ABC Fires Away at Palin: Gov. Sarah Palin is already facing ethical questions over her firing of the Alaska public safety commissioner, and now she faces questions over the firing of a longtime local police chief. After taking over as Mayor of the small town of Wasilla, Palin fired the longtime local police chief. The former police chief, Irl Stambaugh says he was fired because he stepped on the toes of Palin's campaign contributors, including bar owners and the National Rifle Association...In his 1997 lawsuit, Stambaugh also alleged that his stand on restricting concealed weapons upset the NRA. "Mayor Palin has stated on several occasions that the National Rifle Association encouraged her to fire Chief Stambaugh because of his stance against the concealed weapons legislation," the lawsuit claimed... (It sounds as though this occurred when Alaska was deciding to go "permit-optional" for CCW. Alaska is one of two states that does not require a permit for CCW but will issue one to those who want one, such as those who may want to carry on an Alaska permit where it is recognized in some the lower 48 states.) http://www.abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5713866&page=1 --- DC FFL Back in Business: D.C. residents soon will be able to purchase a handgun and legally bring the weapon into the city now that a gun dealer has renewed his federal license. Charles Sykes Jr. tells WTOP radio he will begin transferring firearms Tuesday. The Supreme Court lifted the city's handgun ban in June. But because there are no gun shops in D.C., prospective buyers must go elsewhere, such as Maryland or Virginia. Under federal law, people can purchase a gun out of state, but the weapon must be shipped to a licensed dealer in their home jurisdiction, where the buyer can arrange to pick it up. Sykes is the only gun dealer in D.C. who has expressed interest in handling such transactions. He plans to charge $125 for each gun transfer. His business, CS Exchange, is located in Anacostia. http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=8947445&nav=23ii --- CHL's Increase in New Mexico County: Concerns about crime may explain why more than twice as many residents are packing heat this year. The number of Dona Ana County residents with permits to carry concealed weapons has more than doubled in less than a year, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported. According to figures from the state Department of Public Safety, 951 people in Dona Ana County had licenses to carry a concealed firearm, and 82 percent of them were men, the Sun-News reported. As of late last September, 455 county residents - 372 men and 82 women - had concealed-carry licenses, according to DPS figures. Over the same time period, the total of concealed-carry licenses statewide went from about 7,000 to 10,687, the Sun-News reported... http://www.abqjournal.com/abqnews/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8493&Itemid=2 --- Oops, Wrong House, Indiana Version: A convicted burglar made a mistake when he returned to the scene of his latest crime, city police said. Michael E. Boykin, 50, Muncie, allegedly was making his second trip of the day into the home of Mike Angel, in the 2100 block of West Jackson Street, on Sunday night when the homeowner, armed with a gun, apprehended the intruder and held him until police arrived..."I had a feeling the burglars would return so I waited for them," Angel said. A man later identified as Boykin was going through Angel's bedroom when the armed victim confronted the intruder. "I screamed at him and told him to get on the ground," said Angel, who then called police again... http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080903/NEWS02/809030398 --- Oops, Wrong House, North Carolina Version: Charlotte-Mecklenburg police say a homeowner shot and killed a man who had broken into his northwest Charlotte house on Tuesday. Police said 30-year-old Timothy Michael Quinn died at Carolinas Medical Center after the shooting, which occurred around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at a home in the 2000 block of Toddville Road. The homeowner, who was not identified, told police he had returned home and saw a black Dodge Stratus in his driveway. The side door of the home also had been kicked in. Deputy Chief David Graham said the home's owner went inside the residence where he confronted the intruder and ordered him to lay down. But the man instead moved toward the homeowner, who then shot him at least once with a handgun. The homeowner then dialed 911, police said... (If you don't have family inside the house, it's generally wiser to call 911 and wait outside.) http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking/story/168015.html --- Oops, Wrong Apartment: Greenville County deputies said they are investigating a home invasion that ended with an exchange of gunfire between the resident of the home and the burglar. The break-in happened at 669 Rutherford Road at the Magnolia Place Apartments just before 5:30 a.m. Wednesday. Investigators said someone forced their way into one of the apartments. They said once the burglar was inside, the resident of the apartment opened fire, hitting the burglar twice. The burglar also opened fire, they said. The intruder was taken to Greenville Memorial Hospital to be treated for his injuries. The resident was not injured... http://www.foxcarolina.com/news/17379037/detail.html#- --- Oops, Wrong Shed: A Warren (OH) city councilman held a bloody trespasser at gunpoint outside his home late Saturday night until Warren and Howland police arrived. Scott Boling, 32, of Warren, was arrested on charges of misdemeanor assault and criminal damaging and was being held in the Trumbull County Jail. Bob Dean, D-at large, said he was getting ready to go to a party Saturday night when he noticed someone near the shed in his back yard at 4110 Sunnybrook Drive S.E. at 11:43 p.m. Thinking it might be connected to the rash of shed break-ins in the city, Dean said he grabbed his gun, for which he has a conceal carry permit, ''and told him in graphic language to get on the ground... http://www.tribtoday.com/page/content.detail/id/510177.html --- Oops, Wrong Pharmacy: The Henry County Sheriff's Office is looking for a man who attempted to rob Harder's Pharmacy in Bassett on Saturday morning. A white male, with his face partially covered, entered the store on Fairystone Park Highway at about 10 a.m. and demanded that the pharmacist give him all the OxyContin and pain pills in the store, according to a news release from the sheriff's office. The pharmacist pulled a handgun and the would-be robber ran out of the store and got into the passenger seat of a vehicle parked across the street, authorities said. The driver then pulled out and backed up the street toward Riverside Drive, the release states... http://www.godanriver.com/gdr/news/local/danville_news/article/robbery_thwarted_by_pharmacist_with_gun/5958/ --- Rule One, Rule Two, Rule Three Reminder: Officials say a Lincoln County deputy was shot in the hand while storing a rusted-out stolen shotgun in the evidence room at the sheriff's office in North Platte. Sheriff Jerome Kramer says Sgt. Roland Kramer suffered a substantial injury on Tuesday when the gun went off by accident. Kramer says deputies recovered the stolen weapon along the river. He says it was so rusted, they couldn't get it open to see if it was loaded. The sheriff says Roland Kramer took the shotgun to the evidence room and placed the trigger onto a peg. He grabbed the barrel and it went off. Sheriff Kramer says the incident shows that no one should assume a gun isn't loaded or that it can't be fired. (The Rules: http://www.spw-duf.info/safety.html. Pegs count as fingers and, along with locks, should be kept out of trigger guards if one is not prepared to fire.) http://www.journalstar.com/news/nebraska/doc48be89d0287f6620034997.txt --- Rule Three Reminder: A police officer's gun accidentally went off during an arrest on Tuesday night, police said. Investigators said someone called police after spotting people with a gun at a strip mall in the 11900 block of Blue Ridge Boulevard in Grandview. Officers arrested two people at the scene for outstanding warrants. While they were putting one suspect in a police car, one of the officer's guns accidentally fired into the ground, police said. Both the officer and suspect suffered minor injuries when asphalt ricocheted up and hit them. (Note that this sort of injury is usually reported as "minor," a fact that should be considered when specifying ammunition with low ricochet potential, as was done in the Harrold TX school district.) http://www.kctv5.com/news/17377823/detail.html#- -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .