Link Update: For anyone who had trouble locating the article on the "Girls and Their Guns" shooting program in Colorado, it has been moved to a new page. http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20070824/NEWS/70822032 --- Pennsylvania Governor Blinks: Angry sportsmen and hunters fired a warning shot, and Gov. Ed Rendell heard it. Mr. Rendell said yesterday that because of objections from hunters, sportsmen's groups, gun dealers and some state legislators, the Pennsylvania Instant Check System may not be shut down Sept. 2-6 as originally planned. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07236/811786-85.stm Dealers File Suit: More than two dozen gun dealers and a state lawmaker filed a lawsuit Friday seeking to block a planned four-day freeze on gun sales to allow an upgrade of the state's computerized background check system. The gun shops and Rep. Timothy Solobay, D-Washington, say the system upgrade could be completed without shutting down the system or by performing the work after normal business hours. C. Robert Keenan III, a Pittsburgh lawyer representing the gun dealers in the Commonwealth Court suit, said state police also could use a national system of computerized background checks as an alternative. http://www.timesleader.com/news/ap?articleID=58181 --- Give 'Em An Inch...: Following the surprising release of Federal gun trace data by a Justice Department agency, in apparent violation of controversial Congressional restrictions on public disclosure of such data, the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence today filed a Freedom of Information Act requesting additional information on crime guns. http://bradycampaign.org/media/release.php?release=921 --- Gays Or Guns?: Alan Korwin observes, "If a tiny, marginal, but loud "community" like gay people can force a presidential debate for their concerns, it is clearly time for the gun-owning community to demand a candidate debate for the 95 million Americans who own guns and are concerned about mounting challenges to their rights under the Bill of Rights." http://mensnewsdaily.com/2007/08/24/gays-or-guns/ --- Left-Wing Wackos For Guns: Most people assume that if you are a leftist, or a progressive, or just a plain old liberal you must be anti-gun. (Most people probably don't make this assumption about anarchists quite so quickly). Well, I'm not...anti-gun that is (Although for me personally the fact that I have a felony conviction on the old record makes the whole thing problematic). I'm not sure we need everyone armed with automatic weapons, but some guns, in my mind, are not a bad idea. I used to say "When guns are outlawed, only cops will have guns." The truth is cops and criminals and right wing nuts will have guns, the rest of America will be sitting behind locked doors hoping no knocks come in the night. http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=20070824145933287 --- A View From The Past, The Wooden Assault Weapon: A piece of wood - the English longbow - was the terror weapon of its day. With it the Welsh resisted invaders. It was capable of penetrating most armor, and thus was dangerous to the ruling classes... Bowmen were commoners. If captured, they were killed rather than ransomed as the nobles were. After campaigns, they were often stranded in enemy territory, where to survive they became bandits. At home, possession of armor-piercing arrow points were outlawed, being a threat to the nobility. But with smithies everywhere, such laws were not very enforceable. http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/hines/070824 --- Ricochet: Confession Of A Gun Lobbyist: Richard Fedlman, a former lobbyist of several years with the NRA and executive director of the predecessor to the NSSF, has written a book that reveals some intriguing history. http://www.thegunzone.com/software/ricochet.html --- A NICS Story: Side note. Ten firearms transactions involving NICS (on Custer Drive because even their street name is a loser) this year. Three delays. One multiple firearm transaction day 3 weeks prior, involving a handgun even, where all were instantly approved. No particular pattern. Pretty much a normal year in my dealing with NICS as far as their performance. http://waronguns.blogspot.com/2007/08/guest-commentary-nics-story.html --- Why Do Martial Artists View Things Differently?: The purpose of this article is to hopefully get you to understand just how much time you do or do not have to react. Personally, I do not feel this has been put into proper perspective by a lot of instructor's. This information is, in my opinion, critical to your survival because you need to know how much time you do or do not have to react in a situation and that your current firearms training (if any) may not be enough to keep you alive in a situation. ("If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.") http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/article3918.html --- Stray Bullet Misses Construction Worker: A stray bullet from a state owned shooting range hits a Blackman Township Home, barely missing a construction worker...The shooting range, south of the home, is owned by the Michigan Department of Corrections. A Jackson County Sheriff's Deputy and two instructors were training on the range the day it happened. Undersheriff Tom Finco says ballistics show it most likely came from the Deputy's gun. (The biggest safety challenge I face when teaching is keeping students' guns from pointing over the backstop as the muzzles move back and forth between holster and target.) http://www.wilx.com/news/headlines/9340871.html On A Similar Note...: This article refers to the fatal shooting, two weeks ago, of a five-year-old Oklahoma boy by an officer who fired at a snake in a tree. http://www.normantranscript.com/opinion/local_story_234012347 --- National Exercise Your Rights Day: Here's one more reminder to make it a point to purchase a firearm or some ammunition on Tuesday, August 28, as a counter-protest to the Jackson-Brady demonstrations. http://www.wallsofthecity.net/2007/08/national_exercise_your_rights.html --- 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 .