In Liberty's Two Arms: To understand the Second Amendment, it helps to consult Justice Stephen Breyer's book Active Liberty. This is not because the book reveals specifically how Breyer would vote in District of Columbia v. Heller, the upcoming Supreme Court case on the D.C. ban against owning handguns and using any firearm for self-defense in the home. But Breyer's book, through its philosophical discussions of the meaning of liberty, does show a way to reconcile the subordinate clause of the Second Amendment (the importance of the militia to a free state) and the main clause (gun ownership as an individual right). And this reconciliation of the two clauses strongly suggests that the D.C. gun bans are unconstitutional. http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=8920 --- Sandra Froman On DOJ's Heller Brief: ...Each presidential candidate must speak out on this brief. The Justice Department has not gone far enough to support the fundamental rights guaranteed under the Second Amendment, and so those who aspire to lead our nation must step up and call on the Supreme Court to affirm the judgment of the DC Circuit striking down the ban. This is a chance for all the GOP candidates to show what they're made of, distinguishing themselves from the Democrats. With Bill Richardson out of the race, the remaining Democrat candidates all have an "F" rating from the NRA... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/SandyFroman/2008/01/15/candidates_must_trump_justice_department_in_dc_gun_case Bloomberg's Anti-Gun Survey Ignored: ...Whatever the reason, Bloomberg got no takers on his call for the candidates to answer questions from his Mayors Against Illegal Guns group, even though he spent $22,203 on full-page ads in early-voting state newspapers - the Des Moines Register and the New Hampshire Union-Leader - to tout the survey.,, http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2008/01/it-looks-like-mayor-bloomberg.html --- Georgia Parking-Lot-Storage Bill Amended: A key Senate committee gutted a gun bill Tuesday that would have allowed Georgians to carry guns in their cars to work, in an attempt to diffuse a two-year battle between gun lobbyists and business owners. The vote came just a few hours after Gov. Sonny Perdue announced his opposition to the bill, which was backed by the National Rifle Association. The Senate Rules Committee, which sets the agenda for the chamber, drastically narrowed the scope of the bill that originally would have allowed any employee to keep a firearm in cars parked in company lots. The new version applies only to Georgians with state-issued concealed weapons permits, and only in limited circumstances. http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2008/01/15/perdue_0115.html --- South Dakota Not Likely To Ban Guns On Campus: Governor Rounds says there's little hope for a bill in the 2008 Legislature that would ban firearms on South Dakota's public university campuses. The Board of Regents wants HB1086 passed as part of its systemwide security plan. But Rounds says lawmakers need to be careful whenever the constitutional right to bear arms is involved. He says law-abiding citizens need to be able to protect themselves. http://www.kxmb.com/News/198420.asp --- Former NRA Board Member Receives Suspended Sentence: A Baltimore County judge handed down a sentence without jail time Monday for a former gun dealer charged with illegally providing weapons to a man who died in a firefight with police last year. Sanford M. Abrams, an outspoken firearms advocate in Maryland who once served on the board of the National Rifle Association, entered an Alford plea to a single charge of illegally selling a restricted weapon. The plea approved by Circuit Judge John Grason Turnbull II allowed Abrams to maintain his innocence but forced him to concede that the state had enough evidence to convict him. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_county/bal-abrams0114,0,4809804.story --- Sacramento Sheriff Revokes CWP's: Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness has revoked concealed weapon permits of a gubernatorial appointee and a state parole official while also vowing to overhaul permit record keeping, both in the wake of a Bee investigation. The Bee reported that at least 30 of the 550 people issued local carry permits from 1996 to 2007 had records of criminal convictions - and at least seven had failed to disclose them in their concealed weapon applications. Most of those permits were granted by McGinness' predecessor, former Sheriff Lou Blanas. http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/631894.html --- Rule Three Reminder: Police said a Kokomo man accidentally shot himself in the genitals as he robbed a convenience store early Tuesday...In-store surveillance cameras showed that Kosch shot himself as he placed the gun into the waistband of his pants, police said. Authorities declined to release the surveillance footage early Tuesday. (Rule Three: Keep your finger [and other objects] outside the trigger guard, up on the frame, until your sights are on the target and you're prepared to fire.) http://www.theindychannel.com/news/15051234/detail.html --- Toronto Politicians Want All-Canada Handgun Ban: Toronto politicians are calling for their federal counterparts to totally ban handguns three days after a shooting outside a downtown strip club left an innocent bystander dead. "It's inappropriate for citizens of this country to own a handgun, there's no need for it," said Councillor Michael Walker, who put forward the motion to council. "It's the only way to stem the tide of violence in our cities. ... Mr. O'Keefe was a victim of that violence," said Mr. Walker (Ward 22, St. Paul's). http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080115.SHOT15/TPStory/TPNational/Ontario/ --- The "Wacko Vet Myth": The editor of The Wall Street Journal challenges the implication by The New York Times that veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq have disproportionately committed homicides on their return to the US. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120044156451392637.html -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .