GRPC Cheers Hold On NICS Improvement Act: The 22nd Annual Gun Rights Policy Conference attracted more than 800 firearms enthusiasts for a three-day conference that ends Sunday. Texas Congressman Ron Paul, a very long-shot Republican candidate for president, was scheduled to address the conference Saturday night... The audience erupted in applause when told that Sen. Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican, put a hold on the bill earlier this week and delayed a vote on the legislation... The conference crowd cheered even though the federal bill is backed by the National Rifle Association, which is working in a rare alliance with Democrats. It passed the House and would be the first major gun control law in a decade. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071006/NEWS01/310060014 --- Federal Judge Blocks Oklahoma Law: Employers can ban employees from bringing guns to work and leaving them in their vehicles, a federal judge in Tulsa has ruled. U.S. District Judge Terence Kern issued a 93-page order in which he said amendments to the Oklahoma Firearms Act and the Oklahoma Self-Defense Act conflict with a federal law meant to protect employees on the job. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories/DN-okgunlaw_07tex.ART.State.Edition1.425ebd2.html --- Connecticut Man Sues To Regain Pistol Permit: ... So when Glastonbury police seized Goldberg's gun and revoked his permit - following his arrest on charges of breach of peace June 21 at Chili's restaurant after an employee complained about seeing the gun under his T-shirt - friends and family, even the Wethersfield police chief who signed off on the gun permit, figured it was a misunderstanding that would be quickly corrected. The misdemeanor charge was dismissed about a month later in Superior Court in Manchester, leaving Goldberg, 29, with a clean record. But he will have to wait until May 14, 2009, for a hearing before the Board of Firearms Permit examiners, a civilian board that hears appeals on revoked or denied gun permits... http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-firearms1008.artoct08,0,2725071.story?coll=hc_entertainment_events_util --- When Citizens Are Disarmed: A shirtless madman wielding stolen knives went on a bloody midtown rampage yesterday - stabbing a restaurant worker and a psychologist walking her dog before being shot by an off-duty cop, authorities said....Chin (the officer) was given a sobriety test - which he passed - under a new and controversial NYPD policy introduced last Sunday http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime_file/2007/10/07/2007-10-07_woman_fights_for_life_after_psycho_goes_.html --- Meanwhile, In Wisconsin: An off-duty sheriff's deputy went on a shooting rampage early Sunday in remote northern Wisconsin, killing six people and injuring a seventh before authorities fatally shot him, officials said. (Wisconsin remains one of two states that has no statutory provisions for private citizens to carry concealed firearms.) http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20071008/NATION/110080031/1002 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/07/AR2007100700725.html?hpid=moreheadlines --- A Different View Of Philadelphia's Crime Rate: For months and months now, the Philly politicians have been screaming that they need more gun-control laws. And for months and months, I've been saying they just need to get smart about dealing with crime. Arrests are made in only one-third of murders in Philadelphia, and only half of all rapes. And when Philly police do get a bad guy, the justice system lets him out the door with a slap on the wrist. If the criminal is a juvenile, it's even worse. Rather than doing jail time, these young offenders might have their candy bars taken away... http://www.nranews.com/blogarticle.aspx?blogPostId=314 --- Illinois Could Abolish Youth Hunting, Firearm Safety Programs: The Illinois State Rifle Association is ready to fight a State Police proposal which it believes would abolish youth hunting and gun safety programs. The proposal would set 10 years of age as the minimum for obtaining a Firearms Owners Identification...ISRA says the State Police proposal is a reaction to stories that appeared several months ago about how easily a newborn child obtained an FOID card. http://daily-journal.com/archives/dj/display.php?id=404941 --- Oops, Wrong Photo Shop: About 12:30 a.m. Monday, people who live in apartments above the photography shop heard breaking glass and a popping sound, and called 911. Detectives say, a man smashed the front window to get in, waking up the business owner, who lives just behind the shop. The intruder confronted the owner, the owner then shot the intruder, who was dying on the floor when police got on scene. http://www.woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7181616&nav=0Rce --- Don't Try This At Home: A deli clerk is credited with averting a robbery in the City of Newburgh (NY). City Police said on Friday morning, October 5 at about 6:15 a.m., a man walked into the Star Grocery at 111 William Street, walked behind the counter and pointed a shotgun at the clerk. The clerk grabbed the weapon, struggled with the would-be robber and pulled the shotgun away from him. The suspect fled with another employee chasing after him. (While it is easier to disarm someone with a long gun than with a handgun, at close range, due to greater leverage, it's still a risky proposition if you don't feel that you are in immediate danger of being shot. If you are the wielder of a long gun, remember that you don't need to get as close as you would with a handgun in order for an assailant to be able to grab the barrel.) http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/deli_rob-06Oct07.html -- Stephen P. Wenger Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .