NRA Launches Ad in Spanish: The latest TV ad from the National Rifle Association yokes immigration fears to the gun rights debate by raising the specter of crime by illegals before noting that Barack Obama voted against a 2004 Illinois bill to provide additional legal protections to individuals defending themselves with firearms against home-invading criminals. The ad will air in both English and Spanish on broadcast and cable stations in Colorado, New Mexico and Texas through Election Day... http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/10/01/nra_delivers_new_ad_in_spanish.html --- And I Have an Oceanfront Condo in Tucson: Sen. Barack Obama said Tuesday he is "a strong supporter of the Second Amendment" who will not try take Americans' guns away if elected. "I believe it's an individual right," he said in an interview following Tuesday's speech at UNR. "Lawful gun owners have nothing to fear from an Obama Administration." But, Obama said, he is for "some common sense gun safety laws." He said that means keeping weapons out of the hands of criminals, the mentally ill and children. "And we need a system that makes sure we can trace guns back to the original owners and dealers..." http://www.sierrasun.com/article/20081001/NEWS/809309975/1066&ParentProfile=1051&title=Obama%20promises%20support%20for%20gun%20owner%20rights --- Prohibitionist Urges Microstamping for DC: A gun-control advocate told the D.C. Council's public safety committee Wednesday that officials should consider adopting a complex method of ballistics tracking to help identify guns used in the city. "In crime scenes, what we find are cartridges and no guns," said Joshua Horwitz, executive director of the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence. "Microstamping can provide the link between the gun and cartridge." Mr. Horwitz's comments came during a hearing before the council's Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary regarding gun laws in the District... http://www.washtimes.com/news/2008/oct/02/ballistics-tracking-urged-to-id-guns/ --- Atlanta Airport Ruling Appealed: GCO has filed a notice of appeal from the September 26, 2008 judgment of the federal court in GCO's case against the City of Atlanta regarding the City's program of illegally searching, detaining, and arresting GFL holders for lawfully carrying firearms in the non-secure areas of the Atlanta airport. The appeal will be heard by a 3-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. http://www.georgiacarry.org/cms/2008/09/30/gco-appeals-airport-case/ --- Virginia AG Says Yes to Open Carry in State Parks: VCDL had been aware that Senator Ken Cuccinelli put in a request several months ago for a formal opinion from Attorney General Bob McDonnell on whether it is legal to open carry in Virginia State Parks. The answer came in this morning and it is YES! VCDL expected that to be the case, but it was important for the Attorney General to actually rule on the issue. CAUTION: I am determining if this opinion has officially overridden the park regulation or if the park regulation must be rewritten before we can carry openly. SO, I SUGGEST NOT OPEN CARRYING IN STATE PARKS UNTIL I GET MORE INFORMATION... http://blog.vcdl.org/index.php?/archives/283-VA-ALERT-BREAKING-NEWS!-AG-Open-Carry-OK-in-State-Parks!.html --- Meanwhile, in Norfolk...: As you might recall, Norfolk paid VCDL member Danladi Moore $10,000 for unlawfully harassing him for openly carrying a gun. The check was barely in the bank when the Norfolk police did it to him again on a Norfolk bus, as was detailed in the VCDL mini-update on September 22nd. You would think that Norfolk would have learned their lesson (don't forget that Chet Szymecki and his wife, Deborah, each still have lawsuits against Norfolk in federal court over Chet's unlawful arrest last year in Norfolk, too). We need you to join us next Tuesday, October 7th, as we tell City Council that these repeated violations are not acceptable... http://blog.vcdl.org/index.php?/archives/286-VA-ALERT-ACTION-ITEM-Norfolk-City-Council-meeting!.html --- Gun Shows Don't Increase Homicides, Suicides: Gun shows don't contribute to increased homicide or suicide rates, according to results of a study announced Wednesday by the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. The joint University of Michigan and University of Maryland examination of gun death data in the weeks surrounding more than 3,400 California and Texas gun shows concluded tighter regulation of the flea market-like operations did nothing to reduce firearms-related deaths in the following month. Researchers compared gunshot death data surrounding every known gun show in California and Texas between 1994 and 2004. California has some of the most stringent gun sale rules in the country. Texas is among the least restrictive... http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081002/METRO/810020375/1020/NATION --- One Woman's Conversion: I have been anti-gun all my life. When my sons were little, I wouldn't allow them to ever own a toy gun. But events in the past few years have radically changed my views. It starts with September 11, 2001...The tragedy at Virginia Tech was the final straw. I was not going to be a victim anymore. My children were not going to be victims anymore. I took my first gun safety class, and I got my first concealed carry permit. Some people may be surprised that I have changed. I am surprised that some of them haven't. http://politicalwrite.blogspot.com/2008/09/anit-gun-rights-to-pro-gun-rights-my.html --- Second Amendment Sisters Support Soccer Mom: We at Second Amendment Sisters applaud the common sense of Meleanie Hain for taking a handgun to her 5-year-old's soccer game in Pennsylvania...Although some parents were "upset" at the sight of the handgun, we hope they will think about all the mass shootings that could have been stopped in their tracks by one law-abiding person with a gun. Meleanie Hain could be just that person. I lived through one of those mass shooting ... my parents didn't. The idea of that happening again with my young children makes me physically ill. That's why THIS soccer mom also carries her weapon to games. I want my children safe from crazies who look for so called "gun-free zones" such as these naïve parents and kowtowing sheriff want to create... http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?3a4b6d81-71f0-4701-8037-d3b587cb0bf4 --- Taking a BB Gun to a Gunfight: Police said a homeowner shot in self-defense when armed suspects tried to rob him overnight. Shortly before 10:30 p.m. Monday, 67-year-old Douglas Dabbs pulled into his driveway on Tobylynn Drive and was getting out of his pickup truck when two armed men came up to him and tried to rob him. The two men were identified as Nibeyu Demissew Yosef and Jermichael Jerome Burgy. Armed with BB guns the two men demanded money from Dabbs. Dabbs said he reached into the console of his truck, retrieved a handgun that fires .410 shotgun rounds and opened fire on the two robbers... (All's well that ends well but I have to wonder about Mr. Dabbs' choice of handgun. A .410 slug is a deeply penetrating projectile but any shot load out of a rifled handgun barrel is dubious at anything but close range.) http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=9096658 --- Oops, Wrong Trailer: Sheriff's detectives say a Rosemark man held two thieves at gunpoint who tried to steal a utility trailer from his front yard yesterday. Detectives believe the suspects may also be responsible for stealing other utility trailers...Two men then began hooking up Rutter's utility trailer to the pickup truck. Detectives say Rutter got his pistol and confronted the two men. Initially, Jessie Brown, 51, of Munford and Kelvin Nathaniel, 45, of Drummonds, told Rutter a neighbor said they could use the trailer to move some hay. Rutter didn't believe their story and called for Deputies. Moments later, Brown and Nathaniel were taken into custody. Both were charged with Theft of Property... http://www.myeyewitnessnews.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=4f04f2c6-5447-4278-a154-323d7af22fcf --- Oops, Wrong Ex-Girlfriend: A Hardin County woman shot and killed her ex-boyfriend Monday, but no charges have been filed because the shooter is claiming self-defense...Pavey said it happened at a home where Angie Ricketts, the alleged shooter, lives with her husband and children. Pavey said Ricketts called police right after she pulled the trigger, killing her ex-boyfriend, 37-year-old Eric West. "He showed up unwanted yesterday and that he allegedly assaulted her and that's what led to all this," Pavey said. West, of Magnolia, Ky., was pronounced dead at the scene. Detectives said Ricketts claims this isn't the first time her ex has caused problems... http://www.wlky.com/news/17592575/detail.html --- A Lesson in Gun Laws: I just finished a family vacation traveling through and spending time in several states including West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania. It is interesting what is legal or illegal as you travel across state lines. I have concealed carry licenses from Ohio and Florida which allowed me to carry in each mentioned state, except Maryland. It is important to follow the laws of the state you are in, not where your license was issued. For researching state laws I used "The Traveler's guide to firearms laws in 50 states" and www.handgunlaw.us as well as information from states Attorney General or State Police web sites... (Since the decay and demise of Packing.org, handgunlaw.us is probably the best online starting point for learning the "rules of the road" when leaving your home state.) http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/6011 -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .