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Brady Center offers aid in lawsuit (against mom carrying concealed at soccer game)
PennLive.com ^ | 12/5/08 | MONICA VON DOBENECK

Posted on 12/05/2008 6:56:38 AM PST by Born Conservative

Advocacy group would help Lebanon County fight gun-toting mom

LEBANON (PA)- The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence has offered free legal representation to Lebanon County to defend against a $1 million lawsuit brought by Meleanie Hain.

Hain is the Lebanon woman who wore a loaded gun on her hip to her 5-year-old daughter's soccer game in September, raising concerns of other parents. Lebanon County Sheriff Michael DeLeo revoked her license to carry a concealed weapon, but his decision was reversed by Lebanon County Court Judge Robert Eby.

The case has drawn national attention.

Hain sued DeLeo, the sheriff's office and the county on Nov. 24 for reimbursement of attorney's fees, lost wages and emotional distress. Her attorney, Matthew Weisberg of the Philadelphia area, said Hain's baby-sitting business fell off after the publicity and she has been ridiculed by her neighbors.

(Excerpt) Read more at pennlive.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Extended News; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: banglist; brady; bradywatch; deleo; meleaniehain

1 posted on 12/05/2008 6:56:39 AM PST by Born Conservative
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To: Born Conservative

If it is a concealed permit, why did she wear it on her hip?


2 posted on 12/05/2008 6:59:23 AM PST by montag813 (www.FreepShop.com)
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To: Born Conservative

I am not afraid of those that strap guns to their hips, it those that hide their weapons parents should be wary of.


3 posted on 12/05/2008 7:00:11 AM PST by ThisLittleLightofMine
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To: Born Conservative

With any luck, she’ll wind up owning Lebanon County, PA ...


4 posted on 12/05/2008 7:00:29 AM PST by mgc1122
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To: Born Conservative

Too bad we cannot prosecute the Brady Group for being the criminal organization that it is.


5 posted on 12/05/2008 7:01:01 AM PST by pnh102 (Save America - Ban Ethanol Now!)
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To: montag813

“If it is a concealed permit, why did she wear it on her hip?”

Does this concealed Glock make my butt look big? Who knows “why” but it doesn’t really matter.


6 posted on 12/05/2008 7:01:29 AM PST by mgc1122
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To: montag813

Because she has the right to openly carry a fire arm like we all do.


7 posted on 12/05/2008 7:02:14 AM PST by mosaicwolf (Strength and Honor)
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To: montag813

As has been said here before: a permit to carry concealed does not REQUIRE one to carry concealed.

There IS no permit required to open-carry in PA. She violated NO law whatsoever. Her CCW permit status NEVER even should have entered into the “controversy”.

THAT is the basis for her law suit.


8 posted on 12/05/2008 7:04:46 AM PST by WayneS (Respect the 2nd Amendment; Repeal the 16th)
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To: Born Conservative
I thought PA was an "open-carry" state..

Have to go off to do some searching now...

9 posted on 12/05/2008 7:06:38 AM PST by Michael Barnes
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To: Born Conservative

I wonder what made them think a gun-toting woman was going to shrink from a fight with those prissys on the sideline....


10 posted on 12/05/2008 7:08:16 AM PST by jessduntno (Barack - Kenyan for "High Wind, Big Thunder, No Rain")
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To: Born Conservative

This is an example of bad law, and bad compliance. If the young lady had a permit to carry concealed, she should have carried concealed. The sheep just want to graze. They most definitely DO NOT want to know that the sheep dog is there, nor do they even want to see the sheepdogs tools.

Don’t believe PA is an open carry state, so she might get cited for the disturbance part, but the rest of it...the courts should just throw out, pay off the suit, and let her get on with her life.

“...infringements...we don’t need no steenkeeng infringements...”


11 posted on 12/05/2008 7:08:18 AM PST by petro45acp (Hunkered down in occupied Virginia!)
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To: Born Conservative
She was in accordance with the Supreme law which states “The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed”

NO State or City or Judge has the authority to override the Constitution.

12 posted on 12/05/2008 7:09:09 AM PST by YOUGOTIT (The Greatest Threat to our Security is the Royal 100 Club)
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To: Born Conservative

A loaded gun? Of course! Why would you carry an unloaded gun? Dangerous and foolish I’d think.


13 posted on 12/05/2008 7:11:39 AM PST by Fido969 ("The hardest thing in the world to understand is income tax." - Albert Einstein)
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To: YOUGOTIT

True....unfortunately the gun control extremists tend to ignore the Constitution...and never seem to get bothered much when a criminal uses a firearm illegally


14 posted on 12/05/2008 7:13:31 AM PST by UCFRoadWarrior (2010: A RINO Purge Odyssey)
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To: Born Conservative

Hasn’t Sarah Brady made enough money off of her husbands injury from almost three decade ago?

Just asking...


15 posted on 12/05/2008 7:14:41 AM PST by Badeye (There are no 'great moments' in Moderate Political History. Only losses.)
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To: montag813

Duh, that’s what I get for multitasking ;)


16 posted on 12/05/2008 7:18:45 AM PST by Born Conservative (Bohicaville: http://bohicaville.wordpress.com/)
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To: Born Conservative

Give her five dollars and tell her to grow a brain.


17 posted on 12/05/2008 7:19:01 AM PST by org.whodat (Conservatives don't vote for Bailouts for Super-Rich Bankers! Republicans do!)
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To: Born Conservative

“Matthew Weisberg of the Philadelphia area, said Hain’s baby-sitting business fell off after the publicity and she has been ridiculed by her neighbors.”

If she carries a loaded gun in plain view and potentially accessible to small kids, she wouldn’t be babysitting my children.

While she shouldn’t have been arrested or charged or whatever, she either showed really bad judgment or was looking for a confrontation of some sort. In Virginia, you can carry a weapon in plain view, but where I live it happens so rarely that I virtually guarantee somebody will call the cops if you do so (other than for hunting).


18 posted on 12/05/2008 7:22:09 AM PST by gracesdad
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To: Born Conservative

OK, open carry is quite legal in PA except in Philly. This was in someplace other than Philly. Check and checkmate. If the Brady Bunch wants to waste their money, hopefully the NRA will counter the offer.


19 posted on 12/05/2008 7:27:30 AM PST by Kenton (All vices in moderation. I don't want to overdo any but I don't want to skip any either.)
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To: montag813

Pennsylvania law allows carrying a concealed weapon with a permit. But it is silent on the legality of openly carrying a firearm, making it de-facto legal, according to the Web site of the Pennsylvania Firearms Owners Association.


20 posted on 12/05/2008 7:28:57 AM PST by kennyboy509 (Ha! I kill me!)
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To: Born Conservative

Remember the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence is a Federal Non-Profit and they report that more than a third of their budget is used for political lobbying.

They are clearly a big part of what is wrong with our system. I have never figured out why this is not prosecuted as a RICO crime.


21 posted on 12/05/2008 7:32:24 AM PST by Steamburg ( Your wallet speaks the only language most politicians understand.)
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To: gracesdad
§ 18.2-287.4. Carrying loaded firearms in public areas prohibited; penalty. It shall be unlawful for any person to carry a loaded (a) semi-automatic center-fire rifle or pistol that expels single or multiple projectiles by action of an explosion of a combustible material and is equipped at the time of the offense with a magazine that will hold more than 20 rounds of ammunition or designed by the manufacturer to accommodate a silencer or equipped with a folding stock or (b) shotgun with a magazine that will hold more than seven rounds of the longest ammunition for which it is chambered on or about his person on any public street, road, alley, sidewalk, public right-of-way, or in any public park or any other place of whatever nature that is open to the public in the Cities of Alexandria, Chesapeake, Fairfax, Falls Church, Newport News, Norfolk, Richmond, or Virginia Beach or in the Counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Henrico, Loudoun, or Prince William. The provisions of this section shall not apply to law-enforcement officers, licensed security guards, military personnel in the performance of their lawful duties, or any person having a valid concealed handgun permit or to any person actually engaged in lawful hunting or lawful recreational shooting activities at an established shooting range or shooting contest. Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. The exemptions set forth in § 18.2-308 shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to the provisions of this section. (1991, c. 570; 1992, c. 790; 2003, c. 976; 2004, c. 995; 2005, c. 160; 2007, c. 813.) Looks like open carry is not authorized everyplace in VA.

Was this lady breaking the law? If not she has a leg to stand on.
was the soccer game at a public school? In Virginia there are laws against hand guns at schools concealed or not.

22 posted on 12/05/2008 7:37:06 AM PST by DYngbld (Aspire to inspire before you expire)
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To: montag813

because the sheriff revoked her permit for BS reason’s and she could only legally carry openly.


23 posted on 12/05/2008 7:37:59 AM PST by Ainast
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To: DYngbld
was the soccer game at a public school?

Nope it was at a park. The lady violated no laws.

24 posted on 12/05/2008 7:45:57 AM PST by gieriscm (07 FFL / 02 SOT - www.extremefirepower.com)
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To: montag813

Open carry is legal, and it isn’t always convenient to conceal your firearm.

Hot day, don’t want to wear a jacket, etc.

She was well within her rights, but here CCW license was revoked because she exercised her rights.

Go figure.


25 posted on 12/05/2008 7:47:30 AM PST by SJSAMPLE
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To: DYngbld

You seem to be missing the point! This was Pennsylvania, not Virginia. Pennsylvania has it’s own set of firearms laws and they are distinctly different than Virginia’s. You should go to the NRA-ILA’s web page on state gun laws to educate yourself properly.


26 posted on 12/05/2008 7:48:26 AM PST by catman67
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To: Born Conservative
Hain is the Lebanon woman who wore a loaded gun on her hip to her 5-year-old daughter's soccer game in September, raising concerns of other parents. Lebanon County Sheriff Michael DeLeo revoked her license to carry a concealed weapon, but his decision was reversed by Lebanon County Court Judge Robert Eby.
And yet they would not complain about police officers like Budzyn and Nevers carrying loaded guns.
27 posted on 12/05/2008 7:50:33 AM PST by dbz77
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To: dbz77

Budzyn and Nevers were from Detroit not Lebadon County and were railroaded.


28 posted on 12/05/2008 7:54:21 AM PST by School of Rational Thought (Sarah Palin - High ideals on high heels)
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To: DYngbld

You may need to read closer.

“and is equipped at the time of the offense with a magazine that will hold more than 20 rounds of ammunition”


29 posted on 12/05/2008 8:03:08 AM PST by Just Another Lurker (I'll go back to sitting in my corner now)
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To: catman67
I have read the PA open carry law and it say nothing about not being able to open carry. So she in all rights was legal.

I honestly wish more people would open carry a firearm. I imagine if more law abiding people owned and carried guns that the gun crime in the country would drop dramatically.

30 posted on 12/05/2008 8:10:28 AM PST by DYngbld (Aspire to inspire before you expire)
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To: Just Another Lurker
This is why I don't post on FR very often. I am incapable of intelligent conversation.
31 posted on 12/05/2008 8:12:32 AM PST by DYngbld (Aspire to inspire before you expire)
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To: Born Conservative

Sounds like her lawyer needs a new Porche and she needs a million bucks and won’t have to wait too long to get it.


32 posted on 12/05/2008 8:14:54 AM PST by Waco (understand the meaning of illegal???)
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To: DYngbld

I don’t live in one of those localities, but I also NEVER see open carry in my city unless it’s a cop or somebody robbing a store.


33 posted on 12/05/2008 8:43:32 AM PST by gracesdad
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To: Born Conservative
The anti-freedom crowd is only trying to make an example out of her. I hope she hands them their asses on a silver platter.

That said, all this is going to do eventually is cause more people, particularly older or handicapped people with nothing to lose, to carry concealed whether they have a permit or not. We need to start challenging these stupid laws that put restrictions on a real right, instead of inventing a right that doesn't exist and really does kill people (i.e. abortion).

34 posted on 12/05/2008 11:18:08 AM PST by pray4liberty (Always vote for life!)
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To: DYngbld
It shall be unlawful for any person to carry a loaded (a) semi-automatic center-fire rifle or pistol that expels single or multiple projectiles by action of an explosion of a combustible material and is equipped at the time of the offense with a magazine that will hold more than 20 rounds of ammunition

In Virginia, there have been several cases of people calling the police to report someone open carrying. The Virginia Citizen's Defense League (VCDL) is one of the 2nd Amendment watchdogs in the state that does a good job shining a light on abuses of gun rights.

The part in bold I believe is also current Virginia law and as most handguns are not regularly shipped with magazines which can hold more than 20 cartridges, most common handguns are legal to carry unless expressly prohibited by statute or forbidden by private properly owners (e.g. Manassas Mall).

So you can't really go around with that Glock 17 with the 30 round magazine but you could carry a FN Five-seven with the 20 round magazine. At least the way I read it.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a lawyer. I am a Windows Administrator.

35 posted on 12/05/2008 1:36:01 PM PST by Crolis (Kill your television!)
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To: montag813

Open Carry is legal there. Could be it’s just more comfortable.


36 posted on 12/05/2008 1:40:14 PM PST by Dead Corpse (What would a free man do?)
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To: gracesdad
Have you actually seen "somebody robbing a store"? Please tell more about what you observed.
37 posted on 12/05/2008 3:36:16 PM PST by An Old Man (Lead, Follow, or get the hell out of the way)
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To: ThisLittleLightofMine
I am not afraid of those that strap guns to their hips, it those that hide their weapons parents should be wary of.

Statistics in all the states with must issue concealed carry show that there is nothing to be afraid of.

38 posted on 12/05/2008 3:38:45 PM PST by ColdWater
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To: An Old Man

Have you actually seen “somebody robbing a store”? Please tell more about what you observed.

Yes, I have seen a store robbed. Have you? It’s scary as hell.


39 posted on 12/06/2008 6:40:18 PM PST by gracesdad
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To: gracesdad
Good morning.

You seem to be in a defensive mode today. Can you relate what you saw. Where were you in relation to the robber. What time of day was it. Could you see clearly? Were you able to remember what the robber wore? Were any shots fired? How close to you did the bullets pass? Did they Make any sound? Was this your first experience with hostile gun fire?

I ask because I have never seen a robbery and you are the first person who has ever admitted they have.

Anything you care to share would be greatly appreciated, but if you choose not to share I can understand.

Semper Fi
An Old Man

40 posted on 12/07/2008 8:28:57 AM PST by An Old Man (Lead, Follow, or get the hell out of the way)
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