Bill To Reform BATFE Analyzed: Iowa Republican representative Steve King has introduced a bill in the house judiciary committee entitled "To reform the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, modernize firearms". If you've been paying attention, the BATFE is certainly a bureau that could use some reforming...The liberals see no need to fix the BATFE, they are fine with a government agency running roughshod over the rights of the citizens. The only thing that will convince them to pass this law that reins in this rogue agency is a fear of not being reelected. http://ggthoughts.blogspot.com/2007/12/legislation-we-can-get-behind.html --- CWP's For Sale In California County: The bounty hunter accused of kicking in his wife's door and dragging her outside, the pawnbroker who left a loaded gun tucked between the seats of his unlocked car, the drywall company owner who donated money to the sheriff's campaign and owns a vacation house with him. All of these men subsequently received permission from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department to carry a concealed gun. As a lawsuit accusing former Sheriff Lou Blanas of favoring campaign contributors in decisions on concealed weapon permits wends its way through federal court, The Bee examined public records on more than 550 permits issued since 1996, all but 37 of them under Blanas' terms as sheriff and undersheriff. (California's discretionary-issue law encourages favoritism and corruption in permit issuance in several counties.) http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/587425.html --- Oops, Wrong House, Indiana Version: Two men will spend Christmas in jail after allegedly being involved in a shooting Sunday evening. P.J. Scott and an unknown number of people allegedly kicked in the door and forced their way into John Stoick's home at 343 Elizabeth Ave., in north Terre Haute, according to Sgt. Dale Loudermilk of the Terre Haute Police Department. Stoick, 18, of Terre Haute was upstairs in his bedroom when Scott and others allegedly entered. He allegedly pulled a gun and began shooting in self defense. http://www.tribstar.com/news/local_story_358190759.html?keyword=topstory --- Oops, Wrong House, South Africa Version: An alleged robber was shot and injured by a resident in KwaZulu-Natal on Monday morning, police said...The resident heard dogs barking and awoke from his sleep. "He took his firearm and went outside to investigate," said O' Brien. Police said one robber, who was hidden between two cars in the driveway, jumped towards the resident with "something" in his hand. "Fearing for his life, he instinctively fired his weapon," said O' Brien. http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2243136,00.html http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=668615 --- Oops, Wrong Apartment: ...Police say they arrived at Charleston Oaks Apartments on Kyser Boulevard around 4:00 pm on Sunday. They found Paul Bryant Crabtree of Athens lying in the breezeway with a gunshot wound to the chest. He later died at the hospital. Authorities believe Crabtree, Mary Elizabeth Holt and an unidentified accomplice, armed with knives, forced their way into an apartment. The person living there drew a gun and fired in self defense. http://www.waff.com/Global/story.asp?S=7538310&nav=0hBE --- Oops, Wrong Bar: It happened around 11:30 pm yesterday. A man allegedly walked into Henry's Bar on 80th and Avenue B and allegedly began waving a gun. Two men inside, including the bar owner, forced the man out into the parking lot, but it didn't end there. Another scuffle broke out and the man apparently drew his weapon again. The bar owner was armed himself. "He pointed the gun at the bar owner and the bar owner shot him," said an investigator at the scene. "It appears to be self-defense at this time." http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=5853065 --- Beware Of Eye Injuries From Holiday Toys: BB guns, darts, pellet guns and paintball guns are among the toys that pose a threat to the eyes. "Any toy that can eject or propel an object can lead to a serious eye injury if used incorrectly. This includes innocuous appearing toys such as a popgun or a paddleball set," Coats said. (While I'd rather see kids learn to use real guns safely than to play with toy ones, I believe that they should still observe the basic safety rules if they do use toy guns.) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/24/AR2007122401192.html -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .