One More Look At DOJ's Heller Brief: The Bush administration's position in the case before the Supreme Court on the constitutionality of the District of Columbia's ban on handguns has created an unexpected and serious backlash in conservative circles, disappointing gun enthusiasts and creating implications for the presidential campaign...If the justices accept that advice when they hear the case in the spring, it could mean additional years of litigation over the controversial Second Amendment and could undo a ruling that was a seminal victory for gun rights enthusiasts...More neutral observers say the controversy over the Justice Department's view that the case should be sent back for additional review obscures the brief's full-throated support for the proposition that the Second Amendment provides for an individual right for gun ownership. It is the central issue in the case and a question that the court has never squarely addressed. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/19/AR2008011902231.html --- One Man's Opinion: ...The real lesson to be learned about gun laws (specifically control and concealed carry) is that gun laws aren't going to have significant impacts on crime. (Before you cite some comparison from state to state or country to country to support your viewpoint, think about all the other differences between the states or countries that could lead to the disparity in crime). If we want to reduce crime, we should focus on adding more police officers, and deploying them effectively. (I thought John Lott actually did examine other differences in jurisdcitions in More Guns, Less Crime. However, I have always held that pro-RKBA arguments should not be based on crime statistics, which are affected by a multitude of factors.) http://citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200880117127&source=rss --- .44 Magnum - Snake Gun?: With a body as thick as a fencepost and a head like a clenched fist, the rattlesnake shook off the pesky .22-caliber bullets. That's if the bullets even found the coiled, menacing serpent. The shooter didn't dare get any closer than 15 feet. Jim Epley, who turned 74 last week, watched Wednesday morning as his neighbor used a .22-caliber handgun in an effort to dispatch the Eastern diamondback. Epley knew it would take more firepower. He fetched his own .44-caliber Magnum. Two shots later, the snake was dead, although it continued to squirm for a while. (I will await and share comments from the professional herpetologist on the list.) http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jan/17/jumbo-diamondback-rattles-sebring-neighbors/?imw=Y --- When Seconds Count, The Police Are Minutes Away: A woman hiding in a closet from burglars was shocked when they opened the doors - not once but twice - and never saw her. The 911 tape from the incident runs for about 13 minutes. It felt like forever to the young woman hiding in the closet in her West Jordan (UT) home. But she had a calm, collected 911 operator helping her through it. (I think a gun in her hand would have been a lot more reassuring.) http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=2508775 --- Did Annie Oakley Really Shoot This Coin?: Local experts were recruited earlier this month to help solve a century-old detective puzzle that will be detailed for a national television audience later this year. A crew from "History Detectives," a PBS show that explores stories behind historical artifacts, came to Cody to find out if a coin owned by a freelance writer from Maine was shot by Annie Oakley during a performance...It took a few tries with his Model 92 Winchester rifle, but Nickelson hit the coin twice during taping at the Cody Stampede Rodeo Grounds. "I knew I could do it," Nickelson said. "But what I can't do is repeat that shot eight or nine times out of 10, which is what Annie Oakley did all the time." http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/01/18/news/wyoming/20-oakley.txt --- From GOA: A Great Chance To Put A Super Pro-gunner In Congress Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund E-Mail Alert 8001 Forbes Pl Suite 102 Springfield VA 22151 (703) 321-8585 http://www.gunowners.org Thursday, January 17, 2008 California's very conservative (and pro-gun) 4th Congressional District has just turned into an "open" seat with the retirement of Congressman John Doolittle. Conservative former state legislator Rico Oller has thrown his hat into the ring, making this race GOA's Number One target for a house seat in the entire country. A couple of points about this race. The registration numbers show 48% of the district as Republican and 30% as Democrat - so whoever wins the Republican primary clearly is the next Congressman. Especially since the Democrat is an ultra-liberal card-carrying (really!) member of the ACLU. Next point. That California primary is mere months away, so everything we can do for Rico Oller needs to be done NOW. That's why GOA is asking every member of our team to use the web to send Rico Oller your most generous on-line campaign contribution as soon as possible. If you can send additional donations during the few months ahead, we urge you to do so. Point three. Rico has a primary opponent in former liberal Republican Congressman Doug Ose. During Ose's six years in Congress, he earned a GOA "F" on every single one of our ratings for house members. Ose voted IN FAVOR of keeping the Washington D.C. gun ban. He voted to outlaw individual sales at gun shows. He voted for mandatory sale of trigger locks for any handgun sold. He voted to silence outside groups like GOA at election time. Doug Ose probably has his picture framed and hanging on the wall at Handgun Control Inc. (now the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence), since he was one of their best friends in Congress. In contrast -- Rico Oller was a perfect "A" rated member of the California Legislature during his tenure. And, Rico is the human equivalent of the "energizer bunny." This guy is a type A++ personality, who never stops campaigning and promoting our Second Amendment rights. Every time Gun Owners has an event in California, Rico Oller is there, promoting our organization and the Second Amendment. And he will be there for gun owners all over the country when he is elected to Congress. But he needs our help! Rico's big opponent, Doug Ose, is personally wealthy and will put substantial amounts of his own money into the campaign, along with money from liberal groups around the nation. We need to step up and make sure this solid conservative pro-gun congressional seat is filled with "one of ours!" Please use the url below and send Rico Oller your most generous contribution right now. Then, please be sure to let all of your pro-gun friends and family know about this great opportunity. Thank you. https://www.completecampaigns.com/FR/contribute.asp?campaignid=Oller Tim Macy Vice-Chairman Director of Political Affairs **************************** Paid for by Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund is a Project of Gun Owners of America. --- From John Farnam: 16 Jan 08 6.8mm vs Wild Pigs! Yesterday, here in Sunny south FL, I shot another wild pig with my Robinson Arms XCR in 6.8mm. The rifle has a forward-mounted Micro-Aimpoint, my Blue-Force Gear/Vickers sling, and I used Cor-Bon DPX ammunition. Range was sixty meters. He was in tall grass, so I could only see the top of him. First round was high, because I made the mistake of aiming at the part I could see, not the center of the animal. The round passed through him, just above the spine. He started running, right-to-left. My Aimpoint was wonderful! I caught my link, tracked him into an open spot, held just below his chin, and pressed off my second shot. It hit low in the chest, blowing his heart to pieces, and exiting. The exit hole was an inch in diameter! He ran for ten more meters, then turned around and ran back from where he had just come. His rapid change in direction caught me by surprise, and my third shot hit just behind him. He then tumbled and stopped. By the time we got to him five minutes later, he was DRT! He was a middle-aged male, one-hundred pounds. Once again, the 6.8mm demonstrated itself more than a match for these south FL wild pigs! I'm more persuaded than ever that Aimpoint's single aiming point is superior to other, more complicated, reticles. The XCR is a superior system! DPX performs in spades! /John 19 Jan 08 Skulls and DPX Yesterday, I was asked to put an injured cow, a 1200 lb female, out of her misery. She had a broken back due to too-enthusiastic breeding attempts by several, large bulls. It happens on cattle ranches every now and then. In any event, she was down, but too dangerous to approach. I had my XCR in 6.8mm, of course, so I was selected to do the job. At forty meters, I put the Aimpoint dot between her eyes and pressed off the shot. I had no idea how thick her skull was, but that was the way they wanted me to do it. The bullet hit her mid-skull, between the eyes. The cow's head dropped immediately. We approached, and I put on more shot into her head (a habit I picked up in Africa), but it was unnecessary. She was DRT. The Cor-Bon DPX (Barnes) bullet had bored completely through her skull and made mush out of her brains. Once again, the performance of Barnes bullets was top-drawer. She never knew what hit her! /John (Let's "factor" these two reports. John obviously likes his Robinson Arms rifle; others in the industry are not as impressed. John obviously likes his Aimpoint. I have very limited experience with this sort of sight and remain strongly convinced that those who find them useful [and they may be particularly useful to those with aging eyes] need to be able to transition quickly to iron sights when the more sophisticated devices fail. John obviously likes DPX bullets, as do many others. I carry CorBon DPX loads in my revolvers and carry both the high-penetration CorBon DPX load and the lower-penetration Winchester "hollow softpoint" in the case with my M1 Carbine. Evan Marshall explains his shift from handgun loads with lower penetration to DPX with an altered threat analysis - he feels that terrorists may be more likely than common criminals to use cover. I opted for the DPX loads for the handgun because I now prefer a load that will reach the rear of the pelvis with enough energy to do damage there, because they will still expand after a few layers of clothing and because they reportedly don't show much deviation from point of aim if they are fired through auto glass at angles. John obviously still harbors a dislike of the .223 round, dating from his days in Vietnam. The 6.8mm definitely offers better long-range performance and penetration but, in my assessment, the .223 fills a niche in urban environments, where low penetration may be desired. Granted that it was fired from a distance of about two feet but I got perfectly satisfactory performance with a skull shot on a 600-pound calf in a slaughterhouse several years ago with standard-pressure 125-gr. Nyclad .38 Special hollowpoint fired out of a S&W M-442, with a 1 7/8" barrel.) -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .