Veterans Fear "Gun Control" Bill: Combat veterans are voicing fears a bill in Congress would rob them of gun rights and put them on a government list alongside criminals restricted from buying weapons. The bill aims to increase state reporting of criminal and mental health records for use in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System used for gun purchases. Despite the bill's overwhelming support in the House, veterans' opposition has found an ally in Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla. Coburn is blocking it, citing the vets' concerns and other problems. Coburn said the bill would take away veteran's gun rights "by fiat," and not by law, when records are put on the list by the Department of Veteran's Affairs. http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2007/11/03/news/110407dcvetsgun.txt --- Castle-Doctrine Laws Reviewed: ...The so-called "castle doctrine" law removes the requirement that residents must first seek a safe retreat from an intruder before using deadly force. Similar laws have passed in 20 states in just two years, thanks to an intense lobbying effort by the National Rifle Association...While Mississippi's castle doctrine law was met with wide popular acclaim in this conservative, gun-friendly state, a spate of shootings in the capital has renewed public discussion... http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071105/NEWS/711050337/1001/news --- Rudy Giuliani, Federalist?: ...In yet another example of a politician advocating one position while running for state or local office and a completely different one upon running for president, Rudy Giuliani has decided that he now supports a very strict interpretation of the Second Amendment. While Giuliani's critics have been quick to point out Giuliani's sudden change of heart with regards to gun control, Giuliani's defenders have argued that Giuliani's positions are consistent with the principle of federalism - arguing that while he may have supported strict gun control laws for New York City, he believes that individual states have the right to reject such gun control laws... http://themoderatevoice.com/politics/2008-elections/15918/giuliani-and-gun-control-he-was-for-it-before-he-was-against-it/ --- Oops, Wrong House: State police said they received a call Sunday from a man who said he had encountered an intruder at his house. John Nagy told police that he may have shot the intruder at his home, located at 44 Berkshire Road in Southbury. Nagy told police that he was awakened at about 2 a.m. by a noise in the basement area of the house. Nagy said he went to investigate the basement area armed with a weapon. He stated that he encountered a man who had entered the basement. The man advanced in the direction of the Nagy, and Nagy said he shot his gun in the direction of the intruder and left his home to wait for police. http://www.wfsb.com/news/14507802/detail.html --- Bringing A Cricket Bat To A Gunfight: "The shooter was defending himself from an attack with a cricket bat which is similar to a baseball bat but it's flat," Orange County sheriff's Sgt. Spike Hopkins said. "For this man to bring a firearm to a sporting event is odd but then again, he has the right to do so. He has a concealed weapons permit and if, in fact, he was protecting himself, he was authorized by law to do so." http://www.local6.com/news/14505886/detail.html?rss=orlpn&psp=news --- Bringing A Sex Toy To A Gunfight: In a bizarre incident that held up traffic on the westbound 210 Freeway for nearly three hours Thursday morning, police arrested a Claremont man who drew their fire by reaching into his waistband for what turned out to be a sex toy...According to police, McDermott admitted he reached into his waistband in an effort to dispose of phallic sex toy, which police say he did not steal from the bookstore, Mathews said. http://www.dailybulletin.com/ci_7346243?source=most_viewed --- Airsoft Incidents In Utah: ...On two separate occasions last week, handguns that resembled deadly weapons were carried by teenagers at two different locations in the Salt Lake Valley - causing scares in their community...Even though the pistol was not really dangerous, authorities say the teens might still face some serious legal trouble. Disorderly conduct. We are also looking at [a charge of] brandishing a weapon and very likely, assault with a deadly weapon," Starks added. "It is going to be a very sad day when somebody actually gets shot because of one of these weapons." http://www.kutv.com/content/news/topnews/story.aspx?content_id=cf62a3ed-57fa-4015-b12b-fea0baf36f5a --- Meanwhile, In California...: ...Two Lincoln High School students reportedly on the football team were arrested Friday morning for bringing Airsoft pellet guns on campus, according to Lincoln police and school officials. The students face felony charges of brandishing a weapon in public and having a weapon on school grounds. Charges apply whether or not the weapons are real, officers said. http://www.lincolnnewsmessenger.com/articles/2007/11/01/news/top_stories/07football.txt --- Newspaper Publishes Rebuttal Letter: ...We're brainwashed by editorials from paranoid pontificators who would deprive society of the basic right of self-defense. Of course, they're wrong, and their arguments absurd. Anyone who believes "pistol-packin' teachers" are a threat in modern schools is simply blind to reality. The only people who could have guns in certain schools are sociopathic losers like Seung-Hui Cho at Virginia Tech. In many cases, it is a pistol-packin' teacher or student who prevents bloodshed once an assailant begins their rampage; most always while those armed police are miles away... http://www.columbian.com/opinion/news/2007/11/11042007_Winning-Wordsmith.cfm --- A Tennessee Student On CCW: Imagine you are walking along, minding your own business, when suddenly you are faced with grievous bodily harm or loss of life through criminal force. What are your options? Do you, A) pray for divine intervention, B) yell for help, C) initiate firearm-based self-defense protocols. Let's examine the potential outcomes of these various possibilities...However, all the arguments based on speculation that "more guns lead to more violence" are bogus, provided we are referring to situations where the bearer has demonstrated to the State that he or she is responsible to be trusted with possession of the firearm. http://media.www.mtsusidelines.com/media/storage/paper202/news/2007/11/05/Opinions/Handgun.Permit.Holders.Safe.With.Concealed.Guns-3077179.shtml --- Interesting Commentary From The Phillipines: I was always in favor of gun control, at least until I was a missionary in Africa, when we noticed the criminal gangs/freedom fighters (the groups, as is usual in the third world, overlapped) started attacking missionaries, in cars, in missions, and in hospitals. They tended to hit places with nuns, because the veils were easier to identify, and unlike the businessmen's wives, nuns didn't have security guards or pack an Uzi. So do I defend guns as a means of self defense? And do I support gun control? Yes, but I'm leery of absolutes... http://www.bloggernews.net/111422 -- Stephen P. Wenger Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .