DC, Maryland Form Gun Task Force: The District and Maryland's top leaders said yesterday the key to stopping gun violence across the region is enforcing gun laws, not creating new ones. "We have some of the toughest gun laws of any state, but we have historically done a very poor job of enforcing those gun laws," Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, said at a press conference at 7th District police headquarters in Southeast...The report states 250 were sold in Maryland and 248 were sold in Virginia, but does not specify whether the dealers sold the guns legally. (Yet, prohibitionists continually attack Virginia for failing to infringe the RKBA.) http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20070728/METRO/107280043/1004 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/27/AR2007072700134.html --- Prohibitionists Blast NRA Input On NICS Bill: ... LaPierre's palpable frustration is understandable, because a closer look at the NRA-added sections raises strong concerns. So strong, that yesterday three national gun violence prevention organizations - the Violence Policy Center (which I head), the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, and the Legal Community Against Violence - issued a press release voicing them. In the release, the three groups state that while they "strongly support the bill's goal of improving the mechanism by which mental health and other records are added to the NICS, they are concerned that components of the bill would create new loopholes for potentially dangerous individuals to possess firearms." (For those unfamiliar with Josh Sugarmann, his books include Every Handgun Is Aimed at You: The Case for Banning Handguns.) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/josh-sugarmann/mental-health-gun-bill-ha_b_57950.html --- Prohibitionists Make Hay From Officer's Murder: In 1999, Richard Norad legally sold a .45-caliber pistol from his now-closed gun store in Virginia. Earlier this month the pistol was used in the murder of a New York City police officer. NYC's The Daily News offers a classic example of how to exploit a tragedy for political purposes. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime_file/2007/07/27/2007-07-27_his_lil_shop_of_gun_horror-2.html --- Re-Calibrating "Gun Control": The Jewish Foundation of Greater Seattle proves it drew the wrong lessons from a shooting attack on its headquarters last year and gives voice to Washington Ceasefire, a leading prohibitionist organization in that state. http://www.jew-ish.com/index.php?/stories/item/763 --- Four Kansas Mayors Join Bloomberg Group: The Mayors of Wyandotte County's four cities are joining a national campaign against illegal guns. Unified Government Mayor Joe Reardon, Bonner Springs Mayor Clausie Smith, Edwardsville Mayor Heinz Rodgers and Lake Quivira Mayor Larry Meeker have all signed the resolution. The effort was launched by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. More than 230 Mayors from cities across America have also joined the effort. (No mention is made of the mayors who have quit the group, citing deceit about its true puropose.) http://www.kansascitykansan.com/articles/2007/07/27/news/news4.txt --- Ohio County GOP Dumps "Gun Control": Grass-roots activism appears to have paid off when the Cuyahoga County Republican Party acted quickly to remove the words "gun controls" from the proposed party platform. While this story is about a Republican County party meeting, it could equally apply to a State or a National Party meeting, and is applicable to any party. http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/article3874.html --- Would Giuliani Have Attended Machine-Gun Shoot?: Organizers of a Republican fund-raising machine-gun shoot in New Hampshire have been unable to persuade any of the 2008 GOP presidential candidates to attend. Rudy Giuliani, who now presents himself as an RKBA advocate, declined because of a schedule conflict with a candidates' debate in Iowa. An aide declined to state whether he would have attended if not for the conflict. http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Giuliani_aide_Who_knows_if_boss_0727.html Related Article: http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Machine+gun+fundraiser+under+fire&articleId=516c2e53-4ba7-404b-af83-e48684a3ff8f --- Rule Two, Rule Three Reminder: Keith Frank, a former Auburn police officer and a veteran state trooper, shot himself in the left palm as he was entering his Pownal Road home in Auburn. Frank was taking the .45-caliber handgun off his belt when it went off, Auburn Sgt. Eric Audette said. (Rule Two: Don't let the muzzle cross anything you're not prepared to shoot. Rule Three: Keep your finger out of the trigger guard, up on the frame, until your sights are on the target and you're prepared to fire. And why would you disarm simply because you've entered your own home?) http://www.sunjournal.com/story/222243-3/LewistonAuburn/Trooper_shoots_himself_in_hand/ --- Oops, Wrong Old Man: A 93-year-old Arkansas man, who had been beaten unconscious by a burglar armed with a soda can, regained consciousness and subsequently shot his assailant in the throat with a .38-caliber handgun. The paralyzed burglar is hospitalized and the homeowner is recuperating in a nursing home. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SODA_CAN_SHOOTING?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US --- He Said, She Said: Baltimore police say that one of their officers fatally shot an off-duty soldier after the soldier fired his .50-caliber Desert Eagle at the officer. The dead soldier's mother says that her son was shot simply because he was holding the gun at his side, while trying to break up a fight. (This is why we use holsters and select ones that allow us to reholster one-handed without needing to take our eyes off potential threats.) http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-md.ci.shoot23jul23,0,442996.story --- NRA-ILA Alerts: Alerts for the various states are posted on the NRA-ILA website. http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/State/ -- Stephen P. Wenger Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .