Blowing Gunsmoke: I live in a fairly typical American family when it comes to guns. Let's just say my wife and I have different views. My wife doesn't hunt. She doesn't even like guns. But, she does appreciate my love for hunting and guns - and we share a deep commitment to preserving our environment. And, I accept that she was a financial supporter of the Brady Campaign. And, I also support her and respect her opinions. On guns, we're like James Carville and Mary Matalin - happily married, on different sides, but still respectful of each others' views... (I would not say that the phony AHSA is at odds with the Brady Bunch, even though its purpose is to give that impression.) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ray-schoenke/a-typical-american-family_b_125665.html --- AHSA's Choice for President: ...Perhaps the most telling example of his rabidly pro-forcible citizen disarmament voting record can be found here. Yep - any shotgun larger than .410 (28 gauge shotguns have a bore diameter of about .550 inches) would be banned, and there would be no "grandfather clause." If you owned a shotgun for dove hunting or trap shooting, Obama voted for legislation that would require you to turn it in. So much for "I'm not going to take your guns away." What I would like to know, though, is what the American Hunters and Shooters Association has to say about this. The AHSA has, you'll remember, endorsed Obama, and have gotten their little knickers in a twist over the fact that some nasty folks would dare claim that Obama is a threat to private gun ownership... http://armedandsafe.blogspot.com/2008/09/so-would-this-attack-on-senator-obamas.html --- The Real Role of AHSA: Apparently, the Second Amendment is leading some to support Republican John McCain for president, as evidenced by a recent rally for gun rights and John McCain in Grand Junction, Colo. I generally vote Democratic, but the right to bear arms is an essential constitutional right, and I'd be concerned if Barack Obama opposed the Second Amendment. He doesn't. Obama, a former constitutional law professor, is on record numerous times affirming that the right to bear arms is "an individual right." He acknowledges the importance of hunting to America's sportsmen and women and the need to conserve wild lands and the outdoors. The American Hunters and Shooters Association, which supports common-sense gun policy and the right to bear arms, endorsed Obama. AHSA President Ray Schoenke said Obama would be "a strong and authentic voice for America's hunters and shooters..." http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_10430816 --- Vote Nears on Repeal of DC Gun Ban: ...In response, the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote soon on legislation to simply repeal the DC gun ban - a vote that could come as early as today. HR 6691, introduced by Rep. Travis Childers (D-MS), would repeal much of the gun control in the District - including the ban on semi-auto pistols and rifles, and the registration requirements which require residents to get permission from the city council before they can own a weapon..."Although the bill is expected to pass in the House, possibly as soon as this week, its fate is less clear in the Senate," reported The Washington Post this past Tuesday. "It has won the backing of 48 [House] Democrats, many facing reelection in strongly pro-gun areas, and is expected to pick up broad support among Republicans." Remarkably, the Post is right. (A stopped clock is also right twice a day.) The Democrats are trying to "have their cake and eat it too" by protecting Democrats from rural districts - allowing them to vote pro-gun - but then letting the bill die in the Senate. That's why GOA is encouraging members to contact their two senators at this time... http://www.gunowners.org/a091108.htm --- House Committee Supports DC Infringements: A House committee approved a bill yesterday that would allow D.C. officials to write their own gun laws, as D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton and others tried to forestall more drastic congressional intervention. But Norton (D) acknowledged that the real showdown on the District's gun laws will come on the House floor, probably next week. There, a tougher bill that would eliminate most D.C. gun regulations probably will be offered as a substitute for Norton's measure. The full House will probably approve the tougher measure, according to congressional sources... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/10/AR2008091002040.html --- Some Cities to Fight for Handgun Bans: Some communities have moved quickly to repeal handgun bans since the U.S. Supreme Court in June established an individual right to gun ownership, while others plan to defend their bans in court battles with the National Rifle Association. The NRA filed at least five lawsuits after a 5-4 Supreme Court ruling struck down a handgun ban in Washington, D.C., and said for the first time that the Constitution's Second Amendment gives individuals the right to keep guns at home for self-defense. Washington is a federal district, so the pending cases will determine whether the Supreme Court decision also applies to state and local governments, says Wayne LaPierre, the NRA's executive vice president... http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080911/UPDATES01/809110409 --- Senate Committee Supports National-Park Carry: With solid bipartisan support, a Senate panel approved legislation on Thursday to allow loaded guns in national parks. The Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved, 18-5, a draft bill by Sen. Jim DeMint , R-S.C. It would allow people to bring loaded guns into national parks and wildlife refuges unless state laws bar them from doing so. Park Service regulations now allow guns only if they are unloaded and stowed. "The purpose of this bill is to protect innocent Americans from violent crime in national parks," DeMint said... http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=1&docID=cqmidday-000002948759 --- Portland Airport Rescinds Illegal Gun Ban: After a battle stretching back to 2004, the Port of Portland has finally rescinded its illegal ordinance against CHL holders at the Portland Airport. As you may know, since 1996, the Port had a regulation forbidding persons with concealed handgun licenses from being in the Portland Airport. There was one small problem. The ordinance was unlawful. Needless to say, the Port and their lawyers did everything they could to justify this violation of the law. Their bizarre interpretations of the law would have made a contortionist jealous. But they were wrong... (In all honesty, I believe the ban was against carrying a concealed handgun, not simply being licensed to do so.) http://oregonfirearms.org/alertspage/09.10.08alert.html --- Armed Killings Cost Billions: The United States leads the world in economic loss from deaths caused by armed crime, according to a global survey released Friday. The U.S. registered an estimated loss of up to $45.1 billion in terms of economic productivity because of violent crimes, said the report by the U.N. Development Program and the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey...The report did not give a country-by-country breakdown of the numbers of people killed in armed crimes. But the report said that Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica and South Africa are among the countries with the highest numbers of recorded violent crimes in the world... (It would appear that more people die from violent crimes in other countries but that the financial loss is higher in the US because American workers are more productive.) http://www.washtimes.com/news/2008/sep/12/armed-killings-cost-nations-billions-of-dollars/ --- NYPD Shootings at Three-Decade Low: As New York City's crime rate continues to drop, police officers are using their weapons less, and last year they fired the fewest times since the police department began recording the statistic three decades ago. According to a report released Wednesday, in 2007 there were 111 incidents in which firearms were discharged, including shots fired at animals, in suicide attempts, in accidents and at crime suspects. The figure was down from 127 in 2006 and 253 a decade ago. There were 45 cases in which officers intentionally fired at crime suspects, down 25 percent from the year before. The majority of the 80 officers involved fired to defend themselves or others from the threat of injury or death, the police report said... http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ia23zjAls-9rUe5F9z6iF_wbE1DgD934F0D00 --- Oops, Wrong House, Kentucky Version: Lexington police have made an arrest in a burglary that turned fatal Wednesday morning at an apartment complex near Hamburg Pavilion. Reginald Laron Jones, 24, of Lexington has been charged with first-degree burglary. Police say he was one of three people, including a man who was killed by a male resident in the apartment and a female, who charged into the apartment Wednesday morning...Investigators were told the couple who lives in the apartment answered knocks at the door and were "rushed by several people," Gutierrez said. The intruders had handguns, she said. One of the occupants in the apartment got a handgun and shot one of the men. He was found dead inside the apartment when police arrived...Gutierrez said police are looking at whether a 2006 law, commonly called the castle doctrine, applies to this case... http://bluegrassbeat.bloginky.com/2008/09/10/lexington-police-coroner-investigating-shooting/ --- Oops, Wrong House, Florida Version: A would-be thief got an unexpected surprise early this morning when one of his victims greeted him with a gun and held him on a patio until deputies arrived. Deputies say Timothy Kendal Vanhohenstein, 21, of Jensen Beach, was trying to break into a house on Fiesta Court just after 1 a.m. when the couple sleeping inside was startled by the sound of him trying to open the door. The husband, 59, took out a gun and confronted Vanhohenstein on the back patio, according to arrest reports. He held him there at gunpoint while his wife, also 59, called 9-1-1. When they arrived, deputies said Vanhohenstein admitted trying to break into the house and said he had burglarized cars the neighborhood that night... (Personally, I don't think I'd have gone out to the patio.) http://www.palmbeachpost.com/treasurecoast/content/tcoast/epaper/2008/06/24/0624mcrobbery.html?cxntlid=inform_artr --- Oops, Wrong Woman on the Street: Four times Italian women's [karate] champion Lara Liotta, 29, was on a street in broad daylight in central Rome when the man, a Romanian immigrant of no fixed abode, approached her and asked her for a cigarette. When she told him she did not smoke he allegedly lunged for her and grabbed her around the neck. Miss Liotta, who works as prison officer, immediately put her black belt training to good use, delivering two swift jabs to the man's face which sent him crashing to the ground. The karate champion was fortunate she could rely on her skills to fight off her attacker because there was no assistance from passersby, despite the attack happening shortly after rush hour on Monday... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/2776841/Female-karate-champion-defeats-mugger.html --- Purchasing a Handgun in California: As of last Thursday, I, a 21-year-old female college student, have exercised my Second Amendment right to bear arms. I must say, as the only female at Turner's Outdoorsman, I felt somewhat out of place; however, I was confident that my decision to purchase a gun was a necessary and responsible choice. Having shot a firearm before, I passed the Handgun Safety Test, missing only a question pertaining to the age you must be before you can purchase a concealable weapon (I learned it is 21, not 18 as I had thought). After half an hour of paperwork and a handgun demonstration, I was on my way to the 10-day waiting period. I must admit, I had a feeling of self-assurance and confidence that I had made a move to protect myself because I understood the process I had just completed and what it means to be in possession of a firearm... http://media.www.laloyolan.com/media/storage/paper803/news/2008/09/11/Opinion/Happiness.Is.A.Warm.Gun-3422898.shtml --- The Call for "Green" Ammunition: It's been 17 years since the federal government banned the use of lead shot in shells used to hunt waterfowl. Back in 1991 the number of ducks and geese turning up dead from lead poisoning was on the increase, not so much as a result of being hit by lead pellets but as a result of ingesting pellets as they bottom fed in ponds and marshes. Swans and other non-game bottom feeders were also impacted. Hunters initially complained about the poor performance of non-toxic steel shot compared to lead, but it wasn't long before a number of non-toxic alternatives to ordinary steel appeared. Bismuth, Hevi-Shot, various tungsten alloys and others offered hunters a more effective, but also more costly, alternative to steel shot... (Not discussed is the potential toxicity of some of the lead substitutes, such as tungsten.) http://www.bhpioneer.com/articles/2008/09/12/opinion/doc48c93bb582d8b393359161.txt --- BATFE Authorizes Electronic Record Keeping: Following discussion with the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) -- the trade association for the firearms industry -- and many industry members, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) announced yesterday a major new ruling authorizing federal firearms licensees to use electronic (computerized) acquisition and disposition records provided the software used satisfies certain ATF requirements set forth in the ruling signed by Acting Director Michael Sullivan. FFLs will no longer need to seek a variance from the Director of Industry Operations to keep a computerized A&D book... http://skinnymoose.com/camogirl/index.php/2008/09/09/major-atf-ruling-authorizing-electronic-ad-books/ -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .