The Lull Before The Storm?: ...Ironically, though these laws represent the ultimate goals of the gun "control" (actually gun ban) movement, they epitomize that movement's political downfall. For Democratic candidates, an Eleventh Commandment has evolved: "Don't mention guns" - while formerly anti-gun Republicans Romney and Giuliani now declare themselves faithful advocates of gun rights. Democratic politicians are well aware that (as Bill Clinton himself says) Congressional Democrats' anti-gun efforts caused the 1994 voter revolt which - for the first time in 50 years- gave Republicans control of both houses of Congress. Democrats regained Congress in 2006 because of the unpopularity of the Iraq war. But generally the Democratic victors either said nothing about guns or openly declared their support for gun rights... http://mwcnews.net/content/view/19815& --- Brady Bunch Looks At the DOJ Heller Brief: ...Having followed the gun lobby down the private-rights road, the Bush Justice Department realized it leads to a dangerous cliff, and stepped back. At the same time, however, it stubbornly adheres to a reading of the Second Amendment that, if adopted by the Supreme Court, would limit the power of our elected officials, and law enforcement, to protect the public from criminal and political violence. The department's brief may annoy the gun lobby. But, for completely different reasons, it should trouble the rest of the country as well. (Free registration required.) http://www.law.com/jsp/dc/PubArticleDC.jsp?id=1200996334343&hub=PointOfViewFront --- CDNN, NSSF Battle Credit-Card Discrimination: A major credit card company has issued a letter to a gun dealer canceling his payment processing services because of corporate concerns firearms were being sold to consumers in other states, in "a non face-to-face environment." Now the move has raised the ire of the National Shooting Sports Foundation. "Your anti-gun corporate policy is based on ignorance of the law applicable to the sale of firearms," the NSSF wrote in response to the action taken by First Data Corp., which operates Citi Merchant Services. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=59970 --- Virginia Considers Campus-Carry Bills: Two bills in the General Assembly could allow concealed handguns to be carried on college campuses. One bill, proposed by Delegate Todd Gilbert, would prevent a Board of Visitors from prohibiting people with concealed handgun permits from carrying a gun on state property, which would include the campuses of state universities. The other bill, proposed by Delegate Bob Marshall, would allow only college faculty members with concealed handgun permits to carry guns on campus. Both bills are currently in a House of Delegates committee. http://www.wsls.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSLS%2FMGArticle%2FSLS_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173354410792&path=!news!localnews --- South Dakota Campus-Carry Bill Clears Committee: ..The State Affairs Committee voted unanimously to pass HB1261, which would guarantee people the right to carry or possess firearms on college campuses. The schools also would be prevented from expelling students or firing employees for having a gun on campus. The panel later voted unanimously to kill a competing measure, sponsored by the Board of Regents, which sought to ban guns on campus. http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2008/01/30/news/local/doc47a0dd2608aab504773184.txt --- Utah Parking-Lot-Storage Bill Clears Committee: No shots were fired but the battle lines were clearly drawn as lawmakers discussed SB67, which would allow individuals with concealed-carry permits to keep their guns locked in their parked cars during work hours. The controversial measure passed out of the Senate Government Operations Committee Tuesday in a 4-2 vote. Sen. Mark Madsen, an Eagle Mountain Republican who sponsored the bill, characterized it as preserving the basic right to keep two important items in vehicles while parked in employee lots: a firearm and implements of religious worship. http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_8116413 --- Restaurant-Carry Bill Weighed In Arizona: With memories of legislative defeats and televised ridicule on his mind, a state senator pushed a more pragmatic, and perhaps less controversial, bill that would allow gun owners to bring their weapons to restaurants that sell booze in Arizona. Unlike past attempts, the proposed legislation would give restaurant owners the choice of allowing guns in their business, and it would not apply to bars. Those carrying weapons could not legally drink, under the bill. Most other states already allow gun owners to carry weapons into restaurants with varying restrictions, supporters of the bill told the Senate's Commerce and Economic Development Committee on Wednesday. (This is a weak and flawed bill, which further criminalizes carry in a restaurant that serves alcohol by adding the Liquor Code violation to the Criminal Code.) http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/0130biz-guns0131.html --- Nebraska Could Ban Emergency Confiscation: Should disaster strike and chaos ensue, Nebraskans could be forced to give up their guns, under current law. That's what happened in New Orleans, when police seized guns after Hurricane Katrina walloped the city in 2005. But a state lawmaker wants to change the rules so that cities and other political subdivisions in Nebraska couldn't do the same. Under a bill LB 1076 from Sen. Kent Rogert of Tekamah, neither the state nor political subdivisions could enact special restrictions on guns during emergency or disasters. The law would apply to gun possession, storage and use, among other things. http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/midwest/2008/01/30/86843.htm --- Massachusetts Gun Owner Loses "Qualification" Appeal: A Superior Court judge shot down a Brookline gun owner's request to allow him to renew his gun license without completing a firing range test. The decision upheld an earlier ruling by Brookline District Court that backed Police Chief Daniel O'Leary, who denied Washington Square resident Morton Bardfield the ability to renew without the test in 2006...Police said they determined "suitability" by an applicant's ability to safely handle a gun and by having them complete a "qualification course" at a firing range. The range requirement, however, is not part of state requirements to renew a gun license. The two sides had disagreed over whether a local licensing authority, such as the police, could go beyond state statute. http://www.wickedlocal.com/brookline/news/x1151555971 --- Robbers Hit California Gun Store: A four-man holdup crew was at large Tuesday after taking about 50 handguns from a Riverside gun store in a takeover robbery, police said. Customers and employees were also ordered to turn over their wallets during the robbery at Centerfire Firearms in Central Avenue, according to Riverside police Sgt. Leon Phillips. The suspects, with their faces concealed by masks, hoods, bandanas and sunglasses, stormed into the store and ordered customers and employees on the floor, he said...The robbery bore similarities to a holdup at Turner's Outdoorsman on Indiana Avenue in May... (It is virtually impossible for a private citizen to get a CWP in Riverside County.) http://cbs2.com/local/Centerfire.Firearms.Central.2.640636.html --- Cook County Gun Shop Has Become Straw Man: It's election time in Cook County, and once more Chuck's Gun Shop in Riverdale has become a straw man to beat up for one of the candidates for state's attorney. Larry Suffredin, a lawyer who has served on the Cook County Board of Commissioners since 2002, is riding the anti-handgun horse into this battle, saying "Chuck's Gun Shop and similar stores in suburban Cook County are the source of guns that are used in violent crime throughout Cook County." My challenge? Prove that Chuck's is selling guns illegally, then close it. Or shut up... http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2008/01/30/columnists/mark_kiesling/docfcb8cb86ddc61919862573e00010472a.txt --- Here's A Lesson To Be Learned: Russia's most famous female bodyguard Anna Loginova has been killed after failing to prevent her own Porsche being carjacked. The glamorous 29-year-old died from head injuries after clinging on to the door handle of the Cheyenne and being dragged along the street at high speed as the car screeched away. "She suffered serious injuries and died at the scene," said a police spokesman. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=511139&in_page_id=1811 --- Britain May Allow Olympic Shooters To train On Home Soil: Details of efforts to help British shooting champions hindered by the handgun ban to train on home soil for the Olympics were revealed on Tuesday. Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell told the Culture, Media and Sport Committee: "I believe we have to tread very carefully here. There have been discussions between the governing bodies, the Home Secretary and the Ministry of Defence (MoD). "At this point it seems a possibility under very restricted conditions for some shooters to have access to MoD sites in this country, but I have to stress that public safety will be the overriding concern in this and confidence in the level of control that will be applied.'' http://www.sportinglife.com/others/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=others/08/01/29/manual_175700.html -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .