John Lott on Heller: Thus far the District of Columbia has spent a lot of time making a public policy case. Their argument in their brief to the court is pretty simple : "banning handguns saves lives." Yet, while it may seem obvious to many people that banning guns will save lives, that has not been D.C.'s experience. The ban went into effect in early 1977, but since it started there is only one year (1985) when D.C.'s murder rate fell below what it was in 1976. But the murder rate also rose dramatically relative to other cities. In the 29 years we have data after the ban, D.C.'s murder rate ranked first or second among the largest 50 cities for 15 years. In another four years, it ranked fourth... http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,336689,00.html --- Would You Like Syrup on That Waffle?: ...The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit disagreed, concluding that the District cannot constitutionally ban the type of gun most commonly used for self-defense. But even if Tribe is right that the Second Amendment allows D.C. to ban handguns, he is wrong to assume D.C. residents are free to use long guns instead. D.C. requires that all firearms in the home, including rifles and shotguns, be kept "unloaded and disassembled or bound by a trigger lock or similar device." That "safe storage" requirement makes it pretty hard to use any gun for self-defense, except maybe as a club. It makes D.C.'s gun laws look extreme even compared to those of other cities that ban handguns. If D.C.-style gun control does not violate the Second Amendment, it's hard to imagine what sort of gun control would... http://reason.com/news/show/125426.html --- Did This Shooting Trigger Heller?: Dig into the debate over gun rights that will be argued when the Supreme Court takes up the District of Columbia's gun ban and you will find the tale of Adrian Plesha and the burglar. It is not a stretch to say that Plesha's story triggered the Supreme Court case. On February 4, 1997, Plesha found a burglar in his Capitol Hill home near Union Station. According to Plesha, he heard the burglar upstairs, went out to his backyard, saw the man climbing out a window, and told him to freeze. In Plesha's version, the man climbed back in. Plesha went inside to get his nine-millimeter Sig Sauer semiautomatic pistol. He confronted the burglar on his porch. "We were face to face," Plesha told reporters. "I told him to freeze, and he reached for the gun. I fired in self-defense." Three times. http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/6732.html --- Over 1,200 Gun Owners Protest Illinois Legislation: More than a 1,200 people march in protest at the state capitol. Many are from The Illinois State Rifle Association and against several gun laws being considered on the floor. There are about 10 laws in the state house right now. Everyone here is trying to encourage reps to vote them down. Protesters are here to send a clear message to state representatives. They're not happy about proposed gun laws. If passed, one would ban 'assault weapons,' another would restrict the number of firearms you can buy at one time. Gun Owner, John Bonn says, "They're trying to take away our second amendment rights, we as people aren't going to let that happen." http://centralillinoisproud.com/content/fulltext/?sid=174604a00a110614599bfd25de87f4ac&cid=6723 --- Illinois CCW Bill Stuck in Committee: On a day when hundreds of Illinois gun owners flooded the state capital to oppose gun-control measures, an attempt to allow conceal-to-carry stalled in committee. State Rep. Aaron Schock, a Peoria Republican, proposed to allow uniform standards for issuing permits to carry concealed firearms. This week is a key deadline for gaining support from a House committee on legislation to be considered this session. Schock said Tuesday he's hoping for an extension to allow his proposal to have a shot at moving onto the House floor. http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=151713&src=1 --- Wyoming Governor Signs Anti-Confiscation Bill: Gov. Dave Freudenthal on Friday signed into law a bill that prohibits government officials from confiscating guns from law-abiding citizens. Sponsor Allen Jaggi, R-Lyman, has said House Bill 57 was prompted by the confiscation of guns by police in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina... Freudenthal said he intends to scrutinize a separate self-defense bill, HB 137, that has cleared the Legislature and is awaiting his action. Freudenthal said he intends to scrutinize a separate self-defense bill, HB 137, that has cleared the Legislature and is awaiting his action... http://www.trib.com/articles/2008/03/08/news/wyoming/103ade415c8eb4e9872574050079bf73.txt --- Expanded-Carry Bill Still Pending in Georgia: A conference committee meeting on the gun bill has been set for Thursday at 8 a.m. Whether both sides show up remains to be seen. The meeting has been called unilaterally by House conferees, whose lead negotiator - Rep. Tim Bearden - says he hasn't been able to get the Senate conferees to return his phone calls. As a result, the negotiating team has not yet had its first meeting. A letter being delivered today to Senate conferees sets the date, time and place (Room 132 of the Capitol) for what would be the first meeting, if the other side shows up... http://www.insideradvantagegeorgia.com/restricted/2008/March%202008/3-10-07/Gun_Bill_Challenge31019646.php Related Article: http://www.insideradvantagegeorgia.com/restricted/2008/March%202008/3-7-08/Gun_Bill3719645.php --- North Carolina City To Re-Examine Carry Ban: Leaders in Graham are considering a change to the city's concealed weapon restrictions. Under the city's current municipal code, those with a permit cannot carry a concealed handgun on city property and city parks. After a woman was attacked last month at Cedar Rock Park though, some are calling for an extension of their Second Amendment rights. "While I can appreciate people and their right to protect themselves, we have to take into consideration the people that are there and the safety of the others that maybe don't have the luxury of carrying a concealed weapon," said Councilwoman Jennifer Talley... http://news14.com/content/top_stories/593781/graham-reviews-concealed-weapon-law/Default.aspx --- Press Intensifies Campaign Against Arizona RKBA Bills: An Arizona bill that would allow concealed guns on college campuses has gained national attention, sparking a debate over whether to let students and teachers arm themselves. But it's only one of at least 15 measures in the Republican-led Legislature this year aimed at loosening gun controls in a state that has long had a fascination with firearms. Although polls indicate that a growing number of Arizonans favor stricter gun laws, GOP legislators and pro-gun activists continue their fight to expand the right to bear arms... http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0312guns0312.html --- How Did This Happen?: An accidental shooting at an outdoor gun range in Midland County has left a 48-year-old man dead. The Saginaw News, WNEM-TV and WSGW-AM report Michael Laurson was alone Sunday at the Midland County Sportsman's Club in Larkin Township when he slipped and fell. The sheriff's department says a handgun he was carrying went off, fatally wounding him. Authorities say he had several guns. (My best guess is that the man tried to catch a handgun he had let slip from his grasp. Don't do that! Let dropped guns fall to the ground and don't keep a round under the hammer of single-action revolvers that lack a mechanical feature to make that practice safe.) http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/news-51/1205165641155810.xml&storylist=newsmichigan --- Army Takes HK416's from Asymmetric Warfare Group: The Army has stripped the Asymmetric Warfare Group of its weapon of choice - the Heckler & Koch 416 - saying that its mission requires the unique outfit to carry the standard issue M4 carbine. The decision reverses a policy that allowed the AWG to buy 416s instead of carrying M4s when it was established three years ago to help senior Army leaders find new tactics and technologies to make soldiers more lethal in combat. Members of the AWG have declined to comment on the issue, but sources in the community told Army Times that the unit fought to keep its several hundred 416s, arguing that they outperform the Army's M4 and require far less maintenance. http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/03/army_no416s_031008w/ --- Iraq War Vet to Re-Enlist after Expulsion from College: Steven Daniel Barber, 23, says a culture of fear has displaced rational thought. The Iraq War veteran's comments came Tuesday, shortly after learning his expulsion from the University of Virginia at Wise had been upheld. He has been prohibited from attending classes since Feb. 29 -- the day after sharing a story in which a character contemplates murdering his professor, then turns to thoughts of suicide. Barber wrote the piece for his creative writing class.... http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9005496 -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .