Supremes To Consider Heller/Parker Petitions: The Supreme Court will consider two petitions growing out of the Second Amendment dispute over a District of Columbia ban on private possession of handguns at its Conference on Nov. 9, according to the Court's electronic docket on Wednesday. The two cases are the city's appeal - District of Columbia v. Heller (07-290) - challenging a D.C. Circuit Court ruling last March striking down the handgun ban under the Second Amendment, and a cross-petition by five city residents - Parker v. District of Columbia (07-335) - seeking to join in the case to add their own legal complaints about the city gun control law. http://www.scotusblog.com/wp/uncategorized/justices-to-consider-gun-case-nov-9/ --- Seeing Is Believing: Republican presidential front-runner Rudy Giuliani is leaving the door open to allowing the blind and physically disabled to carry guns..."You have a constitutional right, that is protected, to bear and carry arms. It is the Second Amendment," Giuliani told about 200 attendees in a high school gymnasium in Lebanon. "If someone disagrees with that, you have to get the Constitution changed." He added that he believes in only three restrictions for those wishing to exercise their Second Amendment right - a previous criminal record, a history of mental instability and an age requirement. (He seems to have forgotten being disqualified if you are a resident of New York City.) http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,304838,00.html --- McCain Visits Thompson-Center Factory: As Sen. John McCain examined a custom-built hunting rifle at a gun factory in Rochester, a company executive explained how the weapon's interchangeable barrel could allow one hunter to use a single gun to hunt fowl, deer, elk or moose. McCain had another target in mind. "Al-Qaida?" McCain asked, smiling. "Taliban?" (Another candidate tries to morph into an RKBA supporter.) http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071024/NEWS01/710240372/1043/NEWS01 McCain's Last Stand?: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/1025mccain-nh1025.html --- Democrat Touts NRA Credentials: Lauding the National Rifle Association is not usually an applause line for a Democratic presidential candidate, but New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson - knowing his audience - was cheered when he brought the issue up in gun-friendly Nevada. `"I'm the only Democratic candidate [for president] who's been given an 'A' rating by the NRA, Richardson told officers of a pipefitters and plumbers union here. "I'm a sportsman, like you," he added. http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2007/10/richardson_tout.html --- John Edwards Supports Fishing And Hunting: Today, during a tour of western Iowa, John Edwards unveiled his Hunting and Fishing Bill of Rights and Responsibilities to ensure that future generations will be able to enjoy America's incredible natural resources. Edwards' plan calls for increasing access to public lands, protecting gun rights, improving conservation efforts and ensuring clean waters for safe, healthy fishing. (Ho hum.) http://campaignsandelections.com/nh/releases/index.cfm?ID=5562 --- New York Governor To Examine "Black Powder Loophole": Last week, The Investigators went undercover to expose a gaping loophole in New York state's gun laws. Now Governor Eliot Spitzer is promising to examine the problem more closely...The black powder rifle's exemption from gun laws is one of the last remaining major gun loopholes in the state of New York. But the days of buying this deadly weapon no questions asked may be numbered... http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=local&id=5722620 --- Texas Land Commissioner Ignores National Park Rule: Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson is a stout advocate of the right to bear arms. As a state senator, he helped win passage of legislation that allows qualified Texans to carry concealed handguns. And the Marine Corps veteran makes no secret about going about armed - even when it's against the rules. In an interview this week regarding the National Park Service and its interest in acquiring almost 10,000 acres of state-owned land near Big Bend National Park, Patterson said he had a big problem with the Park Service's ban on hunting in its parks and its "unconstitutional prohibition" against going armed into a park. http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/editorial/entries/2007/10/19/day_at_the_park_hes_packin.html --- Texas Law Change Gets Little Notice: An amendment to Texas' so-called "traveling rule" regarding concealed handguns went into effect September 1 with hardly anyone noticing, though it comes close to gutting the law requiring Texans to obtain a permit to carry a concealed weapon. (Actually, it only expands rights to carry inside a vehicle without a CHL.) http://www.dallasobserver.com/2007-10-25/news/have-gun-will-travel/ --- Empty-Holster Protest Continues: College students across the country have been strapping empty holsters around their waists this week to protest laws that prohibit concealed weapons on campus, citing concerns over campus shootings...Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, a group of college students, parents and citizens who organized after the deadly shootings at Virginia Tech University in April, launched the protest..."You don't like the fact that you can't have a gun on your college campus? Drop out of school," said Peter Hamm, a spokesman for the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C304806%2C00.html http://newsradio1420.com/newsradio/newsMaker.asp?storyID=8609 http://media.www.miamistudent.net/media/storage/paper776/news/2007/10/23/Editorials/Student.Gun.Holster.Protest.Misses.Mark.On.Campus-3049224.shtml --- More On Arrest Of Florida Reporter: WPLG-ABC 10 reporter Jeffrey Weinsier, a loaded .38 revolver tucked in his waistband, was arrested Tuesday at Miami Central High after he was repeatedly warned against trespassing on school property, police said. Weinsier, 40, was charged with trespassing on school property with a weapon, possession of a firearm on school grounds and resisting officers without violence. http://www.miamiherald.com/top_stories/story/282132.html http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=632614 SAF Comments: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,207032.shtml --- Last Week's Second Amendment Forum: The recent Second Amendment symposium at the George Mason University School of Law brought scholars and activists on both sides of the gun debate together to talk about what will happen to gun rights in the next few years. The consensus was that while no one knows exactly what will happen, it may well be historic. On Oct. 17, the Law School hosted the Annual Symposium of the George Mason University Civil Rights Law Journal, entitled "The Second Amendment and Twenty-First Century Jurisprudence." http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58325 --- Bringing An Ax To A Gunfight: When the masked robber approached the petite clerk of a Long Island convenience store, little did he know she had an ax to grind. Staring into the barrel of his gun, 5-foot-4 Hafize Sahim pulled a 3-foot-long ax from under the counter and began swinging it at his head as he made a bee-line for the door, cops said yesterday. Sahim, 27, said yesterday that she thought the gun was a fake, which is why she fought back. (Video avaiable.) http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime_file/2007/10/24/2007-10-24_thug_pulls_out_a_gun_long_island_clerk_w-2.html --- Oklahoma Man To Face Trial In Self-Defense Shooting: A retired security guard and concealed-weapon permit holder must face trial for manslaughter in connection with a fatal shooting that was linked to road rage, a judge ruled Tuesday... Gumm, 67, told police that he feared for his life when he shot Turney, 47, during a reported road-rage confrontation in a River Parks parking lot about 4 p.m. June 10. Gumm's attorney, Larry Johnson, said last month that his client backed away from Turney, walking twice around his car with the revolver pointed at Turney, who followed him around the car and pushed him before the shooting. http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=071024_1_A13_hThed64720 --- Kahr Founder "Profiled": ...In 1993, Justin founded Kahr, taking for the name a made-up word that combined his affection for German engineering and fast cars. It is unclear what role his father had in the formation of the company, but many people familiar with Kahr believe the True Father was at the very least consulted. "I used the connections I had," Justin replies when asked what part the church and his father had in the formation of the business. "I borrowed money." What is known is that in his early twenties, the son of the True Father morphed from Kook Jin into Justin Moon, and right away his objective was clear. "I wanted to create the ultimate line of concealable pistols," he tells me. http://www.portfolio.com/careers/features/2007/09/17/Unification-Church/?TID=rm/goo/Stolen_Guns_And_Murder_CT#page1 --- Tangentially Related: America's forensics system, the part of our criminal justice system responsible for scientific examinations of crime-scene evidence like fingerprints and DNA, is rife with errors. Some mistakes, like botched tests or erroneously interpreted results, are inevitable. But current error rates are needlessly high...The best-performing group of disciplines, which included "finger and palm prints, metals, firearms, and footwear," had error rates at or above 2 percent. http://reason.com/news/show/122464.html -- Stephen P. Wenger Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .