Texas Opens Records on Court Nominee Miers (Gun ownership, more)

[Tab]

AUSTIN, Texas - Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers, who once owned a .45-caliber revolver, is not licensed to carry a concealed handgun in Texas. State officials refused Monday to reveal whether she has ever been licensed.

Miers' brother gave her the Smith & Wesson handgun when he was worried about her living alone in Dallas. Judge Nathan Hecht of the Texas Supreme Court, a longtime friend of Miers', has said she kept the gun for a long time.

State law requires the release of information about license holders but not former license holders, said Pamela Smith, assistant general counsel for the agency.
More: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051010/ap_on_go_su_co/miers_handgun

[NVMojo]

1. someone in Texas wants people to know more about Miers ...

[rainbow4321]

2. Miers' firm linked to sham shelter

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/washington/stories/101105dnnatmiers.d058c7e.html



The Dallas law firm in which Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers is a partner helped accounting firm Ernst & Young sell a sham tax shelter in 1999 by providing letters to shield customers from IRS penalties, a Senate investigation found.

The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations said in February that Locke, Liddell & Sapp provided "deficient" opinion letters to support the shelter, used to convert highly taxed ordinary income into lower-taxed capital gains.

Ms. Miers isn't a tax attorney and "was not tied to this in any way," said Jerry Clements, head of Locke, Liddell & Sapp's litigation department. He said the firm "stands by our reputation for high quality legal work in the tax field, and we stand by the advice and opinions we gave these clients."

Locke, Liddell & Sapp "issued legal opinions" for the shelters and typically received $50,000 in fees for each letter, the Senate report said. The law firm's involvement was disclosed by the journal Tax Notes.

[texpatriot2004]

3. I hope Texas will give up more on Miers.n/t

[ShockediSay]

4. Guess we know where she stands on gun control

Maybe she'll bring back the right to bear arms

[MrBenchley]

5. Pistol-packin' mama, lay that pistol down!

Wonder if the gun loonies wil raise an uproar because she didn't tote her popgun around with her?

[Dora]

18. Last I heard, we still have that right. n/t

[Toots]

6. So she had no license to carry a concealed weapon but did so anyway

IOW she willingly broke the law.......She feels laws are to be discarded at one's own choice and is trying to become a Supreme court Justice.. In this administration that is why she was chosen. Laws are for the little people....

[bunkerbuster1]

7. Where does it say she violated the law?

"A person in Texas can own a gun without a concealed handgun license."

IOW, if she had it at the house for personal protection, then she wouldn't be violating any law.

[Toots]

8. Can own but can not carry around with you

You can have a gun in your home but if you choose to carry it around, you need a permission slip. ie. A Concealed Carry Permit.

[MildyRules]

9. And you have proof she

carried it around?

[marshall]

10. What's the point?

We know that her brother bought her a gun and that she had a license to own it. This is only fodder for the NRA nuts who might feel a little better about her. For those who might oppose her I don't see anything useful here.

[MildyRules]

11. That was my point.

[marshall]

12. Agreed

I didn't mean to sound like I was challenging you, I am agreeing with you.

I guess it's part of the plan to depict her as an enigma who can't be pinned down one way or another.

[Toots]

20. Did you read the original post?

:shrug: It said she carried it in her car which is the same thing as her person as far as law enforcement is concerned. Unless it was on the seat in plain sight at all times it was concealed.

[Lochloosa]

13. You can carry it around, just not concealed.

I ran into this in Georgia. This fat jerk would come to my business with a handgun in a holster in plain site. The cops said he was not breaking any laws since it was not concealed.

The laws very greatly from state to state but from what I have learned if you are legally allowed to own a gun and as long as it is not deliberately hidden, its legal.

[MildyRules]

14. Same is true in VA. N/T

[charlottelouise]

15. Hate to be a devil's advocate, but..... [long-winded]

:evilfrown: :evilfrown: :evilfrown: :evilfrown:

Let's criticize her for valid reasons (not that there aren't plenty of those).

{flameproof raincoat on}

I suspect that many, if not most, women who live alone, especially in a big city, have been offered a gun by a concerned relative. Opinions on guns notwithstanding, some people do think it's a good idea to have one for protection. And, if you do buy into the gun thing, and have a relative for whom you are concerned, you're going to make the offer at least. I don't much like giving people advice "for their own good," but I do think that if the advice is well-intentioned and prompted out of real concern, it's at least polite to listen to the advice-giver, to acknowledge the feeling, if not the advice itself.

I don't like guns, don't really know how to use one, and in that situation always responded with "thanks, but no thanks." However, I can really easily see how somone in that position (woman living alone in a big city), might very well respond by just taking the gun. Especially with family members, it's often just easier than arguing about it; especially if the offer is persistent and forceful, it's often more trouble than it's worth.

Just my $.03.

[daleo]

16. She is supposed to be quite a serious Christian

Shooting someone, even in self defense, doesn't seem to be in the spirit of "turn the other cheek". Of course most Christians don't take that one seriously anyway.

[MildyRules]

17. I don't think that

"turn the other cheek" means don't take reasonable steps to protect oneself.

[daleo]

19. It doesn't mean that to most people nowadays.

38 "You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away."

It isn't easy advice to follow, but it seems pretty clear (i.e. don't shoot burglars). I am not claiming to follow this advice myself, mind you, but then I don't claim to be a Christian, at least in the sense most church goes would acknowledge.