So far, three bills related to firearms (that I could find, at least), have been slated to be introduced when the session starts up again in February. As the session approaches and wears on, I will try to keep this updated.

HB 2193

HB 2193 by Rep. Jason Murphey doesn't really need a whole lot of discussion. It simply proposes to amend firearm storage laws to include ammunition. This is presumably to prevent employers and other entities from being able to enforce policies that prohibit the storage of ammunition rather than just the storage of a firearm in locked vehicles in parking lots. What good is that gun that you carry without ammunition, after all?

I had the chance to read the opinion last night, so I should be able to offer some takeaways today.

First of all, I wholly agree with the 10th Circuit's opinion that the "Save Our State" Amendment is likely unconstitutional under the Establishment Clause because it only prohibits the use of one form of religious law regardless of whether it is being called upon in civil or criminal court. It enshrines this notion into the Oklahoma Constitution that Islam is somehow an inferior religion which should not be allowed to exist in Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma Attorney General's office argued that the word "cultures" in the amendment should be interpreted as "religions". But as the 10th Circuit noted, making this substitution implies that religious law deemed to be part of Oklahoma's local culture would be acceptable in Oklahoma courts, while the laws of other religions would not.

The 10th Circuit has upheld the injunction against State Question 755. That is the amendment to the Oklahoma Constitution that resulted from politicians pandering to popular xenophobia.

I haven't had the chance to completely read the 37 page opinion from the 10th Circuit yet. But I believe they are right to uphold the injunction, as it is a fundamental violation of liberty to prohibit people from entering into their own agreements solely because of their religious beliefs.

As you probably know by now, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum came out of Iowa in what basically amounts as a tie with Romney taking 30,015 votes and Santorum taking 30,007 votes. Ron Paul came in third with 26,219 votes (although the Fox News article expectedly paints him as an also-ran comparable with Rick Perry's dismal performance of 12,604 votes).

So what does this tell me about Iowa? Iowa Republicans have a thing for big government and against liberty. And considering that the slogan of the GOP for the past 3 years has been "Beat Obama, no matter what the consequences", it looks like the GOP has no problem electing an Obama-equivalent as long as there is an "R" after the name.

The United States House of Representatives passed HR 1540, a bill that authorizes indefinite military detention of American citizens for simply being suspected of supporting "terrorism". No due process or evidence required - just a unilateral accusation that you may be involved in or supporting terrorism.

I don't have much time to blog right now, so I won't be spending a lot of time on this. But I do want to point out that part of the DOJ/FBI criteria for being a terrorist is having at least one of the following traits: large amounts of ammunition, more than a week's worth of food, a finger that is damaged or missing, etc.

The Senate has again voted on an amendment that would attempt to fix the language in S 1867 that allows for indefinite detention of US citizens without trial if they are deemed hostile by the government.

And many Senate Republicans, including Oklahoma Senators Tom Coburn and Jim Inhofe, voted against an amendment today where that vote can only be interpreted one way: the vote shows that they undeniably support the notion that government has the power to declare when and where a citizen has the Right to Due Process, and that Due Process can be denied at the government's will.

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) proposed Amendment No. 1126 with very simple and very clear language.

On page 360, between lines 21 and 22, insert the following:

Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) offered an amendment to S 1867 to strike the provision that would allow for the unconstitutional detainment of American citizens alleged to be involved in terrorism. According to Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), the criteria used by the Department of Justice includes such asinine traits like missing a finger or being in possession of more than 7 days' worth of food at a time.

The amendment failed.

The breakdown by party?

Democrats: 37-16-1

Republicans: 2-44-1

The 61 Senators who voted against the amendment, including Senators Tom Coburn and James Inhofe from Oklahoma, should be held accountable for their votes in the 2012 election.

Here's a scary read, especially with Congress currently considering SOPA and the PROTECT-IP Act which would give this kind of power to rights-holders by law.

Chanel has filed suit in Nevada against hundreds of alleged importers of counterfeit Chanel-branded goods. And Judge Kent Dawson deemed an investigation by Chanel finding that the sites were selling counterfeit goods good enough to enter an injunction against those sites.

That's right. Chanel, the rights-holder, conducted the investigation and drew the conclusions, rather than an independent third party. And the judge says that is enough to take down the websites which may or may not be located in the United States.

The United States House of Representatives passed HR 822 yesterday. That's the NRA-backed bill to force the states to recognize concealed weapons permits from other states.

While Congress claims authority under the Commerce Clause, the Commerce Clause offers no such authority. Like the push for Second Amendment incorporation through Due Process rather than more responsible means, this is another way for the NRA to ensure their need to exist for Second Amendment litigation purposes.

Every Congressman who chose to vote for the bill also chose to ignore the rest of the Constitution. That includes Oklahoma Congressmen Dan Boren (D), Tom Cole (R), James Lankford (R), Frank Lucas (R), and John Sullivan (R).

The Justice Department is sending letters to banks that hold the mortgages of, as well as the landlords of, property where legal (under California law) marijuana dispensaries are located. In these letters, the Justice Department threatens legal action against the banks and landlords if the tenants aren't evicted within a short time period.

Remember in 2008 when Barack Obama promised to leave the states alone on their marijuana laws? He is now considered the worst President in history on marijuana.