LaPierre vs. Helmke: NRA's Wayne LaPierre challenges Brady Bunch's Paul Helmke on the latter's claim that, "I absolutely don't want to do anything to make it harder for the legitimate hunters or gun collectors or anybody who even wants it for personal protection." http://www.nranews.com/blogarticle.aspx?blogPostId=106 --- CCRKBA Says Governor Should Compensate Crime Victims: Wisconsin's Democratic governor should reimburse victims of recent armed robberies in the state because its citizens are not permitted to carry concealed weapons and protect themselves when confronted by criminals, a gun rights group said. http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200612/NAT20061229a.html --- SAF Inaugurates "Roosevelt Courageous Woman Award": Recalling that the late former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was a firm, if not outspoken, advocate of personal defense - she campaigned for civil rights in 1958 in Tennessee with a pistol on her car seat - the Second Amendment Foundation today is inaugurating a new award honoring women who use firearms in lawful defense against a criminal attack. http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/12-28-2006/0004497421&EDATE= Historical Background: http://www.nationalreview.com/kopel/kopel012402.shtml --- Good Letter: An Ohio man writes to the editor, explaining the lack of fairness and effectiveness of approximately 80 local firearm ordinances rendered moot by the recent passage of a bill that reformed the state's CCW statute and asserted state pre-emption over the regulation of firearms. http://www.medina-gazette.com/Articles.asp?num=59510018 --- Not Enough Training Or The Wrong Techniques?: A deputy constable in Texas, trying to shoot a pit bull terrier that was interfering in a repossession, shot himself in the foot instead. http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=local&id=4888001 --- With Friends Like This...: A Washington man prevailed in a burglary-related shootout after a friend showed up at his home with three unknown visitors, one of whom tried to steal his gun collection, ostensibly to obtain funds to purchase methamphetamine. (Be careful whom you allow into your home. This is not unusual behavior for a methamphetamine user.) http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53555 http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420ap_wa_double_shooting.html --- Oops, Wrong House: Investigators are looking into the fatal shooting by a Washington homeowner, who said he woke up to find an intruder in his bedroom and soon shot the man. The intruder died from a shotgun wound to the chest. http://www.komotv.com/news/local/5023671.html --- Good Shooting For Closed Eyes: A North Carolina woman used her recently purchased handgun to fatally shoot her former boyfriend, who had threatened to kill her and was approaching, armed with a rifle. After closing her eyes, she scored four shots in the upper torso and one in the head; it's unclear how many rounds she actually fired. (Note: this technique is not recommended.) http://www.robesonian.com/articles/2006/12/28/news/news/story01.txt --- Bringing A Knife To A Gunfight, Twice: A young Arizona man appears to have fatally stabbed his stepfather, despite having been shot by him multiple times. The stepfather killed the youngster's mother and critically wounded his sister. http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=81323 --- Arizona City Removes X-Ray Machine, Metal Detectors: City employees whisked the X-ray machine and metal detector out of the lobby of Scottsdale City Hall on Thursday, ending a controversial experiment to increase security. (No mention is made of Arizona law that requires public entities to provide secure storage for weapons if they choose to ban them in facilities.) http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/1229nesecurity1229.html --- Ignorance Is Bliss?: A Florida teenager was hospitalized with facial injuries after placing a cartridge he found in a vice and hammering a screw into the primer. (Yet there are those who oppose providing basic firearms training to youngsters.) http://tampabay10.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=46159 --- Are We All "Ralphies"?: A deputy editor of The Palm Beach Post likens gun owners who defend the RKBA from infringement to Ralphie in the movie A Christmas Story, claiming America is "shooting its eye out." (An e-mail link and a blog are available for responses.) http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2006/12/28/a18a_Versteegcol_1228.html --- Secondary Safety Rule: An Oklahoma woman at a metro gun range accidentally shot herself on Wednesday, police said, when a hot bullet casing fell down her shirt. She jumped as the hot metal touched her skin and reached for her chest. Police said that's when she accidentally shot herself in the leg. (This is why most instructors require students not to leave shirt buttons unbuttoned and to wear caps with bills, to keep ejected cases from getting trapped behind shooting glasses.) http://www.koco.com/news/10622246/detail.html?rss=okl&psp=news -- Stephen P. Wenger Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .