DC Has Complex Firearm-Registration Scheme: In a city with one of the strictest gun control laws in the nation, perhaps no one understands the controversial statute in more detail than D.C. police Lt. Jon Shelton. As the officer in charge of firearms registration, he is the answer man...So, simple question: As the city prepares to defend its 1976 gun law before the U.S. Supreme Court next month, seeking to overturn a lower court ruling that declared the tough restrictions unconstitutional, how many people in the District legally own handguns, rifles or shotguns? Shelton paused. He grinned. He shook his head. "That we don't know." Because the city's "handgun ban" does not ban handguns entirely, and because the statute outlaws only certain kinds of rifles and shotguns, a huge number of D.C. residents legally possess firearms. (Article fails to mention that the privately owned firearms must be kept disabled.) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/18/AR2008021802123.html --- Virginia Panel Approves Expanded CCW: Bills championed by gun rights advocates that would result in more concealed firearms in restaurants, bars and vehicle glove boxes were endorsed yesterday by a House of Delegates committee. One bill would allow concealed-weapons permit holders to carry hidden guns into restaurants or clubs but would prohibit them from drinking alcohol while doing so. Current law allows guns in such establishments only if they are visible. The other measure would allow people who don't have a concealed-weapons permit to transport handguns in a locked glove box or other interior compartment of a vehicle rather than carry it in plain view, as the law now requires. Both bills cleared the Senate and will be up for a vote on the House floor later this week. Even if they pass, gubernatorial vetoes seem likely. http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20080219/METRO/231008616/1004 --- Virginia Committee Nixes Castle-Doctrine Bill: A man's home may be his castle, but a Senate committee yesterday decided that the actions taken against an invader are not immune from the law. The Courts of Justice Committee yesterday killed a Henrico delegate's bill that would have protected from prosecution and civil liability homeowners who use "any degree of physical force," including deadly physical force, against an intruder they consider a threat. In a bipartisan vote, the committee voted 11-4 to shelve House Bill 710, sponsored by Del. William R. Janis, R-Henrico. A similar, so-called "castle" bill proposed by Janis last year met a similar fate. Three Republicans joined the ranks of Democrats in voting against the measure. http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-02-19-0119.html --- Virginia Bill Addresses Competence To Carry: Del. Joseph P. Johnson Jr., D-Washington, told the story yesterday of a World War II veteran in his district who was honorably discharged in 1947 but was denied a concealed-weapons permit by a judge when he applied - in 2007. The judge, Johnson told the Senate Courts of Justice Committee, was reluctant to issue the permit to the elderly man given the time lapse, even though honorable discharge from the armed services is technically considered a competency qualifier for the permit. Hence the reason for Johnson's House Bill 873 - which proposes that once proof of competency is presented, it will never expire. http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/search.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-02-14-0167.html --- New Illinois Firearm Law Examined: Illinois lawmakers moved swiftly after last year's massacre at Virginia Tech to make it harder for anyone with a history of mental illness to buy guns, fortifying what were already some of the nation's toughest weapons laws. But the new measure does not take effect until June. And whether it would have prevented last week's bloodbath at Northern Illinois University is far from clear...The measure, when it takes effect, will require health professionals to inform state authorities about patients who display violent, suicidal or threatening behavior. Right now, such information is reported to state officials only on people who have been institutionalized, not on those who receive only outpatient treatment... http://www.newsmax.com/us/niu_shooting_gun_law/2008/02/18/73597.html --- Shootings Put Antidepressants Back In Spotlight: Steven P. Kazmierczak stopped taking Prozac before he shot to death five Northern Illinois University students and himself, his girlfriend said Sunday in a remark likely to fuel the debate over the risks and benefits of drug treatment for emotional problems. Over the years, the antidepressant Prozac and its cousins, including Paxil and Zoloft, have been linked to suicide and violence in hundreds of patients. Tens of millions of people have taken them, and doctors say it is almost impossible to tell whether the spasms of violence stem in part from drug reactions or the underlying illnesses... http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/19/us/19depress.html?_r=1&ref=us&oref=slogin --- Five Questions About Shootings At Universities: Question 1: Why are murderers always counted in the victims tally? The day after the mass murder of students at Northern Illinois University (NIU), the headline in the closest major newspaper, the Chicago Tribune, was: "6 Dead in NIU Shooting." ... Question 2: Which of these three options is more likely to prevent further murderous rampages: a) making universities closed campuses and increasing the police presence on campus (as the president of NIU has promised to do); b) making guns much harder to obtain; or c) enabling specially trained students and faculty to carry concealed weapons on campus? http://www.townhall.com/columnists/DennisPrager/2008/02/19/five_questions_about_shootings_at_universities?page=full&comments=true --- Oops, Wrong House: Authorities have released more details about the Saturday night shooting death of a man involved in a home invasion in Kinsey (AL) and have stated that the shooter will not face criminal charges. Jimmy Proctor, 38, of Headland, was shot and killed by Mikel G. Fredrickson, 43, after Proctor broke into a home in Kinsey where Fredrickson and Proctor's ex-girlfriend were staying, according to police. According to Houston County Sheriff Andy Hughes, Proctor had made several calls to the residence before showing up at about 11:30 p.m. Saturday. Proctor broke out a window in a door and turned a knob to get into the home. Once inside he made threatening remarks to his ex-girlfriend; her children, who were present; and to Fredrickson. Proctor confronted Fredrickson in the bathroom of the residence's master bedroom, Hughes said. http://www.dothaneagle.com/gulfcoasteast/dea/local_news.apx.-content-articles-DEA-2008-02-18-0007.html --- Oops, Wrong Store: A woman in Texas dodged a bullet during an attempted robbery and it was all caught on tape. It happened this weekend at a convenience store in Longview. The woman was working behind the counter when a man walked in and pointed a gun at her face. The woman leaned to the right and ducked just as the man pulled the trigger. The bullet missed her head but that's not where the story ends. The woman grabbed her own pistol from behind the counter and pointed it at the crook. The man ran out of the store and the clerk fired a shot, but missed. (Note that even at close range the head can be moved out of the way in time to avoid getting shot.) http://www.abc2news.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=69113189-1eb4-418e-9154-6e2430e31ced --- What Not To Say After A Shooting: A Montgomery County man is dead after he was shot in the head multiple times early Sunday morning at a house on Bell Farm Road. Police say Greg Rudd, 46, of Jeffersonville, Ky., was pronounced dead at the scene..."It was self defense, he pointed his gun at me and said, 'I'm going to kill you.'" said Dunn..."I just hope the family can forgive me, I feel horrible, it just happened so fast," Dunn said. (Asking for forgiveness if you shot in self-defense casts doubt on the claim of self-defense. Staying inside might have been a wiser choice.) http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/15725377.html --- .223 Reload Warning: There was a close call for a Boulder County sheriff's deputy after her gun blew apart at a firing range. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is looking into the accident, and there's concern other officers may be at risk. Investigators said the deputy may have used defective ammunition. The ammunition is used by officers around the state. The Boulder County sheriff has shelved thousands of rounds and put out a statewide bulletin warning other agencies...The ammunition in question is Hunting Shack (HSM) .223. It's used in training and it's reloaded or used ammunition. In this case, it may have been overloaded. (I experienced a case-head separation with HSM .223 reloads during a course back in 1994. Commercial reloads such as these often use fired military cases, which may have been fired in full-auto weapons that allow the cases to stretch, making them poor choices for reloading.) http://cbs4denver.com/seenon/ammunition.defective.boulder.2.656518.html -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .