm</ref>

Skousen designs and consults on hardened retreat homes, often complete with fallout shelters with HEPA air filtration. In the book ''Dancing at Armageddon: Survivalism and Chaos in Modern Times'' by Richard G. Mitchell, Jr., (2001) Skousen is quoted: ""You never want to make a house look like an obvious fortress. Those who want in can always move up a bigger gun. There is no way you can design a home to withstand RPG rockets and tanks. I design these homes so you virtually cannot tell inside or out that they are any different from a conventional home."<ref>http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/532445.html</ref>

Because of its low population density and diverse economy, Skousen<ref>http://www.joelskousen.com/About/about.html</ref> and [[James Wesley Rawles]]<ref>http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html</ref> both recommend the Intermountain west region of the [[United States]], as a preferred region for relocation and setting up [[Retreat|survival retreats]].

Skousen was raised in [[Oregon]] and later served as a [[United States Marine Corps|USMC]] fighter pilot during the Vietnam Era. Skousen has also worked as a commercial pilot, and is a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association and Pilots for 9/11 Truth.<ref>http://www.patriotsquestion911.com/#Skousen</ref> During the 1980s Skousen was the Chairman of the Conservative National Committee. He was also the Executive Editor of Conservative Digest.<ref>http://www.mskousen.com/About/Family/famous.html</ref>

In late 2007, Skousen gained attention when he gave his support to [[Ron Paul]] rather than to fellow LDS church member [[Mitt Romney]] in the 2008 US presidential campaign, in a widely-circulated YouTube video clip.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbYxtA5PBXU</ref>

Joel Skousen is the older brother of Mark Skousen and the younger brother of Royal Skousen. The three Skousen brothers are the nephews of Cleon Skousen.<ref>http://www.mskousen.com/About/Family/famous.html</ref>

===Books===
*''Essential Principles for the Conservation of Liberty'', ISBN 1199306614 (1984)

*''The Secure Home'', ISBN 1199306720 (May, 1999)

*''Strategic Relocation--North American Guide to Safe Places'', ISBN 156861053X (various editions, latest listed is February, 2006)

*''Survival Home Manual: Architectural Design, Construction, and Remodeling Of Self-Sufficient Residences and Retreats'', ISBN 1199306396 (1982)

*''How to Implement a High Security Shelter in the Home'', ISBN 1199306524 (1998)

==See also==
*[[Retreat]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.JoelSkousen.com Skousen's web site]
* [http://www.worldaffairsbrief.com World Affairs Brief], Joel Skousen's weekly news analysis
* [http://www.captaindaves.com/dl-list/dl30-pak.htm 10 Packs for Survival]

[[Category:Conservatives]]
[[Category:Political Scientists]]

Joel Skousen

2008-04-25T04:21:38Z

Fongman: Removed dead redlink

'''Joel M. Skousen''' is an [[United States|American]] [[conservatism|conservative]] political scientist<ref>http://www.joelskousen.com/Philosophy/philosophy.html</ref>, non-fiction Survivalist author, and consultant that specializes in preparedness topics, particularly [[Retreat|survival retreat]] and fallout shelter design and construction, as well as what he calls "strategic relocation."<ref>http://www.joelskousen.com/Strategic/strategic.html</ref> Skousen is the founder and chief editor of ''World Affairs Brief''<ref>http://www.worldaffairsbrief.com/</ref>, a weekly news analysis service. He has done architectural and retreat design consulting in both North America and Central America.<ref>http://www.joelskousen.com/About/about.html</ref>

Skousen is the author of several books including ''Essential Principles for the Conservation of Liberty'', ''Strategic Relocation--North American Guide to Safe Places'', ''The Secure Home'', ''Survival Home Manual: Architectural Design, Construction, and Remodeling Of Self-Sufficient Residences and Retreats'', and ''How to Implement a High Security Shelter in the Home''. He also published a booklet titled ''10 Packs for Survival'', which he has also posted to several web sites.<ref>http://www.captaindaves.com/dl-list/dl30-pak.htm</ref>

Skousen designs and consults on hardened retreat homes, often complete with fallout shelters with HEPA air filtration. In the book ''Dancing at Armageddon: Survivalism and Chaos in Modern Times'' by Richard G. Mitchell, Jr., (2001) Skousen is quoted: ""You never want to make a house look like an obvious fortress. Those who want in can always move up a bigger gun. There is no way you can design a home to withstand RPG rockets and tanks. I design these homes so you virtually cannot tell inside or out that they are any different from a conventional home."<ref>http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/532445.html</ref>

Because of its low population density and diverse economy, Skousen<ref>http://www.joelskousen.com/About/about.html</ref> and [[James Wesley Rawles]]<ref>http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html</ref> both recommend the Intermountain west region of the [[United States]], as a preferred region for relocation and setting up [[Retreat|survival retreats]].

Skousen was raised in [[Oregon]] and later served as a [[United States Marine Corps|USMC]] fighter pilot during the Vietnam Era. Skousen has also worked as a commercial pilot, and is a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association and Pilots for 9/11 Truth.<ref>http://www.patriotsquestion911.com/#Skousen</ref> During the 1980s Skousen was the Chairman of the Conservative National Committee. He was also the Executive Editor of Conservative Digest.<ref>http://www.mskousen.com/About/Family/famous.html</ref>

In late 2007, Skousen gained attention when he gave his support to [[Ron Paul]] rather than to fellow LDS church member [[Mitt Romney]] in the 2008 US presidential campaign, in a widely-circulated YouTube video clip.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbYxtA5PBXU</ref>

Joel Skousen is the older brother of Mark Skousen and the younger brother of Royal Skousen. The three Skousen brothers are the nephews of [[Cleon Skousen]].<ref>http://www.mskousen.com/About/Family/famous.html</ref>

===Books===
*''Essential Principles for the Conservation of Liberty'', ISBN 1199306614 (1984)

*''The Secure Home'', ISBN 1199306720 (May, 1999)

*''Strategic Relocation--North American Guide to Safe Places'', ISBN 156861053X (various editions, latest listed is February, 2006)

*''Survival Home Manual: Architectural Design, Construction, and Remodeling Of Self-Sufficient Residences and Retreats'', ISBN 1199306396 (1982)

*''How to Implement a High Security Shelter in the Home'', ISBN 1199306524 (1998)

==See also==
*[[Retreat]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.JoelSkousen.com Skousen's web site]
* [http://www.worldaffairsbrief.com World Affairs Brief], Joel Skousen's weekly news analysis
* [http://www.captaindaves.com/dl-list/dl30-pak.htm 10 Packs for Survival]

[[Category:Conservatives]]
[[Category:Political Scientists]]

Joel Skousen

2008-04-25T04:21:13Z

Fongman: Removed dead redlinks

'''Joel M. Skousen''' is an [[United States|American]] [[conservatism|conservative]] political scientist<ref>http://www.joelskousen.com/Philosophy/philosophy.html</ref>, non-fiction Survivalist author, and consultant that specializes in preparedness topics, particularly [[Retreat|survival retreat]] and fallout shelter design and construction, as well as what he calls "strategic relocation."<ref>http://www.joelskousen.com/Strategic/strategic.html</ref> Skousen is the founder and chief editor of ''World Affairs Brief''<ref>http://www.worldaffairsbrief.com/</ref>, a weekly news analysis service. He has done architectural and retreat design consulting in both North America and Central America.<ref>http://www.joelskousen.com/About/about.html</ref>

Skousen is the author of several books including ''Essential Principles for the Conservation of Liberty'', ''Strategic Relocation--North American Guide to Safe Places'', ''The Secure Home'', ''Survival Home Manual: Architectural Design, Construction, and Remodeling Of Self-Sufficient Residences and Retreats'', and ''How to Implement a High Security Shelter in the Home''. He also published a booklet titled ''10 Packs for Survival'', which he has also posted to several web sites.<ref>http://www.captaindaves.com/dl-list/dl30-pak.htm</ref>

Skousen designs and consults on hardened retreat homes, often complete with fallout shelters with HEPA air filtration. In the book ''Dancing at Armageddon: Survivalism and Chaos in Modern Times'' by Richard G. Mitchell, Jr., (2001) Skousen is quoted: ""You never want to make a house look like an obvious fortress. Those who want in can always move up a bigger gun. There is no way you can design a home to withstand RPG rockets and tanks. I design these homes so you virtually cannot tell inside or out that they are any different from a conventional home."<ref>http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/532445.html</ref>

Because of its low population density and diverse economy, Skousen<ref>http://www.joelskousen.com/About/about.html</ref> and [[James Wesley Rawles]]<ref>http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html</ref> both recommend the Intermountain west region of the [[United States]], as a preferred region for relocation and setting up [[Retreat|survival retreats]].

Skousen was raised in [[Oregon]] and later served as a [[United States Marine Corps|USMC]] fighter pilot during the [[Vietnam Era]]. Skousen has also worked as a commercial pilot, and is a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association and Pilots for 9/11 Truth.<ref>http://www.patriotsquestion911.com/#Skousen</ref> During the 1980s Skousen was the Chairman of the Conservative National Committee. He was also the Executive Editor of Conservative Digest.<ref>http://www.mskousen.com/About/Family/famous.html</ref>

In late 2007, Skousen gained attention when he gave his support to [[Ron Paul]] rather than to fellow LDS church member [[Mitt Romney]] in the 2008 US presidential campaign, in a widely-circulated YouTube video clip.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbYxtA5PBXU</ref>

Joel Skousen is the older brother of Mark Skousen and the younger brother of Royal Skousen. The three Skousen brothers are the nephews of [[Cleon Skousen]].<ref>http://www.mskousen.com/About/Family/famous.html</ref>

===Books===
*''Essential Principles for the Conservation of Liberty'', ISBN 1199306614 (1984)

*''The Secure Home'', ISBN 1199306720 (May, 1999)

*''Strategic Relocation--North American Guide to Safe Places'', ISBN 156861053X (various editions, latest listed is February, 2006)

*''Survival Home Manual: Architectural Design, Construction, and Remodeling Of Self-Sufficient Residences and Retreats'', ISBN 1199306396 (1982)

*''How to Implement a High Security Shelter in the Home'', ISBN 1199306524 (1998)

==See also==
*[[Retreat]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.JoelSkousen.com Skousen's web site]
* [http://www.worldaffairsbrief.com World Affairs Brief], Joel Skousen's weekly news analysis
* [http://www.captaindaves.com/dl-list/dl30-pak.htm 10 Packs for Survival]

[[Category:Conservatives]]
[[Category:Political Scientists]]

User talk:Fongman

2008-04-25T04:19:06Z

Fongman:

{{Welcome}} -- [[Image:50 star flag.png|12px]] [[User:Deborah]] [[Special:Contributions/Deborah|(contributions)]] [[User_talk:Deborah|(talk)]] 23:20, 24 April 2008 (EDT)

Fongman, you are not allowed to copy articles from wikipedia-- [[Image:50 star flag.png|12px]] [[User:Deborah]] [[Special:Contributions/Deborah|(contributions)]] [[User_talk:Deborah|(talk)]] 22:55, 24 April 2008 (EDT)

Fongman did you create those articles on wikipedia-- [[Image:50 star flag.png|12px]] [[User:Deborah]] [[Special:Contributions/Deborah|(contributions)]] [[User_talk:Deborah|(talk)]] 22:57, 24 April 2008 (EDT)

I was the original author of the articles that I posted this evening. I am posting them here, because a wiki editor and a wiki administrator are currently on a liberal crusade to gut my articles. They are currently ripping out umpteen backlinks. [[User:Fongman|Fongman]] 22:59, 24 April 2008 (EDT)

:There have been several editors on at least one of those articles. You cannot claim it is your work alone. [[User:AliceBG|AliceBG]] 23:00, 24 April 2008 (EDT)

I looked at the edits they only altered parameters on a template which he removed when he copied it to conservapedia-- [[Image:50 star flag.png|12px]] [[User:Deborah]] [[Special:Contributions/Deborah|(contributions)]] [[User_talk:Deborah|(talk)]] 23:02, 24 April 2008 (EDT)

Put <nowiki>{{Copied from|site user=Trasel}} --~~~~</nowiki> on the talk page of [[Ragnar Benson‎]] and [[Retreat]], this means you are the author of these wikipedia articles and allow them to be on conservapedia -- [[Image:50 star flag.png|12px]] [[User:Deborah]] [[Special:Contributions/Deborah|(contributions)]] [[User_talk:Deborah|(talk)]] 23:07, 24 April 2008 (EDT)

---

My thanks to Conservapedia for so graciously granting me poltical refugee status. I grew weary of the relentless liberally-biased editing that my articles received at Wikipedia. The editors there twist the rules to suit their fancy and to push their political agenda. They won't admit it, but their biases against conservatives and Christians are blatant. If I had just been a liberal lesbian wiccan, I'm sure that they would have viewed my articles as simply SPLENDID. I spent two years at Wikipedia tilting at windmills. One of my articles barely survived two deletion campaigns, but lost the third. [[User:Fongman|Fongman]] 00:19, 25 April 2008 (EDT)

Joel Skousen

2008-04-25T03:27:03Z

Fongman: Deleted sdead redlink

'''Joel M. Skousen''' is an [[United States|American]] [[conservatism|conservative]] political scientist<ref>http://www.joelskousen.com/Philosophy/philosophy.html</ref>, non-fiction Survivalist author, and consultant that specializes in preparedness topics, particularly [[Retreat|survival retreat]] and [[fallout shelter]] design and construction, as well as what he calls "strategic relocation."<ref>http://www.joelskousen.com/Strategic/strategic.html</ref> Skousen is the founder and chief editor of ''World Affairs Brief''<ref>http://www.worldaffairsbrief.com/</ref>, a weekly news analysis service. He has done architectural and retreat design consulting in both North America and Central America.<ref>http://www.joelskousen.com/About/about.html</ref>

Skousen is the author of several books including ''Essential Principles for the Conservation of Liberty'', ''Strategic Relocation--North American Guide to Safe Places'', ''The Secure Home'', ''Survival Home Manual: Architectural Design, Construction, and Remodeling Of Self-Sufficient Residences and Retreats'', and ''How to Implement a High Security Shelter in the Home''. He also published a booklet titled ''10 Packs for Survival'', which he has also posted to several web sites.<ref>http://www.captaindaves.com/dl-list/dl30-pak.htm</ref>

Skousen designs and consults on hardened retreat homes, often complete with fallout shelters with HEPA air filtration. In the book ''Dancing at Armageddon: Survivalism and Chaos in Modern Times'' by Richard G. Mitchell, Jr., (2001) Skousen is quoted: ""You never want to make a house look like an obvious fortress. Those who want in can always move up a bigger gun. There is no way you can design a home to withstand RPG rockets and tanks. I design these homes so you virtually cannot tell inside or out that they are any different from a conventional home."<ref>http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/532445.html</ref>

Because of its low population density and diverse economy, Skousen<ref>http://www.joelskousen.com/About/about.html</ref> and [[James Wesley Rawles]]<ref>http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html</ref> both recommend the Intermountain west region of the [[United States]], as a preferred region for relocation and setting up [[Retreat|survival retreats]].

Skousen was raised in [[Oregon]] and later served as a [[United States Marine Corps|USMC]] fighter pilot during the [[Vietnam Era]]. Skousen has also worked as a commercial pilot, and is a member of the [[Experimental Aircraft Association]] and Pilots for 9/11 Truth.<ref>http://www.patriotsquestion911.com/#Skousen</ref> During the 1980s Skousen was the Chairman of the Conservative National Committee. He was also the Executive Editor of Conservative Digest.<ref>http://www.mskousen.com/About/Family/famous.html</ref>

In late 2007, Skousen gained attention when he gave his support to [[Ron Paul]] rather than to fellow LDS church member [[Mitt Romney]] in the 2008 US presidential campaign, in a widely-circulated YouTube video clip.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbYxtA5PBXU</ref>

Joel Skousen is the older brother of [[Mark Skousen]] and the younger brother of [[Royal Skousen]]. The three Skousen brothers are the nephews of [[Cleon Skousen]].<ref>http://www.mskousen.com/About/Family/famous.html</ref>

===Books===
*''Essential Principles for the Conservation of Liberty'', ISBN 1199306614 (1984)

*''The Secure Home'', ISBN 1199306720 (May, 1999)

*''Strategic Relocation--North American Guide to Safe Places'', ISBN 156861053X (various editions, latest listed is February, 2006)

*''Survival Home Manual: Architectural Design, Construction, and Remodeling Of Self-Sufficient Residences and Retreats'', ISBN 1199306396 (1982)

*''How to Implement a High Security Shelter in the Home'', ISBN 1199306524 (1998)

==See also==
*[[Retreat]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.JoelSkousen.com Skousen's web site]
* [http://www.worldaffairsbrief.com World Affairs Brief], Joel Skousen's weekly news analysis
* [http://www.captaindaves.com/dl-list/dl30-pak.htm 10 Packs for Survival]

[[Category:Conservatives]]
[[Category:Political Scientists]]

Survivalist retreat

2008-04-25T03:24:54Z

Fongman: /* 1980s */ Deleted a dead redlink

A '''retreat''' is a commonly used term for a place of refuge for those in the Survivalist movement. Survivalist retreats are intended to be self-sufficient and are generally located in lightly-populated rural areas.

==History==
While fallout shelters have been advocated since the 1950s, dedicated self-sufficient survivalist retreats have been advocated only since the mid-1970s, The survival retreat concept has been touted by a number of influential Survivalist writers including [[Ragnar Benson]], Bruce D. Clayton, Jeff Cooper, Cresson Kearny, [[James Wesley Rawles]], Howard Ruff, Kurt Saxon, [[Joel Skousen]], Don Stephens, and Mel Tappan.

===1960s===

With the increasing inflation of the 1960s and the impending US monetary [[Devaluation]] (predicted by Harry Browne in his 1970 book ''How You Can Profit from the Coming Devaluation''), as well as the continuing concern with possible nuclear exchanges between the US and the Soviet Union, and the increasing vulnerability of urban centers to supply shortages and other systems failures, a number of primarily conservative and [[Libertarian]] thinkers began suggesting that individual preparations would be wise. Mr. Browne began offering seminars on how to survive a monetary collapse in 1967, with Don Stephens, an architectural design innovator, providing input on how to build and equip a remote survival retreat and providing a copy of his original ''Retreater's Bibliography''(1967) for each seminar participant.

===1970s===
In 1975, Kurt Saxon began publishing a newsletter called ''The Survivor'', which advocated moving to lightly-populated regions to "lay low" during a socio-economic collapse, and setting up fortified enclaves for defense against what he termed "killer karavans"<ref>http://www.textfiles.com/survival/caravans</ref> of looters from urban areas.

In 1976, survival bookseller and author Don Stephens in Washington (author of ''The Survivor's Primer & Up-dated Retreater's Bibliography'', 1976) popularized the term "retreater" and advocated relocating to a rural retreat when society breaks down.

Writers such as Howard Ruff warned about socio-economic collapse and recommended moving to lightly-populated farming regions, most notably in his 1979 book ''How to Prosper During the Coming Bad Years'', a best-seller in 1979.

For a time in the 1970s, the terms "survivalist" and "retreater" were used interchangeably. The term "retreater" eventually fell out of favor.<ref>[http://www.aussurvivalist.com/whatissurvivalismsaxon.htm AusSurvivalist - What is Survivalism?]</ref>

Perhaps the most important newsletter on survivalism and survivalist retreats in the 1970s was the ''Personal Survival ("P.S.") Letter'' (circa 1977-1982) published by Mel Tappan, who also authored the books ''Survival Guns'' and ''Tappan on Survival''. The newsletter included columns from Tappan himself as well from Jeff Cooper, Al J. Venter, Bill Pier, Bruce D. Clayton, Rick Fines, Nancy Mack Tappan, J.B. Wood, Dr. Carl Kirsch, Charles Avery, Karl Hess, Eugene A. Barron, Janet Groene, Dean Ing, Bob Taylor, Reginald Bretnor, C.G. Cobb, and several other writers, some under pen names. The majority of this newsletter revolved around selecting, constructing and logistically equipping survival retreats.<ref>[http://www.frfrogspad.com/persurv.htm Magazine Articles By Jeff Cooper(]</ref> Following Tappan's death in 1980, Karl Hess took over publishing the newsletter, eventually renaming it ''Survival Tomorrow''.

In addition to hard copy newsletters, in the 1970s survivalists got their first online presence with BBS<ref>[http://www.survivalbill.ca Survival Bill]</ref> and [[Usenet]] forums dedicated to survivalism and survival retreats.

===1980s===
Survivalist retreat books of the 1980s were typified by the 1980 book ''Life After Doomsday''<ref>''Life After Doomsday'', by Bruce D. Clayton, Dial Press, ISBN 0-8037-4752-7</ref> by Bruce D. Clayton advocating survival retreats in locales that would minimize fallout and specially-constructing Blast shelters and/or Fallout shelters that would provide Fallout Protection in the event of a nuclear war.

===1990s===
Several books published in the 1990s offered advice on survival retreats and relocation. Some influential in survivalist circles are ''Survival Retreat: A Total Plan For Retreat Defense'' by [[Ragnar Benson]], ''Strategic Relocation--North American Guide to Safe Places'' by [[Joel Skousen]], and ''The Secure Home'', (also by Skousen).

===2000-present===
In recent years, advocacy of survivalist retreats has had a strong resurgence after the [[terrorist]] attacks on the [[World Trade Center]] in [[New York]] in 2001 and similar attacks in Bali, [[Spain]], and [[London]].

Several books published since 2000 advocate survival retreats and relocation. Some that have been particularly influential in survivalist circles are ''How to Implement a High Security Shelter in the Home '' by [[Joel Skousen]], ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]], and ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World'' by Bruce D. Clayton.<ref>[http://www.paladin-press.com/detail.aspx?ID=476 ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World''] by Bruce D. Clayton. Paladin Press, 2002, ISBN 1-58160-326-6</ref>

Online survival websites, forums, and blogs discuss the best locales for survival retreats, how to build, fortify, and equip them, and how to form survivalist retreat groups.<ref>[http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=survivalist&submit=Search Yahoo! Groups : Search Results]</ref>

Economic troubles emerging from the credit collapse triggered by the 2007 US subprime mortgage lending fiasco have prompted a wider cross-section of the populace to get prepared and establish retreats.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref> [[James Wesley Rawles]], the editor of SurvivalBlog was quoted by the ''New York Times'' in April of 2008 that "interest in the survivalist movement 'is experiencing its largest growth since the late 1970s'”. He also stated that his blog's conservative core readership has been supplemented with "an increasing number of stridently green and left-of-center readers."<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Common retreat locale parameters==
Common retreat locale selection parameters include light population density, plentiful water, arable soil, good solar exposure for gardening and photovoltaics, situation above any flood plains, and a diverse and healthy local economy.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html#CONUS SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Fearing rioting, looting and other unrest, many survivalists advocate selecting retreat locales that are more than one tank of gasoline away from any major metropolitan region. Properties that are not in "channelized areas" or on anticipated "refugee lines of drift" are also touted.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/glossary.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Most survivalist writers, such as [[James Wesley Rawles]] recommend living at a retreat year-round,<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> rather than attempting to flee to a retreat at the 11th hour.

One of the key goals of retreats is to be [[autarky|self-sufficient]] for the duration of societal collapse. To that end, plentiful water, and arable soil are paramount considerations. But just behind these, comes isolated, defensible terrain. Typically, retreats do not want their habitation or structure jeopardized by being within line of sight of any major highway.

Because of its low population density and diverse economy, [[James Wesley Rawles]] <ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> and [[Joel Skousen]] <ref>[http://www.joelskousen.com/About/about.html About Joel Skousen]</ref> both recommend the Intermountain west region of the [[United States]], as a preferred region for relocation and setting up retreats. Although it has higher population density, Mel Tappan recommended southwestern [[Oregon]], primarily because it is not down-wind of any envisioned nuclear targets in the United States.

==Retreat organization==
Most survivalist retreats are organized by extended families, but some "group retreats" or "covenant communities" are formed along the lines of an Intentional Community.

==Retreat architecture and security==
Jeff Cooper popularized the concept of hardening retreats against [[small arms]] fire. In an article titled "Notes on Tactical Residential Architecture" in Issue #30 of P.S. Letter (April, 1982), Cooper suggested using the "Vauban Principle", wherein, projecting bastion corners would prevent miscreants from being able to approach a retreat's exterior walls in any blind spots. Retreat building corners with this simplified implementation of a Vauban Star are now called "Cooper Corners" by [[James Wesley Rawles]], in honor of Jeff Cooper.

In both his book ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' and in his survivalist novel, ''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'', Rawles describes in great detail retreat groups "upgrading" brick or other masonry houses with steel reinforced window shutters and doors, the excavation of anti-vehicular ditches, warded gate locks, constructing concertina wire obstacles and fougasses, and setting up listening post/observation posts (LP/OPs.)

Bruce D. Clayton and [[Joel Skousen]] have both written extensively on integrating fallout shelters into retreat homes, but they put less emphasis on ballistic protection and exterior perimeter security than Cooper and Rawles.

==Retreat logistics==
Anticipating long periods of time without commerce in the future, retreat groups typically place a strong emphasis on logistics. They amass stockpiles of supplies for their own use, for charity, and for [[barter]]. Frequently cited key logistics for a retreat include long term storage food, common caliber ammunition, medical supplies, tools, gardening seed, and fuel. In an article titled "Ballistic Wampum" in Issue #6 of P.S. Letter (1979) Jeff Cooper wrote about stockpiling ammunition far in excess of his own needs, keeping the extra available to use for bartering.

In his books and in his blog (SurvivalBlog), [[James Wesley Rawles]] uses the generic term "beans, bullets and Band Aids" to describe retreat logistics.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>

In their books, Joel Skousen, Mel Tappan and Howard Ruff all emphasize the need to have a one year supply of storage food. Rawles recommends a two year supply, as well as storing non-hybrid (open pollinated) gardening seed.

Even mainstream economist and financial adviser Barton Biggs is a proponent of well-stocked retreats. In his 2008 book ''Wealth, War and Wisdom'', Biggs has a gloomy outlook for the economic future, and suggests that investors take survivalist measures. In the book, Biggs recommends that his readers should “assume the possibility of a breakdown of the civilized infrastructure.” he goes so far as to recommend setting up survival retreats: “Your safe haven must be self-sufficient and capable of growing some kind of food,” Mr. Biggs writes. “It should be well-stocked with seed, fertilizer, canned food, wine, medicine, clothes, etc. Think Swiss Family Robinson. Even in America and Europe there could be moments of riot and rebellion when law and order temporarily completely breaks down.”<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Survivalist retreats worldwide==

Survivalist retreats, both formal and informal are popular worldwide, most visibly in Australia, <ref>[http://www.aussurvivalist.com Australian Survivalist (Survivalism in the new millennium)]</ref>, Canada<ref>[http://www.survivalbill.ca/ Survival Bill]</ref>, France<ref>[http://le-projet-olduvai.kanak.fr/index.htm le-projet-olduvai]</ref>, Sweden<ref>[http://systemkollaps.wordpress.com/ Systemkollaps]</ref>,New Zealand and The United States<ref>[http://www.alpharubicon.com AlphaRubicon.com]</ref>.

==In fiction==
===Novels===

''Lucifer's Hammer'' by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven (1977) is about a cataclysmic comet hitting the Earth, and a group people struggling to survive the aftermath in southern California. Their retreat is an isolated mountain community, which they barricade from outsiders.

''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]] (1998) (editor of SurvivalBlog) is a novel about a full-scale socio-economic collapse and subsequent invasion of the US, which a review has called "a survival manual dressed as fiction."

''Wolf and Iron'' (1990) by Gordon Dickson describes a systemic societal collapse. The main character "GeeBee" builds and stocks and earth-sheltered retreat, using salvaged materials.

''The Postman'' by David Brin (1985) is set in a time after a massive plague and political fracture result in a complete collapse of society. Both the Holnists and townsmen construct fortified retreats.

==See also==
*[[James Wesley Rawles]]
*[[Joel Skousen]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

Survivalist retreat

2008-04-25T03:24:11Z

Fongman: /* 1980s */ Deleted a dead redlink

A '''retreat''' is a commonly used term for a place of refuge for those in the Survivalist movement. Survivalist retreats are intended to be self-sufficient and are generally located in lightly-populated rural areas.

==History==
While fallout shelters have been advocated since the 1950s, dedicated self-sufficient survivalist retreats have been advocated only since the mid-1970s, The survival retreat concept has been touted by a number of influential Survivalist writers including [[Ragnar Benson]], Bruce D. Clayton, Jeff Cooper, Cresson Kearny, [[James Wesley Rawles]], Howard Ruff, Kurt Saxon, [[Joel Skousen]], Don Stephens, and Mel Tappan.

===1960s===

With the increasing inflation of the 1960s and the impending US monetary [[Devaluation]] (predicted by Harry Browne in his 1970 book ''How You Can Profit from the Coming Devaluation''), as well as the continuing concern with possible nuclear exchanges between the US and the Soviet Union, and the increasing vulnerability of urban centers to supply shortages and other systems failures, a number of primarily conservative and [[Libertarian]] thinkers began suggesting that individual preparations would be wise. Mr. Browne began offering seminars on how to survive a monetary collapse in 1967, with Don Stephens, an architectural design innovator, providing input on how to build and equip a remote survival retreat and providing a copy of his original ''Retreater's Bibliography''(1967) for each seminar participant.

===1970s===
In 1975, Kurt Saxon began publishing a newsletter called ''The Survivor'', which advocated moving to lightly-populated regions to "lay low" during a socio-economic collapse, and setting up fortified enclaves for defense against what he termed "killer karavans"<ref>http://www.textfiles.com/survival/caravans</ref> of looters from urban areas.

In 1976, survival bookseller and author Don Stephens in Washington (author of ''The Survivor's Primer & Up-dated Retreater's Bibliography'', 1976) popularized the term "retreater" and advocated relocating to a rural retreat when society breaks down.

Writers such as Howard Ruff warned about socio-economic collapse and recommended moving to lightly-populated farming regions, most notably in his 1979 book ''How to Prosper During the Coming Bad Years'', a best-seller in 1979.

For a time in the 1970s, the terms "survivalist" and "retreater" were used interchangeably. The term "retreater" eventually fell out of favor.<ref>[http://www.aussurvivalist.com/whatissurvivalismsaxon.htm AusSurvivalist - What is Survivalism?]</ref>

Perhaps the most important newsletter on survivalism and survivalist retreats in the 1970s was the ''Personal Survival ("P.S.") Letter'' (circa 1977-1982) published by Mel Tappan, who also authored the books ''Survival Guns'' and ''Tappan on Survival''. The newsletter included columns from Tappan himself as well from Jeff Cooper, Al J. Venter, Bill Pier, Bruce D. Clayton, Rick Fines, Nancy Mack Tappan, J.B. Wood, Dr. Carl Kirsch, Charles Avery, Karl Hess, Eugene A. Barron, Janet Groene, Dean Ing, Bob Taylor, Reginald Bretnor, C.G. Cobb, and several other writers, some under pen names. The majority of this newsletter revolved around selecting, constructing and logistically equipping survival retreats.<ref>[http://www.frfrogspad.com/persurv.htm Magazine Articles By Jeff Cooper(]</ref> Following Tappan's death in 1980, Karl Hess took over publishing the newsletter, eventually renaming it ''Survival Tomorrow''.

In addition to hard copy newsletters, in the 1970s survivalists got their first online presence with BBS<ref>[http://www.survivalbill.ca Survival Bill]</ref> and [[Usenet]] forums dedicated to survivalism and survival retreats.

===1980s===
Survivalist retreat books of the 1980s were typified by the 1980 book ''Life After Doomsday''<ref>''Life After Doomsday'', by Bruce D. Clayton, [[Dial Press]], ISBN 0-8037-4752-7</ref> by Bruce D. Clayton advocating survival retreats in locales that would minimize fallout and specially-constructing Blast shelters and/or Fallout shelters that would provide Fallout Protection in the event of a nuclear war.

===1990s===
Several books published in the 1990s offered advice on survival retreats and relocation. Some influential in survivalist circles are ''Survival Retreat: A Total Plan For Retreat Defense'' by [[Ragnar Benson]], ''Strategic Relocation--North American Guide to Safe Places'' by [[Joel Skousen]], and ''The Secure Home'', (also by Skousen).

===2000-present===
In recent years, advocacy of survivalist retreats has had a strong resurgence after the [[terrorist]] attacks on the [[World Trade Center]] in [[New York]] in 2001 and similar attacks in Bali, [[Spain]], and [[London]].

Several books published since 2000 advocate survival retreats and relocation. Some that have been particularly influential in survivalist circles are ''How to Implement a High Security Shelter in the Home '' by [[Joel Skousen]], ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]], and ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World'' by Bruce D. Clayton.<ref>[http://www.paladin-press.com/detail.aspx?ID=476 ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World''] by Bruce D. Clayton. Paladin Press, 2002, ISBN 1-58160-326-6</ref>

Online survival websites, forums, and blogs discuss the best locales for survival retreats, how to build, fortify, and equip them, and how to form survivalist retreat groups.<ref>[http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=survivalist&submit=Search Yahoo! Groups : Search Results]</ref>

Economic troubles emerging from the credit collapse triggered by the 2007 US subprime mortgage lending fiasco have prompted a wider cross-section of the populace to get prepared and establish retreats.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref> [[James Wesley Rawles]], the editor of SurvivalBlog was quoted by the ''New York Times'' in April of 2008 that "interest in the survivalist movement 'is experiencing its largest growth since the late 1970s'”. He also stated that his blog's conservative core readership has been supplemented with "an increasing number of stridently green and left-of-center readers."<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Common retreat locale parameters==
Common retreat locale selection parameters include light population density, plentiful water, arable soil, good solar exposure for gardening and photovoltaics, situation above any flood plains, and a diverse and healthy local economy.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html#CONUS SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Fearing rioting, looting and other unrest, many survivalists advocate selecting retreat locales that are more than one tank of gasoline away from any major metropolitan region. Properties that are not in "channelized areas" or on anticipated "refugee lines of drift" are also touted.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/glossary.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Most survivalist writers, such as [[James Wesley Rawles]] recommend living at a retreat year-round,<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> rather than attempting to flee to a retreat at the 11th hour.

One of the key goals of retreats is to be [[autarky|self-sufficient]] for the duration of societal collapse. To that end, plentiful water, and arable soil are paramount considerations. But just behind these, comes isolated, defensible terrain. Typically, retreats do not want their habitation or structure jeopardized by being within line of sight of any major highway.

Because of its low population density and diverse economy, [[James Wesley Rawles]] <ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> and [[Joel Skousen]] <ref>[http://www.joelskousen.com/About/about.html About Joel Skousen]</ref> both recommend the Intermountain west region of the [[United States]], as a preferred region for relocation and setting up retreats. Although it has higher population density, Mel Tappan recommended southwestern [[Oregon]], primarily because it is not down-wind of any envisioned nuclear targets in the United States.

==Retreat organization==
Most survivalist retreats are organized by extended families, but some "group retreats" or "covenant communities" are formed along the lines of an Intentional Community.

==Retreat architecture and security==
Jeff Cooper popularized the concept of hardening retreats against [[small arms]] fire. In an article titled "Notes on Tactical Residential Architecture" in Issue #30 of P.S. Letter (April, 1982), Cooper suggested using the "Vauban Principle", wherein, projecting bastion corners would prevent miscreants from being able to approach a retreat's exterior walls in any blind spots. Retreat building corners with this simplified implementation of a Vauban Star are now called "Cooper Corners" by [[James Wesley Rawles]], in honor of Jeff Cooper.

In both his book ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' and in his survivalist novel, ''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'', Rawles describes in great detail retreat groups "upgrading" brick or other masonry houses with steel reinforced window shutters and doors, the excavation of anti-vehicular ditches, warded gate locks, constructing concertina wire obstacles and fougasses, and setting up listening post/observation posts (LP/OPs.)

Bruce D. Clayton and [[Joel Skousen]] have both written extensively on integrating fallout shelters into retreat homes, but they put less emphasis on ballistic protection and exterior perimeter security than Cooper and Rawles.

==Retreat logistics==
Anticipating long periods of time without commerce in the future, retreat groups typically place a strong emphasis on logistics. They amass stockpiles of supplies for their own use, for charity, and for [[barter]]. Frequently cited key logistics for a retreat include long term storage food, common caliber ammunition, medical supplies, tools, gardening seed, and fuel. In an article titled "Ballistic Wampum" in Issue #6 of P.S. Letter (1979) Jeff Cooper wrote about stockpiling ammunition far in excess of his own needs, keeping the extra available to use for bartering.

In his books and in his blog (SurvivalBlog), [[James Wesley Rawles]] uses the generic term "beans, bullets and Band Aids" to describe retreat logistics.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>

In their books, Joel Skousen, Mel Tappan and Howard Ruff all emphasize the need to have a one year supply of storage food. Rawles recommends a two year supply, as well as storing non-hybrid (open pollinated) gardening seed.

Even mainstream economist and financial adviser Barton Biggs is a proponent of well-stocked retreats. In his 2008 book ''Wealth, War and Wisdom'', Biggs has a gloomy outlook for the economic future, and suggests that investors take survivalist measures. In the book, Biggs recommends that his readers should “assume the possibility of a breakdown of the civilized infrastructure.” he goes so far as to recommend setting up survival retreats: “Your safe haven must be self-sufficient and capable of growing some kind of food,” Mr. Biggs writes. “It should be well-stocked with seed, fertilizer, canned food, wine, medicine, clothes, etc. Think Swiss Family Robinson. Even in America and Europe there could be moments of riot and rebellion when law and order temporarily completely breaks down.”<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Survivalist retreats worldwide==

Survivalist retreats, both formal and informal are popular worldwide, most visibly in Australia, <ref>[http://www.aussurvivalist.com Australian Survivalist (Survivalism in the new millennium)]</ref>, Canada<ref>[http://www.survivalbill.ca/ Survival Bill]</ref>, France<ref>[http://le-projet-olduvai.kanak.fr/index.htm le-projet-olduvai]</ref>, Sweden<ref>[http://systemkollaps.wordpress.com/ Systemkollaps]</ref>,New Zealand and The United States<ref>[http://www.alpharubicon.com AlphaRubicon.com]</ref>.

==In fiction==
===Novels===

''Lucifer's Hammer'' by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven (1977) is about a cataclysmic comet hitting the Earth, and a group people struggling to survive the aftermath in southern California. Their retreat is an isolated mountain community, which they barricade from outsiders.

''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]] (1998) (editor of SurvivalBlog) is a novel about a full-scale socio-economic collapse and subsequent invasion of the US, which a review has called "a survival manual dressed as fiction."

''Wolf and Iron'' (1990) by Gordon Dickson describes a systemic societal collapse. The main character "GeeBee" builds and stocks and earth-sheltered retreat, using salvaged materials.

''The Postman'' by David Brin (1985) is set in a time after a massive plague and political fracture result in a complete collapse of society. Both the Holnists and townsmen construct fortified retreats.

==See also==
*[[James Wesley Rawles]]
*[[Joel Skousen]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

Survivalist retreat

2008-04-25T03:23:37Z

Fongman: Deleted a dead redlink

A '''retreat''' is a commonly used term for a place of refuge for those in the Survivalist movement. Survivalist retreats are intended to be self-sufficient and are generally located in lightly-populated rural areas.

==History==
While fallout shelters have been advocated since the 1950s, dedicated self-sufficient survivalist retreats have been advocated only since the mid-1970s, The survival retreat concept has been touted by a number of influential Survivalist writers including [[Ragnar Benson]], Bruce D. Clayton, Jeff Cooper, Cresson Kearny, [[James Wesley Rawles]], Howard Ruff, Kurt Saxon, [[Joel Skousen]], Don Stephens, and Mel Tappan.

===1960s===

With the increasing inflation of the 1960s and the impending US monetary [[Devaluation]] (predicted by Harry Browne in his 1970 book ''How You Can Profit from the Coming Devaluation''), as well as the continuing concern with possible nuclear exchanges between the US and the Soviet Union, and the increasing vulnerability of urban centers to supply shortages and other systems failures, a number of primarily conservative and [[Libertarian]] thinkers began suggesting that individual preparations would be wise. Mr. Browne began offering seminars on how to survive a monetary collapse in 1967, with Don Stephens, an architectural design innovator, providing input on how to build and equip a remote survival retreat and providing a copy of his original ''Retreater's Bibliography''(1967) for each seminar participant.

===1970s===
In 1975, Kurt Saxon began publishing a newsletter called ''The Survivor'', which advocated moving to lightly-populated regions to "lay low" during a socio-economic collapse, and setting up fortified enclaves for defense against what he termed "killer karavans"<ref>http://www.textfiles.com/survival/caravans</ref> of looters from urban areas.

In 1976, survival bookseller and author Don Stephens in Washington (author of ''The Survivor's Primer & Up-dated Retreater's Bibliography'', 1976) popularized the term "retreater" and advocated relocating to a rural retreat when society breaks down.

Writers such as Howard Ruff warned about socio-economic collapse and recommended moving to lightly-populated farming regions, most notably in his 1979 book ''How to Prosper During the Coming Bad Years'', a best-seller in 1979.

For a time in the 1970s, the terms "survivalist" and "retreater" were used interchangeably. The term "retreater" eventually fell out of favor.<ref>[http://www.aussurvivalist.com/whatissurvivalismsaxon.htm AusSurvivalist - What is Survivalism?]</ref>

Perhaps the most important newsletter on survivalism and survivalist retreats in the 1970s was the ''Personal Survival ("P.S.") Letter'' (circa 1977-1982) published by Mel Tappan, who also authored the books ''Survival Guns'' and ''Tappan on Survival''. The newsletter included columns from Tappan himself as well from Jeff Cooper, Al J. Venter, Bill Pier, Bruce D. Clayton, Rick Fines, Nancy Mack Tappan, J.B. Wood, Dr. Carl Kirsch, Charles Avery, Karl Hess, Eugene A. Barron, Janet Groene, Dean Ing, Bob Taylor, Reginald Bretnor, C.G. Cobb, and several other writers, some under pen names. The majority of this newsletter revolved around selecting, constructing and logistically equipping survival retreats.<ref>[http://www.frfrogspad.com/persurv.htm Magazine Articles By Jeff Cooper(]</ref> Following Tappan's death in 1980, Karl Hess took over publishing the newsletter, eventually renaming it ''Survival Tomorrow''.

In addition to hard copy newsletters, in the 1970s survivalists got their first online presence with BBS<ref>[http://www.survivalbill.ca Survival Bill]</ref> and [[Usenet]] forums dedicated to survivalism and survival retreats.

===1980s===
Survivalist retreat books of the 1980s were typified by the 1980 book ''Life After Doomsday''<ref>''Life After Doomsday'', by Bruce D. Clayton, [[Dial Press]], ISBN 0-8037-4752-7</ref> by Bruce D. Clayton advocating survival retreats in locales that would minimize fallout and specially-constructing Blast shelters and/or Fallout shelters that would provide Fallout Protection in the event of a [[Nuclear warfare|nuclear war]].

===1990s===
Several books published in the 1990s offered advice on survival retreats and relocation. Some influential in survivalist circles are ''Survival Retreat: A Total Plan For Retreat Defense'' by [[Ragnar Benson]], ''Strategic Relocation--North American Guide to Safe Places'' by [[Joel Skousen]], and ''The Secure Home'', (also by Skousen).

===2000-present===
In recent years, advocacy of survivalist retreats has had a strong resurgence after the [[terrorist]] attacks on the [[World Trade Center]] in [[New York]] in 2001 and similar attacks in Bali, [[Spain]], and [[London]].

Several books published since 2000 advocate survival retreats and relocation. Some that have been particularly influential in survivalist circles are ''How to Implement a High Security Shelter in the Home '' by [[Joel Skousen]], ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]], and ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World'' by Bruce D. Clayton.<ref>[http://www.paladin-press.com/detail.aspx?ID=476 ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World''] by Bruce D. Clayton. Paladin Press, 2002, ISBN 1-58160-326-6</ref>

Online survival websites, forums, and blogs discuss the best locales for survival retreats, how to build, fortify, and equip them, and how to form survivalist retreat groups.<ref>[http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=survivalist&submit=Search Yahoo! Groups : Search Results]</ref>

Economic troubles emerging from the credit collapse triggered by the 2007 US subprime mortgage lending fiasco have prompted a wider cross-section of the populace to get prepared and establish retreats.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref> [[James Wesley Rawles]], the editor of SurvivalBlog was quoted by the ''New York Times'' in April of 2008 that "interest in the survivalist movement 'is experiencing its largest growth since the late 1970s'”. He also stated that his blog's conservative core readership has been supplemented with "an increasing number of stridently green and left-of-center readers."<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Common retreat locale parameters==
Common retreat locale selection parameters include light population density, plentiful water, arable soil, good solar exposure for gardening and photovoltaics, situation above any flood plains, and a diverse and healthy local economy.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html#CONUS SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Fearing rioting, looting and other unrest, many survivalists advocate selecting retreat locales that are more than one tank of gasoline away from any major metropolitan region. Properties that are not in "channelized areas" or on anticipated "refugee lines of drift" are also touted.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/glossary.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Most survivalist writers, such as [[James Wesley Rawles]] recommend living at a retreat year-round,<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> rather than attempting to flee to a retreat at the 11th hour.

One of the key goals of retreats is to be [[autarky|self-sufficient]] for the duration of societal collapse. To that end, plentiful water, and arable soil are paramount considerations. But just behind these, comes isolated, defensible terrain. Typically, retreats do not want their habitation or structure jeopardized by being within line of sight of any major highway.

Because of its low population density and diverse economy, [[James Wesley Rawles]] <ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> and [[Joel Skousen]] <ref>[http://www.joelskousen.com/About/about.html About Joel Skousen]</ref> both recommend the Intermountain west region of the [[United States]], as a preferred region for relocation and setting up retreats. Although it has higher population density, Mel Tappan recommended southwestern [[Oregon]], primarily because it is not down-wind of any envisioned nuclear targets in the United States.

==Retreat organization==
Most survivalist retreats are organized by extended families, but some "group retreats" or "covenant communities" are formed along the lines of an Intentional Community.

==Retreat architecture and security==
Jeff Cooper popularized the concept of hardening retreats against [[small arms]] fire. In an article titled "Notes on Tactical Residential Architecture" in Issue #30 of P.S. Letter (April, 1982), Cooper suggested using the "Vauban Principle", wherein, projecting bastion corners would prevent miscreants from being able to approach a retreat's exterior walls in any blind spots. Retreat building corners with this simplified implementation of a Vauban Star are now called "Cooper Corners" by [[James Wesley Rawles]], in honor of Jeff Cooper.

In both his book ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' and in his survivalist novel, ''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'', Rawles describes in great detail retreat groups "upgrading" brick or other masonry houses with steel reinforced window shutters and doors, the excavation of anti-vehicular ditches, warded gate locks, constructing concertina wire obstacles and fougasses, and setting up listening post/observation posts (LP/OPs.)

Bruce D. Clayton and [[Joel Skousen]] have both written extensively on integrating fallout shelters into retreat homes, but they put less emphasis on ballistic protection and exterior perimeter security than Cooper and Rawles.

==Retreat logistics==
Anticipating long periods of time without commerce in the future, retreat groups typically place a strong emphasis on logistics. They amass stockpiles of supplies for their own use, for charity, and for [[barter]]. Frequently cited key logistics for a retreat include long term storage food, common caliber ammunition, medical supplies, tools, gardening seed, and fuel. In an article titled "Ballistic Wampum" in Issue #6 of P.S. Letter (1979) Jeff Cooper wrote about stockpiling ammunition far in excess of his own needs, keeping the extra available to use for bartering.

In his books and in his blog (SurvivalBlog), [[James Wesley Rawles]] uses the generic term "beans, bullets and Band Aids" to describe retreat logistics.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>

In their books, Joel Skousen, Mel Tappan and Howard Ruff all emphasize the need to have a one year supply of storage food. Rawles recommends a two year supply, as well as storing non-hybrid (open pollinated) gardening seed.

Even mainstream economist and financial adviser Barton Biggs is a proponent of well-stocked retreats. In his 2008 book ''Wealth, War and Wisdom'', Biggs has a gloomy outlook for the economic future, and suggests that investors take survivalist measures. In the book, Biggs recommends that his readers should “assume the possibility of a breakdown of the civilized infrastructure.” he goes so far as to recommend setting up survival retreats: “Your safe haven must be self-sufficient and capable of growing some kind of food,” Mr. Biggs writes. “It should be well-stocked with seed, fertilizer, canned food, wine, medicine, clothes, etc. Think Swiss Family Robinson. Even in America and Europe there could be moments of riot and rebellion when law and order temporarily completely breaks down.”<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Survivalist retreats worldwide==

Survivalist retreats, both formal and informal are popular worldwide, most visibly in Australia, <ref>[http://www.aussurvivalist.com Australian Survivalist (Survivalism in the new millennium)]</ref>, Canada<ref>[http://www.survivalbill.ca/ Survival Bill]</ref>, France<ref>[http://le-projet-olduvai.kanak.fr/index.htm le-projet-olduvai]</ref>, Sweden<ref>[http://systemkollaps.wordpress.com/ Systemkollaps]</ref>,New Zealand and The United States<ref>[http://www.alpharubicon.com AlphaRubicon.com]</ref>.

==In fiction==
===Novels===

''Lucifer's Hammer'' by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven (1977) is about a cataclysmic comet hitting the Earth, and a group people struggling to survive the aftermath in southern California. Their retreat is an isolated mountain community, which they barricade from outsiders.

''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]] (1998) (editor of SurvivalBlog) is a novel about a full-scale socio-economic collapse and subsequent invasion of the US, which a review has called "a survival manual dressed as fiction."

''Wolf and Iron'' (1990) by Gordon Dickson describes a systemic societal collapse. The main character "GeeBee" builds and stocks and earth-sheltered retreat, using salvaged materials.

''The Postman'' by David Brin (1985) is set in a time after a massive plague and political fracture result in a complete collapse of society. Both the Holnists and townsmen construct fortified retreats.

==See also==
*[[James Wesley Rawles]]
*[[Joel Skousen]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

Survivalist retreat

2008-04-25T03:23:00Z

Fongman: Deleted a paragraph that I did not author

A '''retreat''' is a commonly used term for a place of refuge for those in the [[Survivalist]] movement. Survivalist retreats are intended to be self-sufficient and are generally located in lightly-populated rural areas.

==History==
While fallout shelters have been advocated since the 1950s, dedicated self-sufficient survivalist retreats have been advocated only since the mid-1970s, The survival retreat concept has been touted by a number of influential Survivalist writers including [[Ragnar Benson]], Bruce D. Clayton, Jeff Cooper, Cresson Kearny, [[James Wesley Rawles]], Howard Ruff, Kurt Saxon, [[Joel Skousen]], Don Stephens, and Mel Tappan.

===1960s===

With the increasing inflation of the 1960s and the impending US monetary [[Devaluation]] (predicted by Harry Browne in his 1970 book ''How You Can Profit from the Coming Devaluation''), as well as the continuing concern with possible nuclear exchanges between the US and the Soviet Union, and the increasing vulnerability of urban centers to supply shortages and other systems failures, a number of primarily conservative and [[Libertarian]] thinkers began suggesting that individual preparations would be wise. Mr. Browne began offering seminars on how to survive a monetary collapse in 1967, with Don Stephens, an architectural design innovator, providing input on how to build and equip a remote survival retreat and providing a copy of his original ''Retreater's Bibliography''(1967) for each seminar participant.

===1970s===
In 1975, Kurt Saxon began publishing a newsletter called ''The Survivor'', which advocated moving to lightly-populated regions to "lay low" during a socio-economic collapse, and setting up fortified enclaves for defense against what he termed "killer karavans"<ref>http://www.textfiles.com/survival/caravans</ref> of looters from urban areas.

In 1976, survival bookseller and author Don Stephens in Washington (author of ''The Survivor's Primer & Up-dated Retreater's Bibliography'', 1976) popularized the term "retreater" and advocated relocating to a rural retreat when society breaks down.

Writers such as Howard Ruff warned about socio-economic collapse and recommended moving to lightly-populated farming regions, most notably in his 1979 book ''How to Prosper During the Coming Bad Years'', a best-seller in 1979.

For a time in the 1970s, the terms "survivalist" and "retreater" were used interchangeably. The term "retreater" eventually fell out of favor.<ref>[http://www.aussurvivalist.com/whatissurvivalismsaxon.htm AusSurvivalist - What is Survivalism?]</ref>

Perhaps the most important newsletter on survivalism and survivalist retreats in the 1970s was the ''Personal Survival ("P.S.") Letter'' (circa 1977-1982) published by Mel Tappan, who also authored the books ''Survival Guns'' and ''Tappan on Survival''. The newsletter included columns from Tappan himself as well from Jeff Cooper, Al J. Venter, Bill Pier, Bruce D. Clayton, Rick Fines, Nancy Mack Tappan, J.B. Wood, Dr. Carl Kirsch, Charles Avery, Karl Hess, Eugene A. Barron, Janet Groene, Dean Ing, Bob Taylor, Reginald Bretnor, C.G. Cobb, and several other writers, some under pen names. The majority of this newsletter revolved around selecting, constructing and logistically equipping survival retreats.<ref>[http://www.frfrogspad.com/persurv.htm Magazine Articles By Jeff Cooper(]</ref> Following Tappan's death in 1980, Karl Hess took over publishing the newsletter, eventually renaming it ''Survival Tomorrow''.

In addition to hard copy newsletters, in the 1970s survivalists got their first online presence with BBS<ref>[http://www.survivalbill.ca Survival Bill]</ref> and [[Usenet]] forums dedicated to survivalism and survival retreats.

===1980s===
Survivalist retreat books of the 1980s were typified by the 1980 book ''Life After Doomsday''<ref>''Life After Doomsday'', by Bruce D. Clayton, [[Dial Press]], ISBN 0-8037-4752-7</ref> by Bruce D. Clayton advocating survival retreats in locales that would minimize fallout and specially-constructing Blast shelters and/or Fallout shelters that would provide Fallout Protection in the event of a [[Nuclear warfare|nuclear war]].

===1990s===
Several books published in the 1990s offered advice on survival retreats and relocation. Some influential in survivalist circles are ''Survival Retreat: A Total Plan For Retreat Defense'' by [[Ragnar Benson]], ''Strategic Relocation--North American Guide to Safe Places'' by [[Joel Skousen]], and ''The Secure Home'', (also by Skousen).

===2000-present===
In recent years, advocacy of survivalist retreats has had a strong resurgence after the [[terrorist]] attacks on the [[World Trade Center]] in [[New York]] in 2001 and similar attacks in Bali, [[Spain]], and [[London]].

Several books published since 2000 advocate survival retreats and relocation. Some that have been particularly influential in survivalist circles are ''How to Implement a High Security Shelter in the Home '' by [[Joel Skousen]], ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]], and ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World'' by Bruce D. Clayton.<ref>[http://www.paladin-press.com/detail.aspx?ID=476 ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World''] by Bruce D. Clayton. Paladin Press, 2002, ISBN 1-58160-326-6</ref>

Online survival websites, forums, and blogs discuss the best locales for survival retreats, how to build, fortify, and equip them, and how to form survivalist retreat groups.<ref>[http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=survivalist&submit=Search Yahoo! Groups : Search Results]</ref>

Economic troubles emerging from the credit collapse triggered by the 2007 US subprime mortgage lending fiasco have prompted a wider cross-section of the populace to get prepared and establish retreats.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref> [[James Wesley Rawles]], the editor of SurvivalBlog was quoted by the ''New York Times'' in April of 2008 that "interest in the survivalist movement 'is experiencing its largest growth since the late 1970s'”. He also stated that his blog's conservative core readership has been supplemented with "an increasing number of stridently green and left-of-center readers."<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Common retreat locale parameters==
Common retreat locale selection parameters include light population density, plentiful water, arable soil, good solar exposure for gardening and photovoltaics, situation above any flood plains, and a diverse and healthy local economy.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html#CONUS SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Fearing rioting, looting and other unrest, many survivalists advocate selecting retreat locales that are more than one tank of gasoline away from any major metropolitan region. Properties that are not in "channelized areas" or on anticipated "refugee lines of drift" are also touted.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/glossary.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Most survivalist writers, such as [[James Wesley Rawles]] recommend living at a retreat year-round,<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> rather than attempting to flee to a retreat at the 11th hour.

One of the key goals of retreats is to be [[autarky|self-sufficient]] for the duration of societal collapse. To that end, plentiful water, and arable soil are paramount considerations. But just behind these, comes isolated, defensible terrain. Typically, retreats do not want their habitation or structure jeopardized by being within line of sight of any major highway.

Because of its low population density and diverse economy, [[James Wesley Rawles]] <ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> and [[Joel Skousen]] <ref>[http://www.joelskousen.com/About/about.html About Joel Skousen]</ref> both recommend the Intermountain west region of the [[United States]], as a preferred region for relocation and setting up retreats. Although it has higher population density, Mel Tappan recommended southwestern [[Oregon]], primarily because it is not down-wind of any envisioned nuclear targets in the United States.

==Retreat organization==
Most survivalist retreats are organized by extended families, but some "group retreats" or "covenant communities" are formed along the lines of an Intentional Community.

==Retreat architecture and security==
Jeff Cooper popularized the concept of hardening retreats against [[small arms]] fire. In an article titled "Notes on Tactical Residential Architecture" in Issue #30 of P.S. Letter (April, 1982), Cooper suggested using the "Vauban Principle", wherein, projecting bastion corners would prevent miscreants from being able to approach a retreat's exterior walls in any blind spots. Retreat building corners with this simplified implementation of a Vauban Star are now called "Cooper Corners" by [[James Wesley Rawles]], in honor of Jeff Cooper.

In both his book ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' and in his survivalist novel, ''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'', Rawles describes in great detail retreat groups "upgrading" brick or other masonry houses with steel reinforced window shutters and doors, the excavation of anti-vehicular ditches, warded gate locks, constructing concertina wire obstacles and fougasses, and setting up listening post/observation posts (LP/OPs.)

Bruce D. Clayton and [[Joel Skousen]] have both written extensively on integrating fallout shelters into retreat homes, but they put less emphasis on ballistic protection and exterior perimeter security than Cooper and Rawles.

==Retreat logistics==
Anticipating long periods of time without commerce in the future, retreat groups typically place a strong emphasis on logistics. They amass stockpiles of supplies for their own use, for charity, and for [[barter]]. Frequently cited key logistics for a retreat include long term storage food, common caliber ammunition, medical supplies, tools, gardening seed, and fuel. In an article titled "Ballistic Wampum" in Issue #6 of P.S. Letter (1979) Jeff Cooper wrote about stockpiling ammunition far in excess of his own needs, keeping the extra available to use for bartering.

In his books and in his blog (SurvivalBlog), [[James Wesley Rawles]] uses the generic term "beans, bullets and Band Aids" to describe retreat logistics.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>

In their books, Joel Skousen, Mel Tappan and Howard Ruff all emphasize the need to have a one year supply of storage food. Rawles recommends a two year supply, as well as storing non-hybrid (open pollinated) gardening seed.

Even mainstream economist and financial adviser Barton Biggs is a proponent of well-stocked retreats. In his 2008 book ''Wealth, War and Wisdom'', Biggs has a gloomy outlook for the economic future, and suggests that investors take survivalist measures. In the book, Biggs recommends that his readers should “assume the possibility of a breakdown of the civilized infrastructure.” he goes so far as to recommend setting up survival retreats: “Your safe haven must be self-sufficient and capable of growing some kind of food,” Mr. Biggs writes. “It should be well-stocked with seed, fertilizer, canned food, wine, medicine, clothes, etc. Think Swiss Family Robinson. Even in America and Europe there could be moments of riot and rebellion when law and order temporarily completely breaks down.”<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Survivalist retreats worldwide==

Survivalist retreats, both formal and informal are popular worldwide, most visibly in Australia, <ref>[http://www.aussurvivalist.com Australian Survivalist (Survivalism in the new millennium)]</ref>, Canada<ref>[http://www.survivalbill.ca/ Survival Bill]</ref>, France<ref>[http://le-projet-olduvai.kanak.fr/index.htm le-projet-olduvai]</ref>, Sweden<ref>[http://systemkollaps.wordpress.com/ Systemkollaps]</ref>,New Zealand and The United States<ref>[http://www.alpharubicon.com AlphaRubicon.com]</ref>.

==In fiction==
===Novels===

''Lucifer's Hammer'' by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven (1977) is about a cataclysmic comet hitting the Earth, and a group people struggling to survive the aftermath in southern California. Their retreat is an isolated mountain community, which they barricade from outsiders.

''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]] (1998) (editor of SurvivalBlog) is a novel about a full-scale socio-economic collapse and subsequent invasion of the US, which a review has called "a survival manual dressed as fiction."

''Wolf and Iron'' (1990) by Gordon Dickson describes a systemic societal collapse. The main character "GeeBee" builds and stocks and earth-sheltered retreat, using salvaged materials.

''The Postman'' by David Brin (1985) is set in a time after a massive plague and political fracture result in a complete collapse of society. Both the Holnists and townsmen construct fortified retreats.

==See also==
*[[James Wesley Rawles]]
*[[Joel Skousen]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

Survivalist retreat

2008-04-25T03:21:25Z

Fongman: /* Novels */ Removed dead redlinks

Survivalist retreat

2008-04-25T03:20:05Z

Fongman: /* Retreat logistics */ Removed dead redlink

A '''retreat''' is a commonly used term for a place of refuge for those in the [[Survivalist]] movement. Survivalist retreats are intended to be self-sufficient and are generally located in lightly-populated rural areas.

==History==
While fallout shelters have been advocated since the 1950s, dedicated self-sufficient survivalist retreats have been advocated only since the mid-1970s, The survival retreat concept has been touted by a number of influential Survivalist writers including [[Ragnar Benson]], Bruce D. Clayton, Jeff Cooper, Cresson Kearny, [[James Wesley Rawles]], Howard Ruff, Kurt Saxon, [[Joel Skousen]], Don Stephens, and Mel Tappan.

===1960s===

With the increasing inflation of the 1960s and the impending US monetary [[Devaluation]] (predicted by Harry Browne in his 1970 book ''How You Can Profit from the Coming Devaluation''), as well as the continuing concern with possible nuclear exchanges between the US and the Soviet Union, and the increasing vulnerability of urban centers to supply shortages and other systems failures, a number of primarily conservative and [[Libertarian]] thinkers began suggesting that individual preparations would be wise. Mr. Browne began offering seminars on how to survive a monetary collapse in 1967, with Don Stephens, an architectural design innovator, providing input on how to build and equip a remote survival retreat and providing a copy of his original ''Retreater's Bibliography''(1967) for each seminar participant.

===1970s===
In 1975, Kurt Saxon began publishing a newsletter called ''The Survivor'', which advocated moving to lightly-populated regions to "lay low" during a socio-economic collapse, and setting up fortified enclaves for defense against what he termed "killer karavans"<ref>http://www.textfiles.com/survival/caravans</ref> of looters from urban areas.

In 1976, survival bookseller and author Don Stephens in Washington (author of ''The Survivor's Primer & Up-dated Retreater's Bibliography'', 1976) popularized the term "retreater" and advocated relocating to a rural retreat when society breaks down.

Writers such as Howard Ruff warned about socio-economic collapse and recommended moving to lightly-populated farming regions, most notably in his 1979 book ''How to Prosper During the Coming Bad Years'', a best-seller in 1979.

For a time in the 1970s, the terms "survivalist" and "retreater" were used interchangeably. The term "retreater" eventually fell out of favor.<ref>[http://www.aussurvivalist.com/whatissurvivalismsaxon.htm AusSurvivalist - What is Survivalism?]</ref>

Perhaps the most important newsletter on survivalism and survivalist retreats in the 1970s was the ''Personal Survival ("P.S.") Letter'' (circa 1977-1982) published by Mel Tappan, who also authored the books ''Survival Guns'' and ''Tappan on Survival''. The newsletter included columns from Tappan himself as well from Jeff Cooper, Al J. Venter, Bill Pier, Bruce D. Clayton, Rick Fines, Nancy Mack Tappan, J.B. Wood, Dr. Carl Kirsch, Charles Avery, Karl Hess, Eugene A. Barron, Janet Groene, Dean Ing, Bob Taylor, Reginald Bretnor, C.G. Cobb, and several other writers, some under pen names. The majority of this newsletter revolved around selecting, constructing and logistically equipping survival retreats.<ref>[http://www.frfrogspad.com/persurv.htm Magazine Articles By Jeff Cooper(]</ref> Following Tappan's death in 1980, Karl Hess took over publishing the newsletter, eventually renaming it ''Survival Tomorrow''.

In addition to hard copy newsletters, in the 1970s survivalists got their first online presence with BBS<ref>[http://www.survivalbill.ca Survival Bill]</ref> and [[Usenet]] forums dedicated to survivalism and survival retreats.

===1980s===
Survivalist retreat books of the 1980s were typified by the 1980 book ''Life After Doomsday''<ref>''Life After Doomsday'', by Bruce D. Clayton, [[Dial Press]], ISBN 0-8037-4752-7</ref> by Bruce D. Clayton advocating survival retreats in locales that would minimize fallout and specially-constructing Blast shelters and/or Fallout shelters that would provide Fallout Protection in the event of a [[Nuclear warfare|nuclear war]].

===1990s===
Several books published in the 1990s offered advice on survival retreats and relocation. Some influential in survivalist circles are ''Survival Retreat: A Total Plan For Retreat Defense'' by [[Ragnar Benson]], ''Strategic Relocation--North American Guide to Safe Places'' by [[Joel Skousen]], and ''The Secure Home'', (also by Skousen).

===2000-present===
In recent years, advocacy of survivalist retreats has had a strong resurgence after the [[terrorist]] attacks on the [[World Trade Center]] in [[New York]] in 2001 and similar attacks in Bali, [[Spain]], and [[London]].

Several books published since 2000 advocate survival retreats and relocation. Some that have been particularly influential in survivalist circles are ''How to Implement a High Security Shelter in the Home '' by [[Joel Skousen]], ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]], and ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World'' by Bruce D. Clayton.<ref>[http://www.paladin-press.com/detail.aspx?ID=476 ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World''] by Bruce D. Clayton. Paladin Press, 2002, ISBN 1-58160-326-6</ref>

Online survival websites, forums, and blogs discuss the best locales for survival retreats, how to build, fortify, and equip them, and how to form survivalist retreat groups.<ref>[http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=survivalist&submit=Search Yahoo! Groups : Search Results]</ref>

Economic troubles emerging from the credit collapse triggered by the 2007 US subprime mortgage lending fiasco have prompted a wider cross-section of the populace to get prepared and establish retreats.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref> [[James Wesley Rawles]], the editor of SurvivalBlog was quoted by the ''New York Times'' in April of 2008 that "interest in the survivalist movement 'is experiencing its largest growth since the late 1970s'”. He also stated that his blog's conservative core readership has been supplemented with "an increasing number of stridently green and left-of-center readers."<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Common retreat locale parameters==
Common retreat locale selection parameters include light population density, plentiful water, arable soil, good solar exposure for gardening and photovoltaics, situation above any flood plains, and a diverse and healthy local economy.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html#CONUS SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Fearing rioting, looting and other unrest, many survivalists advocate selecting retreat locales that are more than one tank of gasoline away from any major metropolitan region. Properties that are not in "channelized areas" or on anticipated "refugee lines of drift" are also touted.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/glossary.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Most survivalist writers, such as [[James Wesley Rawles]] recommend living at a retreat year-round,<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> rather than attempting to flee to a retreat at the 11th hour.

One of the key goals of retreats is to be [[autarky|self-sufficient]] for the duration of societal collapse. To that end, plentiful water, and arable soil are paramount considerations. But just behind these, comes isolated, defensible terrain. Typically, retreats do not want their habitation or structure jeopardized by being within line of sight of any major highway.

Because of its low population density and diverse economy, [[James Wesley Rawles]] <ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> and [[Joel Skousen]] <ref>[http://www.joelskousen.com/About/about.html About Joel Skousen]</ref> both recommend the Intermountain west region of the [[United States]], as a preferred region for relocation and setting up retreats. Although it has higher population density, Mel Tappan recommended southwestern [[Oregon]], primarily because it is not down-wind of any envisioned nuclear targets in the United States.

==Retreat organization==
Most survivalist retreats are organized by extended families, but some "group retreats" or "covenant communities" are formed along the lines of an Intentional Community.

==Retreat architecture and security==
Jeff Cooper popularized the concept of hardening retreats against [[small arms]] fire. In an article titled "Notes on Tactical Residential Architecture" in Issue #30 of P.S. Letter (April, 1982), Cooper suggested using the "Vauban Principle", wherein, projecting bastion corners would prevent miscreants from being able to approach a retreat's exterior walls in any blind spots. Retreat building corners with this simplified implementation of a Vauban Star are now called "Cooper Corners" by [[James Wesley Rawles]], in honor of Jeff Cooper.

In both his book ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' and in his survivalist novel, ''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'', Rawles describes in great detail retreat groups "upgrading" brick or other masonry houses with steel reinforced window shutters and doors, the excavation of anti-vehicular ditches, warded gate locks, constructing concertina wire obstacles and fougasses, and setting up listening post/observation posts (LP/OPs.)

Bruce D. Clayton and [[Joel Skousen]] have both written extensively on integrating fallout shelters into retreat homes, but they put less emphasis on ballistic protection and exterior perimeter security than Cooper and Rawles.

==Retreat logistics==
Anticipating long periods of time without commerce in the future, retreat groups typically place a strong emphasis on logistics. They amass stockpiles of supplies for their own use, for charity, and for [[barter]]. Frequently cited key logistics for a retreat include long term storage food, common caliber ammunition, medical supplies, tools, gardening seed, and fuel. In an article titled "Ballistic Wampum" in Issue #6 of P.S. Letter (1979) Jeff Cooper wrote about stockpiling ammunition far in excess of his own needs, keeping the extra available to use for bartering.

In his books and in his blog (SurvivalBlog), [[James Wesley Rawles]] uses the generic term "beans, bullets and Band Aids" to describe retreat logistics.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>

In their books, Joel Skousen, Mel Tappan and Howard Ruff all emphasize the need to have a one year supply of storage food. Rawles recommends a two year supply, as well as storing non-hybrid (open pollinated) gardening seed.

Even mainstream economist and financial adviser Barton Biggs is a proponent of well-stocked retreats. In his 2008 book ''Wealth, War and Wisdom'', Biggs has a gloomy outlook for the economic future, and suggests that investors take survivalist measures. In the book, Biggs recommends that his readers should “assume the possibility of a breakdown of the civilized infrastructure.” he goes so far as to recommend setting up survival retreats: “Your safe haven must be self-sufficient and capable of growing some kind of food,” Mr. Biggs writes. “It should be well-stocked with seed, fertilizer, canned food, wine, medicine, clothes, etc. Think Swiss Family Robinson. Even in America and Europe there could be moments of riot and rebellion when law and order temporarily completely breaks down.”<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Survivalist retreats worldwide==

Survivalist retreats, both formal and informal are popular worldwide, most visibly in Australia, <ref>[http://www.aussurvivalist.com Australian Survivalist (Survivalism in the new millennium)]</ref>, Canada<ref>[http://www.survivalbill.ca/ Survival Bill]</ref>, France<ref>[http://le-projet-olduvai.kanak.fr/index.htm le-projet-olduvai]</ref>, Sweden<ref>[http://systemkollaps.wordpress.com/ Systemkollaps]</ref>,New Zealand and The United States<ref>[http://www.alpharubicon.com AlphaRubicon.com]</ref>.

==In fiction==
===Novels===

[[Robert A. Heinlein]] used survivalist retreats as a theme in much of his science fiction. ''[[Farnham's Freehold]]'' (1964) begins as a story of small group survivalist retreat in a nuclear war. Heinlein also wrote essays such as ''How to be a Survivor''<ref>[http://technohippie.com/archives/beasurvivor.html TechnoHippie.Com: How To Be a Survivor by Robert Heinlein]</ref> which provide advice on preparing for and surviving a nuclear war, including stocking a fallout shelter and retreat.

''[[Lucifer's Hammer]]'' by [[Jerry Pournelle]] and [[Larry Niven]] (1977) is about a cataclysmic comet hitting the Earth, and a group people struggling to survive the aftermath in southern California. Their retreat is an isolated mountain community, which they barricade from outsiders.

''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]] (1998) (editor of SurvivalBlog) is a novel about a full-scale socio-economic collapse and subsequent invasion of the US, which a review has called "a survival manual dressed as fiction."

''Wolf and Iron'' (1990) by [[Gordon Dickson]] describes a systemic societal collapse. The main character "GeeBee" builds and stocks and earth-sheltered retreat, using salvaged materials.

''[[The Postman]]'' by [[David Brin]] (1985) is set in a time after a massive plague and political fracture result in a complete collapse of society. Both the Holnists and townsmen construct fortified retreats.

==See also==
*[[James Wesley Rawles]]
*[[Joel Skousen]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
The text of some books discussing survivalist retreats can be found online:
*[[Fallout Protection]] (1961)<ref>[http://www.sew-lexicon.com/Fallout%20Protection%20Book/TOC_for_H-6.htm Fallout Protection in pdf]</ref>
*''[[Nuclear war survival skills|Nuclear War Survival Skills]]'' by [[Cresson Kearny]] (1979, updated 1987 version) ISBN 0-942487-01-X
*[[Survival Under Atomic Attack]] (1950) <ref>[http://www.schouwer-online.de/technik/zivilschutz_atomicattack.htm SURVIVAL UNDER ATOMIC ATTACK: THE OFFICIAL U.S. GOVERNMENT BOOKLET]</ref>
*''Tappan on Survival'' by [[Mel Tappan]] (1981) ISBN 0-916172-04-X <ref>[http://www.geocities.com/mark_l_anderson/faqs/tapp.txt Tappan on Survival]</ref>
*Textfiles.com archive of articles that circulated online during the [[bulletin board system|BBS]] era, includes several Kurt Saxon articles from his old newsletter: [http://www.textfiles.com/survival/ Article archives]

Survivalist retreat

2008-04-25T03:19:34Z

Fongman: /* Retreat logistics */ Removed dead redlinks

A '''retreat''' is a commonly used term for a place of refuge for those in the [[Survivalist]] movement. Survivalist retreats are intended to be self-sufficient and are generally located in lightly-populated rural areas.

==History==
While fallout shelters have been advocated since the 1950s, dedicated self-sufficient survivalist retreats have been advocated only since the mid-1970s, The survival retreat concept has been touted by a number of influential Survivalist writers including [[Ragnar Benson]], Bruce D. Clayton, Jeff Cooper, Cresson Kearny, [[James Wesley Rawles]], Howard Ruff, Kurt Saxon, [[Joel Skousen]], Don Stephens, and Mel Tappan.

===1960s===

With the increasing inflation of the 1960s and the impending US monetary [[Devaluation]] (predicted by Harry Browne in his 1970 book ''How You Can Profit from the Coming Devaluation''), as well as the continuing concern with possible nuclear exchanges between the US and the Soviet Union, and the increasing vulnerability of urban centers to supply shortages and other systems failures, a number of primarily conservative and [[Libertarian]] thinkers began suggesting that individual preparations would be wise. Mr. Browne began offering seminars on how to survive a monetary collapse in 1967, with Don Stephens, an architectural design innovator, providing input on how to build and equip a remote survival retreat and providing a copy of his original ''Retreater's Bibliography''(1967) for each seminar participant.

===1970s===
In 1975, Kurt Saxon began publishing a newsletter called ''The Survivor'', which advocated moving to lightly-populated regions to "lay low" during a socio-economic collapse, and setting up fortified enclaves for defense against what he termed "killer karavans"<ref>http://www.textfiles.com/survival/caravans</ref> of looters from urban areas.

In 1976, survival bookseller and author Don Stephens in Washington (author of ''The Survivor's Primer & Up-dated Retreater's Bibliography'', 1976) popularized the term "retreater" and advocated relocating to a rural retreat when society breaks down.

Writers such as Howard Ruff warned about socio-economic collapse and recommended moving to lightly-populated farming regions, most notably in his 1979 book ''How to Prosper During the Coming Bad Years'', a best-seller in 1979.

For a time in the 1970s, the terms "survivalist" and "retreater" were used interchangeably. The term "retreater" eventually fell out of favor.<ref>[http://www.aussurvivalist.com/whatissurvivalismsaxon.htm AusSurvivalist - What is Survivalism?]</ref>

Perhaps the most important newsletter on survivalism and survivalist retreats in the 1970s was the ''Personal Survival ("P.S.") Letter'' (circa 1977-1982) published by Mel Tappan, who also authored the books ''Survival Guns'' and ''Tappan on Survival''. The newsletter included columns from Tappan himself as well from Jeff Cooper, Al J. Venter, Bill Pier, Bruce D. Clayton, Rick Fines, Nancy Mack Tappan, J.B. Wood, Dr. Carl Kirsch, Charles Avery, Karl Hess, Eugene A. Barron, Janet Groene, Dean Ing, Bob Taylor, Reginald Bretnor, C.G. Cobb, and several other writers, some under pen names. The majority of this newsletter revolved around selecting, constructing and logistically equipping survival retreats.<ref>[http://www.frfrogspad.com/persurv.htm Magazine Articles By Jeff Cooper(]</ref> Following Tappan's death in 1980, Karl Hess took over publishing the newsletter, eventually renaming it ''Survival Tomorrow''.

In addition to hard copy newsletters, in the 1970s survivalists got their first online presence with BBS<ref>[http://www.survivalbill.ca Survival Bill]</ref> and [[Usenet]] forums dedicated to survivalism and survival retreats.

===1980s===
Survivalist retreat books of the 1980s were typified by the 1980 book ''Life After Doomsday''<ref>''Life After Doomsday'', by Bruce D. Clayton, [[Dial Press]], ISBN 0-8037-4752-7</ref> by Bruce D. Clayton advocating survival retreats in locales that would minimize fallout and specially-constructing Blast shelters and/or Fallout shelters that would provide Fallout Protection in the event of a [[Nuclear warfare|nuclear war]].

===1990s===
Several books published in the 1990s offered advice on survival retreats and relocation. Some influential in survivalist circles are ''Survival Retreat: A Total Plan For Retreat Defense'' by [[Ragnar Benson]], ''Strategic Relocation--North American Guide to Safe Places'' by [[Joel Skousen]], and ''The Secure Home'', (also by Skousen).

===2000-present===
In recent years, advocacy of survivalist retreats has had a strong resurgence after the [[terrorist]] attacks on the [[World Trade Center]] in [[New York]] in 2001 and similar attacks in Bali, [[Spain]], and [[London]].

Several books published since 2000 advocate survival retreats and relocation. Some that have been particularly influential in survivalist circles are ''How to Implement a High Security Shelter in the Home '' by [[Joel Skousen]], ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]], and ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World'' by Bruce D. Clayton.<ref>[http://www.paladin-press.com/detail.aspx?ID=476 ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World''] by Bruce D. Clayton. Paladin Press, 2002, ISBN 1-58160-326-6</ref>

Online survival websites, forums, and blogs discuss the best locales for survival retreats, how to build, fortify, and equip them, and how to form survivalist retreat groups.<ref>[http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=survivalist&submit=Search Yahoo! Groups : Search Results]</ref>

Economic troubles emerging from the credit collapse triggered by the 2007 US subprime mortgage lending fiasco have prompted a wider cross-section of the populace to get prepared and establish retreats.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref> [[James Wesley Rawles]], the editor of SurvivalBlog was quoted by the ''New York Times'' in April of 2008 that "interest in the survivalist movement 'is experiencing its largest growth since the late 1970s'”. He also stated that his blog's conservative core readership has been supplemented with "an increasing number of stridently green and left-of-center readers."<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Common retreat locale parameters==
Common retreat locale selection parameters include light population density, plentiful water, arable soil, good solar exposure for gardening and photovoltaics, situation above any flood plains, and a diverse and healthy local economy.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html#CONUS SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Fearing rioting, looting and other unrest, many survivalists advocate selecting retreat locales that are more than one tank of gasoline away from any major metropolitan region. Properties that are not in "channelized areas" or on anticipated "refugee lines of drift" are also touted.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/glossary.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Most survivalist writers, such as [[James Wesley Rawles]] recommend living at a retreat year-round,<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> rather than attempting to flee to a retreat at the 11th hour.

One of the key goals of retreats is to be [[autarky|self-sufficient]] for the duration of societal collapse. To that end, plentiful water, and arable soil are paramount considerations. But just behind these, comes isolated, defensible terrain. Typically, retreats do not want their habitation or structure jeopardized by being within line of sight of any major highway.

Because of its low population density and diverse economy, [[James Wesley Rawles]] <ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> and [[Joel Skousen]] <ref>[http://www.joelskousen.com/About/about.html About Joel Skousen]</ref> both recommend the Intermountain west region of the [[United States]], as a preferred region for relocation and setting up retreats. Although it has higher population density, Mel Tappan recommended southwestern [[Oregon]], primarily because it is not down-wind of any envisioned nuclear targets in the United States.

==Retreat organization==
Most survivalist retreats are organized by extended families, but some "group retreats" or "covenant communities" are formed along the lines of an Intentional Community.

==Retreat architecture and security==
Jeff Cooper popularized the concept of hardening retreats against [[small arms]] fire. In an article titled "Notes on Tactical Residential Architecture" in Issue #30 of P.S. Letter (April, 1982), Cooper suggested using the "Vauban Principle", wherein, projecting bastion corners would prevent miscreants from being able to approach a retreat's exterior walls in any blind spots. Retreat building corners with this simplified implementation of a Vauban Star are now called "Cooper Corners" by [[James Wesley Rawles]], in honor of Jeff Cooper.

In both his book ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' and in his survivalist novel, ''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'', Rawles describes in great detail retreat groups "upgrading" brick or other masonry houses with steel reinforced window shutters and doors, the excavation of anti-vehicular ditches, warded gate locks, constructing concertina wire obstacles and fougasses, and setting up listening post/observation posts (LP/OPs.)

Bruce D. Clayton and [[Joel Skousen]] have both written extensively on integrating fallout shelters into retreat homes, but they put less emphasis on ballistic protection and exterior perimeter security than Cooper and Rawles.

==Retreat logistics==
Anticipating long periods of time without commerce in the future, retreat groups typically place a strong emphasis on logistics. They amass stockpiles of supplies for their own use, for charity, and for [[barter]]. Frequently cited key logistics for a retreat include long term storage food, common caliber ammunition, medical supplies, tools, gardening seed, and fuel. In an article titled "Ballistic Wampum" in Issue #6 of P.S. Letter (1979) Jeff Cooper wrote about stockpiling ammunition far in excess of his own needs, keeping the extra available to use for bartering.

In his books and in his blog (SurvivalBlog), [[James Wesley Rawles]] uses the generic term "beans, bullets and Band Aids" to describe retreat logistics.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>

In their books, Joel Skousen, Mel Tappan and Howard Ruff all emphasize the need to have a one year supply of storage food. Rawles recommends a two year supply, as well as storing non-hybrid (open pollinated) gardening seed.

Even mainstream economist and financial adviser Barton Biggs is a proponent of well-stocked retreats. In his 2008 book ''Wealth, War and Wisdom'', Biggs has a gloomy outlook for the economic future, and suggests that investors take [[survivalist]] measures. In the book, Biggs recommends that his readers should “assume the possibility of a breakdown of the civilized infrastructure.” he goes so far as to recommend setting up survival retreats: “Your safe haven must be self-sufficient and capable of growing some kind of food,” Mr. Biggs writes. “It should be well-stocked with seed, fertilizer, canned food, wine, medicine, clothes, etc. Think Swiss Family Robinson. Even in America and Europe there could be moments of riot and rebellion when law and order temporarily completely breaks down.”<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Survivalist retreats worldwide==

Survivalist retreats, both formal and informal are popular worldwide, most visibly in Australia, <ref>[http://www.aussurvivalist.com Australian Survivalist (Survivalism in the new millennium)]</ref>, Canada<ref>[http://www.survivalbill.ca/ Survival Bill]</ref>, France<ref>[http://le-projet-olduvai.kanak.fr/index.htm le-projet-olduvai]</ref>, Sweden<ref>[http://systemkollaps.wordpress.com/ Systemkollaps]</ref>,New Zealand and The United States<ref>[http://www.alpharubicon.com AlphaRubicon.com]</ref>.

==In fiction==
===Novels===

[[Robert A. Heinlein]] used survivalist retreats as a theme in much of his science fiction. ''[[Farnham's Freehold]]'' (1964) begins as a story of small group survivalist retreat in a nuclear war. Heinlein also wrote essays such as ''How to be a Survivor''<ref>[http://technohippie.com/archives/beasurvivor.html TechnoHippie.Com: How To Be a Survivor by Robert Heinlein]</ref> which provide advice on preparing for and surviving a nuclear war, including stocking a fallout shelter and retreat.

''[[Lucifer's Hammer]]'' by [[Jerry Pournelle]] and [[Larry Niven]] (1977) is about a cataclysmic comet hitting the Earth, and a group people struggling to survive the aftermath in southern California. Their retreat is an isolated mountain community, which they barricade from outsiders.

''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]] (1998) (editor of SurvivalBlog) is a novel about a full-scale socio-economic collapse and subsequent invasion of the US, which a review has called "a survival manual dressed as fiction."

''Wolf and Iron'' (1990) by [[Gordon Dickson]] describes a systemic societal collapse. The main character "GeeBee" builds and stocks and earth-sheltered retreat, using salvaged materials.

''[[The Postman]]'' by [[David Brin]] (1985) is set in a time after a massive plague and political fracture result in a complete collapse of society. Both the Holnists and townsmen construct fortified retreats.

==See also==
*[[James Wesley Rawles]]
*[[Joel Skousen]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
The text of some books discussing survivalist retreats can be found online:
*[[Fallout Protection]] (1961)<ref>[http://www.sew-lexicon.com/Fallout%20Protection%20Book/TOC_for_H-6.htm Fallout Protection in pdf]</ref>
*''[[Nuclear war survival skills|Nuclear War Survival Skills]]'' by [[Cresson Kearny]] (1979, updated 1987 version) ISBN 0-942487-01-X
*[[Survival Under Atomic Attack]] (1950) <ref>[http://www.schouwer-online.de/technik/zivilschutz_atomicattack.htm SURVIVAL UNDER ATOMIC ATTACK: THE OFFICIAL U.S. GOVERNMENT BOOKLET]</ref>
*''Tappan on Survival'' by [[Mel Tappan]] (1981) ISBN 0-916172-04-X <ref>[http://www.geocities.com/mark_l_anderson/faqs/tapp.txt Tappan on Survival]</ref>
*Textfiles.com archive of articles that circulated online during the [[bulletin board system|BBS]] era, includes several Kurt Saxon articles from his old newsletter: [http://www.textfiles.com/survival/ Article archives]

Survivalist retreat

2008-04-25T03:18:00Z

Fongman: /* Retreat architecture and security */

A '''retreat''' is a commonly used term for a place of refuge for those in the [[Survivalist]] movement. Survivalist retreats are intended to be self-sufficient and are generally located in lightly-populated rural areas.

==History==
While fallout shelters have been advocated since the 1950s, dedicated self-sufficient survivalist retreats have been advocated only since the mid-1970s, The survival retreat concept has been touted by a number of influential Survivalist writers including [[Ragnar Benson]], Bruce D. Clayton, Jeff Cooper, Cresson Kearny, [[James Wesley Rawles]], Howard Ruff, Kurt Saxon, [[Joel Skousen]], Don Stephens, and Mel Tappan.

===1960s===

With the increasing inflation of the 1960s and the impending US monetary [[Devaluation]] (predicted by Harry Browne in his 1970 book ''How You Can Profit from the Coming Devaluation''), as well as the continuing concern with possible nuclear exchanges between the US and the Soviet Union, and the increasing vulnerability of urban centers to supply shortages and other systems failures, a number of primarily conservative and [[Libertarian]] thinkers began suggesting that individual preparations would be wise. Mr. Browne began offering seminars on how to survive a monetary collapse in 1967, with Don Stephens, an architectural design innovator, providing input on how to build and equip a remote survival retreat and providing a copy of his original ''Retreater's Bibliography''(1967) for each seminar participant.

===1970s===
In 1975, Kurt Saxon began publishing a newsletter called ''The Survivor'', which advocated moving to lightly-populated regions to "lay low" during a socio-economic collapse, and setting up fortified enclaves for defense against what he termed "killer karavans"<ref>http://www.textfiles.com/survival/caravans</ref> of looters from urban areas.

In 1976, survival bookseller and author Don Stephens in Washington (author of ''The Survivor's Primer & Up-dated Retreater's Bibliography'', 1976) popularized the term "retreater" and advocated relocating to a rural retreat when society breaks down.

Writers such as Howard Ruff warned about socio-economic collapse and recommended moving to lightly-populated farming regions, most notably in his 1979 book ''How to Prosper During the Coming Bad Years'', a best-seller in 1979.

For a time in the 1970s, the terms "survivalist" and "retreater" were used interchangeably. The term "retreater" eventually fell out of favor.<ref>[http://www.aussurvivalist.com/whatissurvivalismsaxon.htm AusSurvivalist - What is Survivalism?]</ref>

Perhaps the most important newsletter on survivalism and survivalist retreats in the 1970s was the ''Personal Survival ("P.S.") Letter'' (circa 1977-1982) published by Mel Tappan, who also authored the books ''Survival Guns'' and ''Tappan on Survival''. The newsletter included columns from Tappan himself as well from Jeff Cooper, Al J. Venter, Bill Pier, Bruce D. Clayton, Rick Fines, Nancy Mack Tappan, J.B. Wood, Dr. Carl Kirsch, Charles Avery, Karl Hess, Eugene A. Barron, Janet Groene, Dean Ing, Bob Taylor, Reginald Bretnor, C.G. Cobb, and several other writers, some under pen names. The majority of this newsletter revolved around selecting, constructing and logistically equipping survival retreats.<ref>[http://www.frfrogspad.com/persurv.htm Magazine Articles By Jeff Cooper(]</ref> Following Tappan's death in 1980, Karl Hess took over publishing the newsletter, eventually renaming it ''Survival Tomorrow''.

In addition to hard copy newsletters, in the 1970s survivalists got their first online presence with BBS<ref>[http://www.survivalbill.ca Survival Bill]</ref> and [[Usenet]] forums dedicated to survivalism and survival retreats.

===1980s===
Survivalist retreat books of the 1980s were typified by the 1980 book ''Life After Doomsday''<ref>''Life After Doomsday'', by Bruce D. Clayton, [[Dial Press]], ISBN 0-8037-4752-7</ref> by Bruce D. Clayton advocating survival retreats in locales that would minimize fallout and specially-constructing Blast shelters and/or Fallout shelters that would provide Fallout Protection in the event of a [[Nuclear warfare|nuclear war]].

===1990s===
Several books published in the 1990s offered advice on survival retreats and relocation. Some influential in survivalist circles are ''Survival Retreat: A Total Plan For Retreat Defense'' by [[Ragnar Benson]], ''Strategic Relocation--North American Guide to Safe Places'' by [[Joel Skousen]], and ''The Secure Home'', (also by Skousen).

===2000-present===
In recent years, advocacy of survivalist retreats has had a strong resurgence after the [[terrorist]] attacks on the [[World Trade Center]] in [[New York]] in 2001 and similar attacks in Bali, [[Spain]], and [[London]].

Several books published since 2000 advocate survival retreats and relocation. Some that have been particularly influential in survivalist circles are ''How to Implement a High Security Shelter in the Home '' by [[Joel Skousen]], ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]], and ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World'' by Bruce D. Clayton.<ref>[http://www.paladin-press.com/detail.aspx?ID=476 ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World''] by Bruce D. Clayton. Paladin Press, 2002, ISBN 1-58160-326-6</ref>

Online survival websites, forums, and blogs discuss the best locales for survival retreats, how to build, fortify, and equip them, and how to form survivalist retreat groups.<ref>[http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=survivalist&submit=Search Yahoo! Groups : Search Results]</ref>

Economic troubles emerging from the credit collapse triggered by the 2007 US subprime mortgage lending fiasco have prompted a wider cross-section of the populace to get prepared and establish retreats.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref> [[James Wesley Rawles]], the editor of SurvivalBlog was quoted by the ''New York Times'' in April of 2008 that "interest in the survivalist movement 'is experiencing its largest growth since the late 1970s'”. He also stated that his blog's conservative core readership has been supplemented with "an increasing number of stridently green and left-of-center readers."<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Common retreat locale parameters==
Common retreat locale selection parameters include light population density, plentiful water, arable soil, good solar exposure for gardening and photovoltaics, situation above any flood plains, and a diverse and healthy local economy.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html#CONUS SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Fearing rioting, looting and other unrest, many survivalists advocate selecting retreat locales that are more than one tank of gasoline away from any major metropolitan region. Properties that are not in "channelized areas" or on anticipated "refugee lines of drift" are also touted.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/glossary.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Most survivalist writers, such as [[James Wesley Rawles]] recommend living at a retreat year-round,<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> rather than attempting to flee to a retreat at the 11th hour.

One of the key goals of retreats is to be [[autarky|self-sufficient]] for the duration of societal collapse. To that end, plentiful water, and arable soil are paramount considerations. But just behind these, comes isolated, defensible terrain. Typically, retreats do not want their habitation or structure jeopardized by being within line of sight of any major highway.

Because of its low population density and diverse economy, [[James Wesley Rawles]] <ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> and [[Joel Skousen]] <ref>[http://www.joelskousen.com/About/about.html About Joel Skousen]</ref> both recommend the Intermountain west region of the [[United States]], as a preferred region for relocation and setting up retreats. Although it has higher population density, Mel Tappan recommended southwestern [[Oregon]], primarily because it is not down-wind of any envisioned nuclear targets in the United States.

==Retreat organization==
Most survivalist retreats are organized by extended families, but some "group retreats" or "covenant communities" are formed along the lines of an Intentional Community.

==Retreat architecture and security==
Jeff Cooper popularized the concept of hardening retreats against [[small arms]] fire. In an article titled "Notes on Tactical Residential Architecture" in Issue #30 of P.S. Letter (April, 1982), Cooper suggested using the "Vauban Principle", wherein, projecting bastion corners would prevent miscreants from being able to approach a retreat's exterior walls in any blind spots. Retreat building corners with this simplified implementation of a Vauban Star are now called "Cooper Corners" by [[James Wesley Rawles]], in honor of Jeff Cooper.

In both his book ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' and in his survivalist novel, ''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'', Rawles describes in great detail retreat groups "upgrading" brick or other masonry houses with steel reinforced window shutters and doors, the excavation of anti-vehicular ditches, warded gate locks, constructing concertina wire obstacles and fougasses, and setting up listening post/observation posts (LP/OPs.)

Bruce D. Clayton and [[Joel Skousen]] have both written extensively on integrating fallout shelters into retreat homes, but they put less emphasis on ballistic protection and exterior perimeter security than Cooper and Rawles.

==Retreat logistics==
Anticipating long periods of time without commerce in the future, retreat groups typically place a strong emphasis on logistics. They amass stockpiles of supplies for their own use, for charity, and for [[barter]]. Frequently cited key logistics for a retreat include long term storage food, common caliber ammunition, medical supplies, tools, gardening seed, and fuel. In an article titled "Ballistic Wampum" in Issue #6 of P.S. Letter (1979) [[Jeff Cooper]] wrote about stockpiling ammunition far in excess of his own needs, keeping the extra available to use for bartering.

In his books and in his blog (SurvivalBlog), [[James Wesley Rawles]] uses the generic term "beans, bullets and Band Aids" to describe retreat logistics.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>

In their books, Joel Skousen, [[Mel Tappan]] and [[Howard Ruff]] all emphasize the need to have a one year supply of storage food. Rawles recommends a two year supply, as well as storing non-hybrid ([[Open pollination|open pollinated]]) gardening seed.

Even mainstream economist and financial adviser [[Barton Biggs]] is a proponent of well-stocked retreats. In his 2008 book ''Wealth, War and Wisdom'', Biggs has a gloomy outlook for the economic future, and suggests that investors take [[survivalist]] measures. In the book, Biggs recommends that his readers should “assume the possibility of a breakdown of the civilized infrastructure.” he goes so far as to recommend setting up survival retreats: “Your safe haven must be self-sufficient and capable of growing some kind of food,” Mr. Biggs writes. “It should be well-stocked with seed, fertilizer, canned food, wine, medicine, clothes, etc. Think Swiss Family Robinson. Even in America and Europe there could be moments of riot and rebellion when law and order temporarily completely breaks down.”<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Survivalist retreats worldwide==

Survivalist retreats, both formal and informal are popular worldwide, most visibly in Australia, <ref>[http://www.aussurvivalist.com Australian Survivalist (Survivalism in the new millennium)]</ref>, Canada<ref>[http://www.survivalbill.ca/ Survival Bill]</ref>, France<ref>[http://le-projet-olduvai.kanak.fr/index.htm le-projet-olduvai]</ref>, Sweden<ref>[http://systemkollaps.wordpress.com/ Systemkollaps]</ref>,New Zealand and The United States<ref>[http://www.alpharubicon.com AlphaRubicon.com]</ref>.

==In fiction==
===Novels===

[[Robert A. Heinlein]] used survivalist retreats as a theme in much of his science fiction. ''[[Farnham's Freehold]]'' (1964) begins as a story of small group survivalist retreat in a nuclear war. Heinlein also wrote essays such as ''How to be a Survivor''<ref>[http://technohippie.com/archives/beasurvivor.html TechnoHippie.Com: How To Be a Survivor by Robert Heinlein]</ref> which provide advice on preparing for and surviving a nuclear war, including stocking a fallout shelter and retreat.

''[[Lucifer's Hammer]]'' by [[Jerry Pournelle]] and [[Larry Niven]] (1977) is about a cataclysmic comet hitting the Earth, and a group people struggling to survive the aftermath in southern California. Their retreat is an isolated mountain community, which they barricade from outsiders.

''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]] (1998) (editor of SurvivalBlog) is a novel about a full-scale socio-economic collapse and subsequent invasion of the US, which a review has called "a survival manual dressed as fiction."

''Wolf and Iron'' (1990) by [[Gordon Dickson]] describes a systemic societal collapse. The main character "GeeBee" builds and stocks and earth-sheltered retreat, using salvaged materials.

''[[The Postman]]'' by [[David Brin]] (1985) is set in a time after a massive plague and political fracture result in a complete collapse of society. Both the Holnists and townsmen construct fortified retreats.

==See also==
*[[James Wesley Rawles]]
*[[Joel Skousen]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
The text of some books discussing survivalist retreats can be found online:
*[[Fallout Protection]] (1961)<ref>[http://www.sew-lexicon.com/Fallout%20Protection%20Book/TOC_for_H-6.htm Fallout Protection in pdf]</ref>
*''[[Nuclear war survival skills|Nuclear War Survival Skills]]'' by [[Cresson Kearny]] (1979, updated 1987 version) ISBN 0-942487-01-X
*[[Survival Under Atomic Attack]] (1950) <ref>[http://www.schouwer-online.de/technik/zivilschutz_atomicattack.htm SURVIVAL UNDER ATOMIC ATTACK: THE OFFICIAL U.S. GOVERNMENT BOOKLET]</ref>
*''Tappan on Survival'' by [[Mel Tappan]] (1981) ISBN 0-916172-04-X <ref>[http://www.geocities.com/mark_l_anderson/faqs/tapp.txt Tappan on Survival]</ref>
*Textfiles.com archive of articles that circulated online during the [[bulletin board system|BBS]] era, includes several Kurt Saxon articles from his old newsletter: [http://www.textfiles.com/survival/ Article archives]

Survivalist retreat

2008-04-25T03:16:54Z

Fongman: /* Retreat organization */ Removed dead redlink

A '''retreat''' is a commonly used term for a place of refuge for those in the [[Survivalist]] movement. Survivalist retreats are intended to be self-sufficient and are generally located in lightly-populated rural areas.

==History==
While fallout shelters have been advocated since the 1950s, dedicated self-sufficient survivalist retreats have been advocated only since the mid-1970s, The survival retreat concept has been touted by a number of influential Survivalist writers including [[Ragnar Benson]], Bruce D. Clayton, Jeff Cooper, Cresson Kearny, [[James Wesley Rawles]], Howard Ruff, Kurt Saxon, [[Joel Skousen]], Don Stephens, and Mel Tappan.

===1960s===

With the increasing inflation of the 1960s and the impending US monetary [[Devaluation]] (predicted by Harry Browne in his 1970 book ''How You Can Profit from the Coming Devaluation''), as well as the continuing concern with possible nuclear exchanges between the US and the Soviet Union, and the increasing vulnerability of urban centers to supply shortages and other systems failures, a number of primarily conservative and [[Libertarian]] thinkers began suggesting that individual preparations would be wise. Mr. Browne began offering seminars on how to survive a monetary collapse in 1967, with Don Stephens, an architectural design innovator, providing input on how to build and equip a remote survival retreat and providing a copy of his original ''Retreater's Bibliography''(1967) for each seminar participant.

===1970s===
In 1975, Kurt Saxon began publishing a newsletter called ''The Survivor'', which advocated moving to lightly-populated regions to "lay low" during a socio-economic collapse, and setting up fortified enclaves for defense against what he termed "killer karavans"<ref>http://www.textfiles.com/survival/caravans</ref> of looters from urban areas.

In 1976, survival bookseller and author Don Stephens in Washington (author of ''The Survivor's Primer & Up-dated Retreater's Bibliography'', 1976) popularized the term "retreater" and advocated relocating to a rural retreat when society breaks down.

Writers such as Howard Ruff warned about socio-economic collapse and recommended moving to lightly-populated farming regions, most notably in his 1979 book ''How to Prosper During the Coming Bad Years'', a best-seller in 1979.

For a time in the 1970s, the terms "survivalist" and "retreater" were used interchangeably. The term "retreater" eventually fell out of favor.<ref>[http://www.aussurvivalist.com/whatissurvivalismsaxon.htm AusSurvivalist - What is Survivalism?]</ref>

Perhaps the most important newsletter on survivalism and survivalist retreats in the 1970s was the ''Personal Survival ("P.S.") Letter'' (circa 1977-1982) published by Mel Tappan, who also authored the books ''Survival Guns'' and ''Tappan on Survival''. The newsletter included columns from Tappan himself as well from Jeff Cooper, Al J. Venter, Bill Pier, Bruce D. Clayton, Rick Fines, Nancy Mack Tappan, J.B. Wood, Dr. Carl Kirsch, Charles Avery, Karl Hess, Eugene A. Barron, Janet Groene, Dean Ing, Bob Taylor, Reginald Bretnor, C.G. Cobb, and several other writers, some under pen names. The majority of this newsletter revolved around selecting, constructing and logistically equipping survival retreats.<ref>[http://www.frfrogspad.com/persurv.htm Magazine Articles By Jeff Cooper(]</ref> Following Tappan's death in 1980, Karl Hess took over publishing the newsletter, eventually renaming it ''Survival Tomorrow''.

In addition to hard copy newsletters, in the 1970s survivalists got their first online presence with BBS<ref>[http://www.survivalbill.ca Survival Bill]</ref> and [[Usenet]] forums dedicated to survivalism and survival retreats.

===1980s===
Survivalist retreat books of the 1980s were typified by the 1980 book ''Life After Doomsday''<ref>''Life After Doomsday'', by Bruce D. Clayton, [[Dial Press]], ISBN 0-8037-4752-7</ref> by Bruce D. Clayton advocating survival retreats in locales that would minimize fallout and specially-constructing Blast shelters and/or Fallout shelters that would provide Fallout Protection in the event of a [[Nuclear warfare|nuclear war]].

===1990s===
Several books published in the 1990s offered advice on survival retreats and relocation. Some influential in survivalist circles are ''Survival Retreat: A Total Plan For Retreat Defense'' by [[Ragnar Benson]], ''Strategic Relocation--North American Guide to Safe Places'' by [[Joel Skousen]], and ''The Secure Home'', (also by Skousen).

===2000-present===
In recent years, advocacy of survivalist retreats has had a strong resurgence after the [[terrorist]] attacks on the [[World Trade Center]] in [[New York]] in 2001 and similar attacks in Bali, [[Spain]], and [[London]].

Several books published since 2000 advocate survival retreats and relocation. Some that have been particularly influential in survivalist circles are ''How to Implement a High Security Shelter in the Home '' by [[Joel Skousen]], ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]], and ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World'' by Bruce D. Clayton.<ref>[http://www.paladin-press.com/detail.aspx?ID=476 ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World''] by Bruce D. Clayton. Paladin Press, 2002, ISBN 1-58160-326-6</ref>

Online survival websites, forums, and blogs discuss the best locales for survival retreats, how to build, fortify, and equip them, and how to form survivalist retreat groups.<ref>[http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=survivalist&submit=Search Yahoo! Groups : Search Results]</ref>

Economic troubles emerging from the credit collapse triggered by the 2007 US subprime mortgage lending fiasco have prompted a wider cross-section of the populace to get prepared and establish retreats.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref> [[James Wesley Rawles]], the editor of SurvivalBlog was quoted by the ''New York Times'' in April of 2008 that "interest in the survivalist movement 'is experiencing its largest growth since the late 1970s'”. He also stated that his blog's conservative core readership has been supplemented with "an increasing number of stridently green and left-of-center readers."<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Common retreat locale parameters==
Common retreat locale selection parameters include light population density, plentiful water, arable soil, good solar exposure for gardening and photovoltaics, situation above any flood plains, and a diverse and healthy local economy.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html#CONUS SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Fearing rioting, looting and other unrest, many survivalists advocate selecting retreat locales that are more than one tank of gasoline away from any major metropolitan region. Properties that are not in "channelized areas" or on anticipated "refugee lines of drift" are also touted.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/glossary.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Most survivalist writers, such as [[James Wesley Rawles]] recommend living at a retreat year-round,<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> rather than attempting to flee to a retreat at the 11th hour.

One of the key goals of retreats is to be [[autarky|self-sufficient]] for the duration of societal collapse. To that end, plentiful water, and arable soil are paramount considerations. But just behind these, comes isolated, defensible terrain. Typically, retreats do not want their habitation or structure jeopardized by being within line of sight of any major highway.

Because of its low population density and diverse economy, [[James Wesley Rawles]] <ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> and [[Joel Skousen]] <ref>[http://www.joelskousen.com/About/about.html About Joel Skousen]</ref> both recommend the Intermountain west region of the [[United States]], as a preferred region for relocation and setting up retreats. Although it has higher population density, Mel Tappan recommended southwestern [[Oregon]], primarily because it is not down-wind of any envisioned nuclear targets in the United States.

==Retreat organization==
Most survivalist retreats are organized by extended families, but some "group retreats" or "covenant communities" are formed along the lines of an Intentional Community.

==Retreat architecture and security==
[[Jeff Cooper]] popularized the concept of hardening retreats against [[small arms]] fire. In an article titled "Notes on Tactical Residential Architecture" in Issue #30 of P.S. Letter (April, 1982), Cooper suggested using the "[[Vauban]] Principle", wherein, projecting bastion corners would prevent miscreants from being able to approach a retreat's exterior walls in any blind spots. Retreat building corners with this simplified implementation of a Vauban Star are now called "Cooper Corners" by [[James Wesley Rawles]], in honor of Jeff Cooper.

In both his book ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' and in his survivalist novel, ''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'', Rawles describes in great detail retreat groups "upgrading" brick or other masonry houses with steel reinforced window shutters and doors, the excavation of anti-vehicular ditches, warded gate locks, constructing [[concertina wire]] obstacles and [[Fougasse (weapon)|fougasse]]s, and setting up listening post/[[observation post]]s (LP/OPs.)

[[Bruce D. Clayton]] and [[Joel Skousen]] have both written extensively on integrating fallout shelters into retreat homes, but they put less emphasis on ballistic protection and exterior perimeter security than Cooper and Rawles.

==Retreat logistics==
Anticipating long periods of time without commerce in the future, retreat groups typically place a strong emphasis on logistics. They amass stockpiles of supplies for their own use, for charity, and for [[barter]]. Frequently cited key logistics for a retreat include long term storage food, common caliber ammunition, medical supplies, tools, gardening seed, and fuel. In an article titled "Ballistic Wampum" in Issue #6 of P.S. Letter (1979) [[Jeff Cooper]] wrote about stockpiling ammunition far in excess of his own needs, keeping the extra available to use for bartering.

In his books and in his blog (SurvivalBlog), [[James Wesley Rawles]] uses the generic term "beans, bullets and Band Aids" to describe retreat logistics.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>

In their books, Joel Skousen, [[Mel Tappan]] and [[Howard Ruff]] all emphasize the need to have a one year supply of storage food. Rawles recommends a two year supply, as well as storing non-hybrid ([[Open pollination|open pollinated]]) gardening seed.

Even mainstream economist and financial adviser [[Barton Biggs]] is a proponent of well-stocked retreats. In his 2008 book ''Wealth, War and Wisdom'', Biggs has a gloomy outlook for the economic future, and suggests that investors take [[survivalist]] measures. In the book, Biggs recommends that his readers should “assume the possibility of a breakdown of the civilized infrastructure.” he goes so far as to recommend setting up survival retreats: “Your safe haven must be self-sufficient and capable of growing some kind of food,” Mr. Biggs writes. “It should be well-stocked with seed, fertilizer, canned food, wine, medicine, clothes, etc. Think Swiss Family Robinson. Even in America and Europe there could be moments of riot and rebellion when law and order temporarily completely breaks down.”<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Survivalist retreats worldwide==

Survivalist retreats, both formal and informal are popular worldwide, most visibly in Australia, <ref>[http://www.aussurvivalist.com Australian Survivalist (Survivalism in the new millennium)]</ref>, Canada<ref>[http://www.survivalbill.ca/ Survival Bill]</ref>, France<ref>[http://le-projet-olduvai.kanak.fr/index.htm le-projet-olduvai]</ref>, Sweden<ref>[http://systemkollaps.wordpress.com/ Systemkollaps]</ref>,New Zealand and The United States<ref>[http://www.alpharubicon.com AlphaRubicon.com]</ref>.

==In fiction==
===Novels===

[[Robert A. Heinlein]] used survivalist retreats as a theme in much of his science fiction. ''[[Farnham's Freehold]]'' (1964) begins as a story of small group survivalist retreat in a nuclear war. Heinlein also wrote essays such as ''How to be a Survivor''<ref>[http://technohippie.com/archives/beasurvivor.html TechnoHippie.Com: How To Be a Survivor by Robert Heinlein]</ref> which provide advice on preparing for and surviving a nuclear war, including stocking a fallout shelter and retreat.

''[[Lucifer's Hammer]]'' by [[Jerry Pournelle]] and [[Larry Niven]] (1977) is about a cataclysmic comet hitting the Earth, and a group people struggling to survive the aftermath in southern California. Their retreat is an isolated mountain community, which they barricade from outsiders.

''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]] (1998) (editor of SurvivalBlog) is a novel about a full-scale socio-economic collapse and subsequent invasion of the US, which a review has called "a survival manual dressed as fiction."

''Wolf and Iron'' (1990) by [[Gordon Dickson]] describes a systemic societal collapse. The main character "GeeBee" builds and stocks and earth-sheltered retreat, using salvaged materials.

''[[The Postman]]'' by [[David Brin]] (1985) is set in a time after a massive plague and political fracture result in a complete collapse of society. Both the Holnists and townsmen construct fortified retreats.

==See also==
*[[James Wesley Rawles]]
*[[Joel Skousen]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
The text of some books discussing survivalist retreats can be found online:
*[[Fallout Protection]] (1961)<ref>[http://www.sew-lexicon.com/Fallout%20Protection%20Book/TOC_for_H-6.htm Fallout Protection in pdf]</ref>
*''[[Nuclear war survival skills|Nuclear War Survival Skills]]'' by [[Cresson Kearny]] (1979, updated 1987 version) ISBN 0-942487-01-X
*[[Survival Under Atomic Attack]] (1950) <ref>[http://www.schouwer-online.de/technik/zivilschutz_atomicattack.htm SURVIVAL UNDER ATOMIC ATTACK: THE OFFICIAL U.S. GOVERNMENT BOOKLET]</ref>
*''Tappan on Survival'' by [[Mel Tappan]] (1981) ISBN 0-916172-04-X <ref>[http://www.geocities.com/mark_l_anderson/faqs/tapp.txt Tappan on Survival]</ref>
*Textfiles.com archive of articles that circulated online during the [[bulletin board system|BBS]] era, includes several Kurt Saxon articles from his old newsletter: [http://www.textfiles.com/survival/ Article archives]

Survivalist retreat

2008-04-25T03:16:33Z

Fongman: /* Common retreat locale parameters */ Removed dead redlinks

A '''retreat''' is a commonly used term for a place of refuge for those in the [[Survivalist]] movement. Survivalist retreats are intended to be self-sufficient and are generally located in lightly-populated rural areas.

==History==
While fallout shelters have been advocated since the 1950s, dedicated self-sufficient survivalist retreats have been advocated only since the mid-1970s, The survival retreat concept has been touted by a number of influential Survivalist writers including [[Ragnar Benson]], Bruce D. Clayton, Jeff Cooper, Cresson Kearny, [[James Wesley Rawles]], Howard Ruff, Kurt Saxon, [[Joel Skousen]], Don Stephens, and Mel Tappan.

===1960s===

With the increasing inflation of the 1960s and the impending US monetary [[Devaluation]] (predicted by Harry Browne in his 1970 book ''How You Can Profit from the Coming Devaluation''), as well as the continuing concern with possible nuclear exchanges between the US and the Soviet Union, and the increasing vulnerability of urban centers to supply shortages and other systems failures, a number of primarily conservative and [[Libertarian]] thinkers began suggesting that individual preparations would be wise. Mr. Browne began offering seminars on how to survive a monetary collapse in 1967, with Don Stephens, an architectural design innovator, providing input on how to build and equip a remote survival retreat and providing a copy of his original ''Retreater's Bibliography''(1967) for each seminar participant.

===1970s===
In 1975, Kurt Saxon began publishing a newsletter called ''The Survivor'', which advocated moving to lightly-populated regions to "lay low" during a socio-economic collapse, and setting up fortified enclaves for defense against what he termed "killer karavans"<ref>http://www.textfiles.com/survival/caravans</ref> of looters from urban areas.

In 1976, survival bookseller and author Don Stephens in Washington (author of ''The Survivor's Primer & Up-dated Retreater's Bibliography'', 1976) popularized the term "retreater" and advocated relocating to a rural retreat when society breaks down.

Writers such as Howard Ruff warned about socio-economic collapse and recommended moving to lightly-populated farming regions, most notably in his 1979 book ''How to Prosper During the Coming Bad Years'', a best-seller in 1979.

For a time in the 1970s, the terms "survivalist" and "retreater" were used interchangeably. The term "retreater" eventually fell out of favor.<ref>[http://www.aussurvivalist.com/whatissurvivalismsaxon.htm AusSurvivalist - What is Survivalism?]</ref>

Perhaps the most important newsletter on survivalism and survivalist retreats in the 1970s was the ''Personal Survival ("P.S.") Letter'' (circa 1977-1982) published by Mel Tappan, who also authored the books ''Survival Guns'' and ''Tappan on Survival''. The newsletter included columns from Tappan himself as well from Jeff Cooper, Al J. Venter, Bill Pier, Bruce D. Clayton, Rick Fines, Nancy Mack Tappan, J.B. Wood, Dr. Carl Kirsch, Charles Avery, Karl Hess, Eugene A. Barron, Janet Groene, Dean Ing, Bob Taylor, Reginald Bretnor, C.G. Cobb, and several other writers, some under pen names. The majority of this newsletter revolved around selecting, constructing and logistically equipping survival retreats.<ref>[http://www.frfrogspad.com/persurv.htm Magazine Articles By Jeff Cooper(]</ref> Following Tappan's death in 1980, Karl Hess took over publishing the newsletter, eventually renaming it ''Survival Tomorrow''.

In addition to hard copy newsletters, in the 1970s survivalists got their first online presence with BBS<ref>[http://www.survivalbill.ca Survival Bill]</ref> and [[Usenet]] forums dedicated to survivalism and survival retreats.

===1980s===
Survivalist retreat books of the 1980s were typified by the 1980 book ''Life After Doomsday''<ref>''Life After Doomsday'', by Bruce D. Clayton, [[Dial Press]], ISBN 0-8037-4752-7</ref> by Bruce D. Clayton advocating survival retreats in locales that would minimize fallout and specially-constructing Blast shelters and/or Fallout shelters that would provide Fallout Protection in the event of a [[Nuclear warfare|nuclear war]].

===1990s===
Several books published in the 1990s offered advice on survival retreats and relocation. Some influential in survivalist circles are ''Survival Retreat: A Total Plan For Retreat Defense'' by [[Ragnar Benson]], ''Strategic Relocation--North American Guide to Safe Places'' by [[Joel Skousen]], and ''The Secure Home'', (also by Skousen).

===2000-present===
In recent years, advocacy of survivalist retreats has had a strong resurgence after the [[terrorist]] attacks on the [[World Trade Center]] in [[New York]] in 2001 and similar attacks in Bali, [[Spain]], and [[London]].

Several books published since 2000 advocate survival retreats and relocation. Some that have been particularly influential in survivalist circles are ''How to Implement a High Security Shelter in the Home '' by [[Joel Skousen]], ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]], and ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World'' by Bruce D. Clayton.<ref>[http://www.paladin-press.com/detail.aspx?ID=476 ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World''] by Bruce D. Clayton. Paladin Press, 2002, ISBN 1-58160-326-6</ref>

Online survival websites, forums, and blogs discuss the best locales for survival retreats, how to build, fortify, and equip them, and how to form survivalist retreat groups.<ref>[http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=survivalist&submit=Search Yahoo! Groups : Search Results]</ref>

Economic troubles emerging from the credit collapse triggered by the 2007 US subprime mortgage lending fiasco have prompted a wider cross-section of the populace to get prepared and establish retreats.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref> [[James Wesley Rawles]], the editor of SurvivalBlog was quoted by the ''New York Times'' in April of 2008 that "interest in the survivalist movement 'is experiencing its largest growth since the late 1970s'”. He also stated that his blog's conservative core readership has been supplemented with "an increasing number of stridently green and left-of-center readers."<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Common retreat locale parameters==
Common retreat locale selection parameters include light population density, plentiful water, arable soil, good solar exposure for gardening and photovoltaics, situation above any flood plains, and a diverse and healthy local economy.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html#CONUS SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Fearing rioting, looting and other unrest, many survivalists advocate selecting retreat locales that are more than one tank of gasoline away from any major metropolitan region. Properties that are not in "channelized areas" or on anticipated "refugee lines of drift" are also touted.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/glossary.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Most survivalist writers, such as [[James Wesley Rawles]] recommend living at a retreat year-round,<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> rather than attempting to flee to a retreat at the 11th hour.

One of the key goals of retreats is to be [[autarky|self-sufficient]] for the duration of societal collapse. To that end, plentiful water, and arable soil are paramount considerations. But just behind these, comes isolated, defensible terrain. Typically, retreats do not want their habitation or structure jeopardized by being within line of sight of any major highway.

Because of its low population density and diverse economy, [[James Wesley Rawles]] <ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> and [[Joel Skousen]] <ref>[http://www.joelskousen.com/About/about.html About Joel Skousen]</ref> both recommend the Intermountain west region of the [[United States]], as a preferred region for relocation and setting up retreats. Although it has higher population density, Mel Tappan recommended southwestern [[Oregon]], primarily because it is not down-wind of any envisioned nuclear targets in the United States.

==Retreat organization==
Most survivalist retreats are organized by extended families, but some "group retreats" or "covenant communities" are formed along the lines of an [[Intentional Community]].

==Retreat architecture and security==
[[Jeff Cooper]] popularized the concept of hardening retreats against [[small arms]] fire. In an article titled "Notes on Tactical Residential Architecture" in Issue #30 of P.S. Letter (April, 1982), Cooper suggested using the "[[Vauban]] Principle", wherein, projecting bastion corners would prevent miscreants from being able to approach a retreat's exterior walls in any blind spots. Retreat building corners with this simplified implementation of a Vauban Star are now called "Cooper Corners" by [[James Wesley Rawles]], in honor of Jeff Cooper.

In both his book ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' and in his survivalist novel, ''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'', Rawles describes in great detail retreat groups "upgrading" brick or other masonry houses with steel reinforced window shutters and doors, the excavation of anti-vehicular ditches, warded gate locks, constructing [[concertina wire]] obstacles and [[Fougasse (weapon)|fougasse]]s, and setting up listening post/[[observation post]]s (LP/OPs.)

[[Bruce D. Clayton]] and [[Joel Skousen]] have both written extensively on integrating fallout shelters into retreat homes, but they put less emphasis on ballistic protection and exterior perimeter security than Cooper and Rawles.

==Retreat logistics==
Anticipating long periods of time without commerce in the future, retreat groups typically place a strong emphasis on logistics. They amass stockpiles of supplies for their own use, for charity, and for [[barter]]. Frequently cited key logistics for a retreat include long term storage food, common caliber ammunition, medical supplies, tools, gardening seed, and fuel. In an article titled "Ballistic Wampum" in Issue #6 of P.S. Letter (1979) [[Jeff Cooper]] wrote about stockpiling ammunition far in excess of his own needs, keeping the extra available to use for bartering.

In his books and in his blog (SurvivalBlog), [[James Wesley Rawles]] uses the generic term "beans, bullets and Band Aids" to describe retreat logistics.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>

In their books, Joel Skousen, [[Mel Tappan]] and [[Howard Ruff]] all emphasize the need to have a one year supply of storage food. Rawles recommends a two year supply, as well as storing non-hybrid ([[Open pollination|open pollinated]]) gardening seed.

Even mainstream economist and financial adviser [[Barton Biggs]] is a proponent of well-stocked retreats. In his 2008 book ''Wealth, War and Wisdom'', Biggs has a gloomy outlook for the economic future, and suggests that investors take [[survivalist]] measures. In the book, Biggs recommends that his readers should “assume the possibility of a breakdown of the civilized infrastructure.” he goes so far as to recommend setting up survival retreats: “Your safe haven must be self-sufficient and capable of growing some kind of food,” Mr. Biggs writes. “It should be well-stocked with seed, fertilizer, canned food, wine, medicine, clothes, etc. Think Swiss Family Robinson. Even in America and Europe there could be moments of riot and rebellion when law and order temporarily completely breaks down.”<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Survivalist retreats worldwide==

Survivalist retreats, both formal and informal are popular worldwide, most visibly in Australia, <ref>[http://www.aussurvivalist.com Australian Survivalist (Survivalism in the new millennium)]</ref>, Canada<ref>[http://www.survivalbill.ca/ Survival Bill]</ref>, France<ref>[http://le-projet-olduvai.kanak.fr/index.htm le-projet-olduvai]</ref>, Sweden<ref>[http://systemkollaps.wordpress.com/ Systemkollaps]</ref>,New Zealand and The United States<ref>[http://www.alpharubicon.com AlphaRubicon.com]</ref>.

==In fiction==
===Novels===

[[Robert A. Heinlein]] used survivalist retreats as a theme in much of his science fiction. ''[[Farnham's Freehold]]'' (1964) begins as a story of small group survivalist retreat in a nuclear war. Heinlein also wrote essays such as ''How to be a Survivor''<ref>[http://technohippie.com/archives/beasurvivor.html TechnoHippie.Com: How To Be a Survivor by Robert Heinlein]</ref> which provide advice on preparing for and surviving a nuclear war, including stocking a fallout shelter and retreat.

''[[Lucifer's Hammer]]'' by [[Jerry Pournelle]] and [[Larry Niven]] (1977) is about a cataclysmic comet hitting the Earth, and a group people struggling to survive the aftermath in southern California. Their retreat is an isolated mountain community, which they barricade from outsiders.

''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]] (1998) (editor of SurvivalBlog) is a novel about a full-scale socio-economic collapse and subsequent invasion of the US, which a review has called "a survival manual dressed as fiction."

''Wolf and Iron'' (1990) by [[Gordon Dickson]] describes a systemic societal collapse. The main character "GeeBee" builds and stocks and earth-sheltered retreat, using salvaged materials.

''[[The Postman]]'' by [[David Brin]] (1985) is set in a time after a massive plague and political fracture result in a complete collapse of society. Both the Holnists and townsmen construct fortified retreats.

==See also==
*[[James Wesley Rawles]]
*[[Joel Skousen]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
The text of some books discussing survivalist retreats can be found online:
*[[Fallout Protection]] (1961)<ref>[http://www.sew-lexicon.com/Fallout%20Protection%20Book/TOC_for_H-6.htm Fallout Protection in pdf]</ref>
*''[[Nuclear war survival skills|Nuclear War Survival Skills]]'' by [[Cresson Kearny]] (1979, updated 1987 version) ISBN 0-942487-01-X
*[[Survival Under Atomic Attack]] (1950) <ref>[http://www.schouwer-online.de/technik/zivilschutz_atomicattack.htm SURVIVAL UNDER ATOMIC ATTACK: THE OFFICIAL U.S. GOVERNMENT BOOKLET]</ref>
*''Tappan on Survival'' by [[Mel Tappan]] (1981) ISBN 0-916172-04-X <ref>[http://www.geocities.com/mark_l_anderson/faqs/tapp.txt Tappan on Survival]</ref>
*Textfiles.com archive of articles that circulated online during the [[bulletin board system|BBS]] era, includes several Kurt Saxon articles from his old newsletter: [http://www.textfiles.com/survival/ Article archives]

Survivalist retreat

2008-04-25T03:15:44Z

Fongman: /* 2000-present */ Removed dead redlinks

A '''retreat''' is a commonly used term for a place of refuge for those in the [[Survivalist]] movement. Survivalist retreats are intended to be self-sufficient and are generally located in lightly-populated rural areas.

==History==
While fallout shelters have been advocated since the 1950s, dedicated self-sufficient survivalist retreats have been advocated only since the mid-1970s, The survival retreat concept has been touted by a number of influential Survivalist writers including [[Ragnar Benson]], Bruce D. Clayton, Jeff Cooper, Cresson Kearny, [[James Wesley Rawles]], Howard Ruff, Kurt Saxon, [[Joel Skousen]], Don Stephens, and Mel Tappan.

===1960s===

With the increasing inflation of the 1960s and the impending US monetary [[Devaluation]] (predicted by Harry Browne in his 1970 book ''How You Can Profit from the Coming Devaluation''), as well as the continuing concern with possible nuclear exchanges between the US and the Soviet Union, and the increasing vulnerability of urban centers to supply shortages and other systems failures, a number of primarily conservative and [[Libertarian]] thinkers began suggesting that individual preparations would be wise. Mr. Browne began offering seminars on how to survive a monetary collapse in 1967, with Don Stephens, an architectural design innovator, providing input on how to build and equip a remote survival retreat and providing a copy of his original ''Retreater's Bibliography''(1967) for each seminar participant.

===1970s===
In 1975, Kurt Saxon began publishing a newsletter called ''The Survivor'', which advocated moving to lightly-populated regions to "lay low" during a socio-economic collapse, and setting up fortified enclaves for defense against what he termed "killer karavans"<ref>http://www.textfiles.com/survival/caravans</ref> of looters from urban areas.

In 1976, survival bookseller and author Don Stephens in Washington (author of ''The Survivor's Primer & Up-dated Retreater's Bibliography'', 1976) popularized the term "retreater" and advocated relocating to a rural retreat when society breaks down.

Writers such as Howard Ruff warned about socio-economic collapse and recommended moving to lightly-populated farming regions, most notably in his 1979 book ''How to Prosper During the Coming Bad Years'', a best-seller in 1979.

For a time in the 1970s, the terms "survivalist" and "retreater" were used interchangeably. The term "retreater" eventually fell out of favor.<ref>[http://www.aussurvivalist.com/whatissurvivalismsaxon.htm AusSurvivalist - What is Survivalism?]</ref>

Perhaps the most important newsletter on survivalism and survivalist retreats in the 1970s was the ''Personal Survival ("P.S.") Letter'' (circa 1977-1982) published by Mel Tappan, who also authored the books ''Survival Guns'' and ''Tappan on Survival''. The newsletter included columns from Tappan himself as well from Jeff Cooper, Al J. Venter, Bill Pier, Bruce D. Clayton, Rick Fines, Nancy Mack Tappan, J.B. Wood, Dr. Carl Kirsch, Charles Avery, Karl Hess, Eugene A. Barron, Janet Groene, Dean Ing, Bob Taylor, Reginald Bretnor, C.G. Cobb, and several other writers, some under pen names. The majority of this newsletter revolved around selecting, constructing and logistically equipping survival retreats.<ref>[http://www.frfrogspad.com/persurv.htm Magazine Articles By Jeff Cooper(]</ref> Following Tappan's death in 1980, Karl Hess took over publishing the newsletter, eventually renaming it ''Survival Tomorrow''.

In addition to hard copy newsletters, in the 1970s survivalists got their first online presence with BBS<ref>[http://www.survivalbill.ca Survival Bill]</ref> and [[Usenet]] forums dedicated to survivalism and survival retreats.

===1980s===
Survivalist retreat books of the 1980s were typified by the 1980 book ''Life After Doomsday''<ref>''Life After Doomsday'', by Bruce D. Clayton, [[Dial Press]], ISBN 0-8037-4752-7</ref> by Bruce D. Clayton advocating survival retreats in locales that would minimize fallout and specially-constructing Blast shelters and/or Fallout shelters that would provide Fallout Protection in the event of a [[Nuclear warfare|nuclear war]].

===1990s===
Several books published in the 1990s offered advice on survival retreats and relocation. Some influential in survivalist circles are ''Survival Retreat: A Total Plan For Retreat Defense'' by [[Ragnar Benson]], ''Strategic Relocation--North American Guide to Safe Places'' by [[Joel Skousen]], and ''The Secure Home'', (also by Skousen).

===2000-present===
In recent years, advocacy of survivalist retreats has had a strong resurgence after the [[terrorist]] attacks on the [[World Trade Center]] in [[New York]] in 2001 and similar attacks in Bali, [[Spain]], and [[London]].

Several books published since 2000 advocate survival retreats and relocation. Some that have been particularly influential in survivalist circles are ''How to Implement a High Security Shelter in the Home '' by [[Joel Skousen]], ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]], and ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World'' by Bruce D. Clayton.<ref>[http://www.paladin-press.com/detail.aspx?ID=476 ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World''] by Bruce D. Clayton. Paladin Press, 2002, ISBN 1-58160-326-6</ref>

Online survival websites, forums, and blogs discuss the best locales for survival retreats, how to build, fortify, and equip them, and how to form survivalist retreat groups.<ref>[http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=survivalist&submit=Search Yahoo! Groups : Search Results]</ref>

Economic troubles emerging from the credit collapse triggered by the 2007 US subprime mortgage lending fiasco have prompted a wider cross-section of the populace to get prepared and establish retreats.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref> [[James Wesley Rawles]], the editor of SurvivalBlog was quoted by the ''New York Times'' in April of 2008 that "interest in the survivalist movement 'is experiencing its largest growth since the late 1970s'”. He also stated that his blog's conservative core readership has been supplemented with "an increasing number of stridently green and left-of-center readers."<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Common retreat locale parameters==
Common retreat locale selection parameters include light population density, plentiful water, arable soil, good solar exposure for gardening and [[photovoltaics]], situation above any flood plains, and a diverse and healthy local economy.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html#CONUS SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Fearing rioting, looting and other unrest, many survivalists advocate selecting retreat locales that are more than one tank of gasoline away from any major metropolitan region. Properties that are not in "channelized areas" or on anticipated "refugee lines of drift" are also touted.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/glossary.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Most survivalist writers, such as [[James Wesley Rawles]] recommend living at a retreat year-round,<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> rather than attempting to flee to a retreat at the 11th hour.

One of the key goals of retreats is to be [[autarky|self-sufficient]] for the duration of societal collapse. To that end, plentiful water, and arable soil are paramount considerations. But just behind these, comes isolated, defensible terrain. Typically, retreats do not want their habitation or structure jeopardized by being within line of sight of any major highway.

Because of its low population density and diverse economy, [[James Wesley Rawles]] <ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> and [[Joel Skousen]] <ref>[http://www.joelskousen.com/About/about.html About Joel Skousen]</ref> both recommend the [[Intermountain west|Intermountain west]] region of the [[United States]], as a preferred region for relocation and setting up retreats. Although it has higher population density, [[Mel Tappan]] recommended southwestern [[Oregon]], primarily because it is not down-wind of any envisioned nuclear targets in the United States.

==Retreat organization==
Most survivalist retreats are organized by extended families, but some "group retreats" or "covenant communities" are formed along the lines of an [[Intentional Community]].

==Retreat architecture and security==
[[Jeff Cooper]] popularized the concept of hardening retreats against [[small arms]] fire. In an article titled "Notes on Tactical Residential Architecture" in Issue #30 of P.S. Letter (April, 1982), Cooper suggested using the "[[Vauban]] Principle", wherein, projecting bastion corners would prevent miscreants from being able to approach a retreat's exterior walls in any blind spots. Retreat building corners with this simplified implementation of a Vauban Star are now called "Cooper Corners" by [[James Wesley Rawles]], in honor of Jeff Cooper.

In both his book ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' and in his survivalist novel, ''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'', Rawles describes in great detail retreat groups "upgrading" brick or other masonry houses with steel reinforced window shutters and doors, the excavation of anti-vehicular ditches, warded gate locks, constructing [[concertina wire]] obstacles and [[Fougasse (weapon)|fougasse]]s, and setting up listening post/[[observation post]]s (LP/OPs.)

[[Bruce D. Clayton]] and [[Joel Skousen]] have both written extensively on integrating fallout shelters into retreat homes, but they put less emphasis on ballistic protection and exterior perimeter security than Cooper and Rawles.

==Retreat logistics==
Anticipating long periods of time without commerce in the future, retreat groups typically place a strong emphasis on logistics. They amass stockpiles of supplies for their own use, for charity, and for [[barter]]. Frequently cited key logistics for a retreat include long term storage food, common caliber ammunition, medical supplies, tools, gardening seed, and fuel. In an article titled "Ballistic Wampum" in Issue #6 of P.S. Letter (1979) [[Jeff Cooper]] wrote about stockpiling ammunition far in excess of his own needs, keeping the extra available to use for bartering.

In his books and in his blog (SurvivalBlog), [[James Wesley Rawles]] uses the generic term "beans, bullets and Band Aids" to describe retreat logistics.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>

In their books, Joel Skousen, [[Mel Tappan]] and [[Howard Ruff]] all emphasize the need to have a one year supply of storage food. Rawles recommends a two year supply, as well as storing non-hybrid ([[Open pollination|open pollinated]]) gardening seed.

Even mainstream economist and financial adviser [[Barton Biggs]] is a proponent of well-stocked retreats. In his 2008 book ''Wealth, War and Wisdom'', Biggs has a gloomy outlook for the economic future, and suggests that investors take [[survivalist]] measures. In the book, Biggs recommends that his readers should “assume the possibility of a breakdown of the civilized infrastructure.” he goes so far as to recommend setting up survival retreats: “Your safe haven must be self-sufficient and capable of growing some kind of food,” Mr. Biggs writes. “It should be well-stocked with seed, fertilizer, canned food, wine, medicine, clothes, etc. Think Swiss Family Robinson. Even in America and Europe there could be moments of riot and rebellion when law and order temporarily completely breaks down.”<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Survivalist retreats worldwide==

Survivalist retreats, both formal and informal are popular worldwide, most visibly in Australia, <ref>[http://www.aussurvivalist.com Australian Survivalist (Survivalism in the new millennium)]</ref>, Canada<ref>[http://www.survivalbill.ca/ Survival Bill]</ref>, France<ref>[http://le-projet-olduvai.kanak.fr/index.htm le-projet-olduvai]</ref>, Sweden<ref>[http://systemkollaps.wordpress.com/ Systemkollaps]</ref>,New Zealand and The United States<ref>[http://www.alpharubicon.com AlphaRubicon.com]</ref>.

==In fiction==
===Novels===

[[Robert A. Heinlein]] used survivalist retreats as a theme in much of his science fiction. ''[[Farnham's Freehold]]'' (1964) begins as a story of small group survivalist retreat in a nuclear war. Heinlein also wrote essays such as ''How to be a Survivor''<ref>[http://technohippie.com/archives/beasurvivor.html TechnoHippie.Com: How To Be a Survivor by Robert Heinlein]</ref> which provide advice on preparing for and surviving a nuclear war, including stocking a fallout shelter and retreat.

''[[Lucifer's Hammer]]'' by [[Jerry Pournelle]] and [[Larry Niven]] (1977) is about a cataclysmic comet hitting the Earth, and a group people struggling to survive the aftermath in southern California. Their retreat is an isolated mountain community, which they barricade from outsiders.

''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]] (1998) (editor of SurvivalBlog) is a novel about a full-scale socio-economic collapse and subsequent invasion of the US, which a review has called "a survival manual dressed as fiction."

''Wolf and Iron'' (1990) by [[Gordon Dickson]] describes a systemic societal collapse. The main character "GeeBee" builds and stocks and earth-sheltered retreat, using salvaged materials.

''[[The Postman]]'' by [[David Brin]] (1985) is set in a time after a massive plague and political fracture result in a complete collapse of society. Both the Holnists and townsmen construct fortified retreats.

==See also==
*[[James Wesley Rawles]]
*[[Joel Skousen]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
The text of some books discussing survivalist retreats can be found online:
*[[Fallout Protection]] (1961)<ref>[http://www.sew-lexicon.com/Fallout%20Protection%20Book/TOC_for_H-6.htm Fallout Protection in pdf]</ref>
*''[[Nuclear war survival skills|Nuclear War Survival Skills]]'' by [[Cresson Kearny]] (1979, updated 1987 version) ISBN 0-942487-01-X
*[[Survival Under Atomic Attack]] (1950) <ref>[http://www.schouwer-online.de/technik/zivilschutz_atomicattack.htm SURVIVAL UNDER ATOMIC ATTACK: THE OFFICIAL U.S. GOVERNMENT BOOKLET]</ref>
*''Tappan on Survival'' by [[Mel Tappan]] (1981) ISBN 0-916172-04-X <ref>[http://www.geocities.com/mark_l_anderson/faqs/tapp.txt Tappan on Survival]</ref>
*Textfiles.com archive of articles that circulated online during the [[bulletin board system|BBS]] era, includes several Kurt Saxon articles from his old newsletter: [http://www.textfiles.com/survival/ Article archives]

Survivalist retreat

2008-04-25T03:15:01Z

Fongman: /* 1980s */ Removed dead redlink

A '''retreat''' is a commonly used term for a place of refuge for those in the [[Survivalist]] movement. Survivalist retreats are intended to be self-sufficient and are generally located in lightly-populated rural areas.

==History==
While fallout shelters have been advocated since the 1950s, dedicated self-sufficient survivalist retreats have been advocated only since the mid-1970s, The survival retreat concept has been touted by a number of influential Survivalist writers including [[Ragnar Benson]], Bruce D. Clayton, Jeff Cooper, Cresson Kearny, [[James Wesley Rawles]], Howard Ruff, Kurt Saxon, [[Joel Skousen]], Don Stephens, and Mel Tappan.

===1960s===

With the increasing inflation of the 1960s and the impending US monetary [[Devaluation]] (predicted by Harry Browne in his 1970 book ''How You Can Profit from the Coming Devaluation''), as well as the continuing concern with possible nuclear exchanges between the US and the Soviet Union, and the increasing vulnerability of urban centers to supply shortages and other systems failures, a number of primarily conservative and [[Libertarian]] thinkers began suggesting that individual preparations would be wise. Mr. Browne began offering seminars on how to survive a monetary collapse in 1967, with Don Stephens, an architectural design innovator, providing input on how to build and equip a remote survival retreat and providing a copy of his original ''Retreater's Bibliography''(1967) for each seminar participant.

===1970s===
In 1975, Kurt Saxon began publishing a newsletter called ''The Survivor'', which advocated moving to lightly-populated regions to "lay low" during a socio-economic collapse, and setting up fortified enclaves for defense against what he termed "killer karavans"<ref>http://www.textfiles.com/survival/caravans</ref> of looters from urban areas.

In 1976, survival bookseller and author Don Stephens in Washington (author of ''The Survivor's Primer & Up-dated Retreater's Bibliography'', 1976) popularized the term "retreater" and advocated relocating to a rural retreat when society breaks down.

Writers such as Howard Ruff warned about socio-economic collapse and recommended moving to lightly-populated farming regions, most notably in his 1979 book ''How to Prosper During the Coming Bad Years'', a best-seller in 1979.

For a time in the 1970s, the terms "survivalist" and "retreater" were used interchangeably. The term "retreater" eventually fell out of favor.<ref>[http://www.aussurvivalist.com/whatissurvivalismsaxon.htm AusSurvivalist - What is Survivalism?]</ref>

Perhaps the most important newsletter on survivalism and survivalist retreats in the 1970s was the ''Personal Survival ("P.S.") Letter'' (circa 1977-1982) published by Mel Tappan, who also authored the books ''Survival Guns'' and ''Tappan on Survival''. The newsletter included columns from Tappan himself as well from Jeff Cooper, Al J. Venter, Bill Pier, Bruce D. Clayton, Rick Fines, Nancy Mack Tappan, J.B. Wood, Dr. Carl Kirsch, Charles Avery, Karl Hess, Eugene A. Barron, Janet Groene, Dean Ing, Bob Taylor, Reginald Bretnor, C.G. Cobb, and several other writers, some under pen names. The majority of this newsletter revolved around selecting, constructing and logistically equipping survival retreats.<ref>[http://www.frfrogspad.com/persurv.htm Magazine Articles By Jeff Cooper(]</ref> Following Tappan's death in 1980, Karl Hess took over publishing the newsletter, eventually renaming it ''Survival Tomorrow''.

In addition to hard copy newsletters, in the 1970s survivalists got their first online presence with BBS<ref>[http://www.survivalbill.ca Survival Bill]</ref> and [[Usenet]] forums dedicated to survivalism and survival retreats.

===1980s===
Survivalist retreat books of the 1980s were typified by the 1980 book ''Life After Doomsday''<ref>''Life After Doomsday'', by Bruce D. Clayton, [[Dial Press]], ISBN 0-8037-4752-7</ref> by Bruce D. Clayton advocating survival retreats in locales that would minimize fallout and specially-constructing Blast shelters and/or Fallout shelters that would provide Fallout Protection in the event of a [[Nuclear warfare|nuclear war]].

===1990s===
Several books published in the 1990s offered advice on survival retreats and relocation. Some influential in survivalist circles are ''Survival Retreat: A Total Plan For Retreat Defense'' by [[Ragnar Benson]], ''Strategic Relocation--North American Guide to Safe Places'' by [[Joel Skousen]], and ''The Secure Home'', (also by Skousen).

===2000-present===
In recent years, advocacy of survivalist retreats has had a strong resurgence after the [[terrorist]] attacks on the [[World Trade Center]] in [[New York]] in [[2001]] and similar attacks in [[Bali]], [[Spain]], and [[London]].

Several books published since 2000 advocate survival retreats and relocation. Some that have been particularly influential in survivalist circles are ''How to Implement a High Security Shelter in the Home '' by [[Joel Skousen]], ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]], and ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World'' by [[Bruce D. Clayton]].<ref>[http://www.paladin-press.com/detail.aspx?ID=476 ''Life After Terrorism: What You Need to Know to Survive in Today's World''] by Bruce D. Clayton. Paladin Press, 2002, ISBN 1-58160-326-6</ref>

Online survival websites, forums, and blogs discuss the best locales for survival retreats, how to build, fortify, and equip them, and how to form survivalist retreat groups.<ref>[http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=survivalist&submit=Search Yahoo! Groups : Search Results]</ref>

Economic troubles emerging from the credit collapse triggered by the 2007 US subprime mortgage lending fiasco have prompted a wider cross-section of the populace to get prepared and establish retreats.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref> [[James Wesley Rawles]], the editor of SurvivalBlog was quoted by the ''New York Times'' in April of 2008 that "interest in the survivalist movement 'is experiencing its largest growth since the late 1970s'”. He also stated that his blog's conservative core readership has been supplemented with "an increasing number of stridently green and left-of-center readers."<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Common retreat locale parameters==
Common retreat locale selection parameters include light population density, plentiful water, arable soil, good solar exposure for gardening and [[photovoltaics]], situation above any flood plains, and a diverse and healthy local economy.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html#CONUS SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Fearing rioting, looting and other unrest, many survivalists advocate selecting retreat locales that are more than one tank of gasoline away from any major metropolitan region. Properties that are not in "channelized areas" or on anticipated "refugee lines of drift" are also touted.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/glossary.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> Most survivalist writers, such as [[James Wesley Rawles]] recommend living at a retreat year-round,<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> rather than attempting to flee to a retreat at the 11th hour.

One of the key goals of retreats is to be [[autarky|self-sufficient]] for the duration of societal collapse. To that end, plentiful water, and arable soil are paramount considerations. But just behind these, comes isolated, defensible terrain. Typically, retreats do not want their habitation or structure jeopardized by being within line of sight of any major highway.

Because of its low population density and diverse economy, [[James Wesley Rawles]] <ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com/retreatareas.html SurvivalBlog.com]</ref> and [[Joel Skousen]] <ref>[http://www.joelskousen.com/About/about.html About Joel Skousen]</ref> both recommend the [[Intermountain west|Intermountain west]] region of the [[United States]], as a preferred region for relocation and setting up retreats. Although it has higher population density, [[Mel Tappan]] recommended southwestern [[Oregon]], primarily because it is not down-wind of any envisioned nuclear targets in the United States.

==Retreat organization==
Most survivalist retreats are organized by extended families, but some "group retreats" or "covenant communities" are formed along the lines of an [[Intentional Community]].

==Retreat architecture and security==
[[Jeff Cooper]] popularized the concept of hardening retreats against [[small arms]] fire. In an article titled "Notes on Tactical Residential Architecture" in Issue #30 of P.S. Letter (April, 1982), Cooper suggested using the "[[Vauban]] Principle", wherein, projecting bastion corners would prevent miscreants from being able to approach a retreat's exterior walls in any blind spots. Retreat building corners with this simplified implementation of a Vauban Star are now called "Cooper Corners" by [[James Wesley Rawles]], in honor of Jeff Cooper.

In both his book ''Rawles on Retreats and Relocation'' and in his survivalist novel, ''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'', Rawles describes in great detail retreat groups "upgrading" brick or other masonry houses with steel reinforced window shutters and doors, the excavation of anti-vehicular ditches, warded gate locks, constructing [[concertina wire]] obstacles and [[Fougasse (weapon)|fougasse]]s, and setting up listening post/[[observation post]]s (LP/OPs.)

[[Bruce D. Clayton]] and [[Joel Skousen]] have both written extensively on integrating fallout shelters into retreat homes, but they put less emphasis on ballistic protection and exterior perimeter security than Cooper and Rawles.

==Retreat logistics==
Anticipating long periods of time without commerce in the future, retreat groups typically place a strong emphasis on logistics. They amass stockpiles of supplies for their own use, for charity, and for [[barter]]. Frequently cited key logistics for a retreat include long term storage food, common caliber ammunition, medical supplies, tools, gardening seed, and fuel. In an article titled "Ballistic Wampum" in Issue #6 of P.S. Letter (1979) [[Jeff Cooper]] wrote about stockpiling ammunition far in excess of his own needs, keeping the extra available to use for bartering.

In his books and in his blog (SurvivalBlog), [[James Wesley Rawles]] uses the generic term "beans, bullets and Band Aids" to describe retreat logistics.<ref>[http://www.survivalblog.com SurvivalBlog.com]</ref>

In their books, Joel Skousen, [[Mel Tappan]] and [[Howard Ruff]] all emphasize the need to have a one year supply of storage food. Rawles recommends a two year supply, as well as storing non-hybrid ([[Open pollination|open pollinated]]) gardening seed.

Even mainstream economist and financial adviser [[Barton Biggs]] is a proponent of well-stocked retreats. In his 2008 book ''Wealth, War and Wisdom'', Biggs has a gloomy outlook for the economic future, and suggests that investors take [[survivalist]] measures. In the book, Biggs recommends that his readers should “assume the possibility of a breakdown of the civilized infrastructure.” he goes so far as to recommend setting up survival retreats: “Your safe haven must be self-sufficient and capable of growing some kind of food,” Mr. Biggs writes. “It should be well-stocked with seed, fertilizer, canned food, wine, medicine, clothes, etc. Think Swiss Family Robinson. Even in America and Europe there could be moments of riot and rebellion when law and order temporarily completely breaks down.”<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/fashion/06survival.html</ref>

==Survivalist retreats worldwide==

Survivalist retreats, both formal and informal are popular worldwide, most visibly in Australia, <ref>[http://www.aussurvivalist.com Australian Survivalist (Survivalism in the new millennium)]</ref>, Canada<ref>[http://www.survivalbill.ca/ Survival Bill]</ref>, France<ref>[http://le-projet-olduvai.kanak.fr/index.htm le-projet-olduvai]</ref>, Sweden<ref>[http://systemkollaps.wordpress.com/ Systemkollaps]</ref>,New Zealand and The United States<ref>[http://www.alpharubicon.com AlphaRubicon.com]</ref>.

==In fiction==
===Novels===

[[Robert A. Heinlein]] used survivalist retreats as a theme in much of his science fiction. ''[[Farnham's Freehold]]'' (1964) begins as a story of small group survivalist retreat in a nuclear war. Heinlein also wrote essays such as ''How to be a Survivor''<ref>[http://technohippie.com/archives/beasurvivor.html TechnoHippie.Com: How To Be a Survivor by Robert Heinlein]</ref> which provide advice on preparing for and surviving a nuclear war, including stocking a fallout shelter and retreat.

''[[Lucifer's Hammer]]'' by [[Jerry Pournelle]] and [[Larry Niven]] (1977) is about a cataclysmic comet hitting the Earth, and a group people struggling to survive the aftermath in southern California. Their retreat is an isolated mountain community, which they barricade from outsiders.

''Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse'' by [[James Wesley Rawles]] (1998) (editor of SurvivalBlog) is a novel about a full-scale socio-economic collapse and subsequent invasion of the US, which a review has called "a survival manual dressed as fiction."

''Wolf and Iron'' (1990) by [[Gordon Dickson]] describes a systemic societal collapse. The main character "GeeBee" builds and stocks and earth-sheltered retreat, using salvaged materials.

''[[The Postman]]'' by [[David Brin]] (1985) is set in a time after a massive plague and political fracture result in a complete collapse of society. Both the Holnists and townsmen construct fortified retreats.

==See also==
*[[James Wesley Rawles]]
*[[Joel Skousen]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
The text of some books discussing survivalist retreats can be found online:
*[[Fallout Protection]] (1961)<ref>[http://www.sew-lexicon.com/Fallout%20Protection%20Book/TOC_for_H-6.htm Fallout Protection in pdf]</ref>
*''[[Nuclear war survival skills|Nuclear War Survival Skills]]'' by [[Cresson Kearny]] (1979, updated 1987 version) ISBN 0-942487-01-X
*[[Survival Under Atomic Attack]] (1950) <ref>[http://www.schouwer-online.de/technik/zivilschutz_atomicattack.htm SURVIVAL UNDER ATOMIC ATTACK: THE OFFICIAL U.S. GOVERNMENT BOOKLET]</ref>
*''Tappan on Survival'' by [[Mel Tappan]] (1981) ISBN 0-916172-04-X <ref>[http://www.geocities.com/mark_l_anderson/faqs/tapp.txt Tappan on Survival]</ref>
*Textfiles.com archive of articles that circulated online during the [[bulletin board system|BBS]] era, includes several Kurt Saxon articles from his old newsletter: [http://www.textfiles.com/survival/ Article archives]