Obama's Gun Problem: Barak Obama has a problem. It is a problem that has plagued Democrats for years. It lost the 1988 election for Michael Dukakis. It lost the 2000 election for Al Gore. It probably lost the 2004 election for John Kerry. It lost control of Congress for 12 years for Democrats. It could lose the 2008 election for Obama. The problem is guns. Democrats know that they have this problem. They don't know how to respond to it. Several years ago I saw the results of a survey that was privately conducted. The Survey showed that for 7 million to 10 million voters the protection of the private ownership of firearms was the first and most important factor in deciding how to vote. Since the founding of the National Weapon Association in 1871, only one candidate for president had the backing of the NRA and lost: Winfield Scott Hancock who lost to James Garfield in the very close election of 1880... http://www.herald-mail.com/?cmd=displaystory&story_id=200566&format=html --- RKBA Image Could Be Crucial in Western States: ...The McCain camp acknowledges it has a fight on its hands in Nevada, Colorado, and New Mexico but is confident about keeping other Mountain West states red with little investment. Montana state Senate Minority Leader Corey Stapleton, a Republican, says ignoring his state is fine, as long as McCain has a winning national game plan. But Stapleton, who, like McCain, is a Naval Academy graduate, says he's still waiting for McCain's campaign to gel. "We're reaching a point where multiple things are going to have to happen," he says. "They need to paint a contrast that McCain has the DNA to make decisions and make them quickly, and Obama is an inexperienced candidate with left-of-center views." The gun issue, he adds, will hurt Obama. Obama, who has been endorsed by the moderate American Hunters and Shooters Association, received an F rating from the National Rifle Association for supporting gun control measures. McCain has an NRA rating of C... http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/campaign-2008/2008/08/09/western-voters-could-be-up-for-grabs-for-obama-and-mccain.html --- Federal Judge Rules "No Guns" at Atlanta Airport: A federal judge on Monday upheld a gun ban at the world's busiest airport, dealing a blow to gun rights groups who argued a new Georgia law authorized them to pack heat in certain parts of the Atlanta airport. U.S. District Judge Marvin Shoob expressed concern that allowing guns at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport could cause significant economic damage and could be a "serious threat to public safety and welfare." His decision rejected a request by GeorgiaCarry.org that would have temporarily allowed gun owners to carry their weapons in the airport until his final ruling on the gun ban - a challenge that could likely last months. The legal showdown erupted when the state law that allows people with a concealed weapons permit to carry guns into restaurants, state parks and on public transportation took effect on July 1... http://www.newsmax.com/us/airport_guns/2008/08/11/121071.html --- New CCW Policy for Orange County: Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens on Monday released a policy that could lead to the revocation of dozens, if not hundreds, of concealed-weapons permits issued by former Sheriff Michael S. Carona. Hutchens' new policy requires that to get a concealed-firearm permit, applicants must prove there is a legitimate threat to their safety and agree to undergo possible psychological, polygraph or medical testing... Capt. Dave Nighswonger, who is overseeing the review, said sheriff's investigators would send letters to those in jeopardy of losing their permits and give them an opportunity to explain why they need to carry a concealed weapon. The first letters could go out in about two weeks, he said. In California, sheriffs and police chiefs have broad discretion to issue gun permits to the public; the number issued varies widely from county to county. Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca has issued fewer than 400 concealed-weapon permits... http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ocsheriff12-2008aug12,0,3189431.story --- First DC Handgun Registrant Concerned with Protection: Amy McVey, the first person in the District to register a handgun in her home since the Supreme Court overturned the city's handgun ban, told News4 that she only wants to protect herself and her family. McVey said people should respect guns, be safe around them and know how to use them. Along the streets of her upper northwest Washington neighborhood, crime reports tend to be about break-ins and burglaries, not city violence. "Well, I don't know that it's a question of I need a gun," McVey said. "I want a gun." McVey said she isn't a "gun nut." She likes target shooting. She has a .357 magnum, the first legally licensed handgun permitted in the city since the Supreme Court struck down the strict handgun ban as unconstitutional... http://www.nbc4.com/news/17137557/detail.html --- Law Professor Advocates Suing Gun Owners: ... Perhaps it is time to think about handgun ownership as the type of activity that should give rise to liability without fault. Thus, while those unlawfully threatening gun owners obviously could not recover damages for their injuries, innocent bystanders and others injured by gun owners would be compensated. A move toward absolute liability would ideally be accompanied by private insurers' willingness to insure gun owners against such liability. Such insurance should be separate from standard homeowners' insurance, so that homeowners who do not own guns are not required to subsidize those who do... http://www.northjersey.com/opinion/moreviews/26495099.html --- Bringing a Knife to a Gunfight: A carjacking victim fought back early today when a gunman demanded his car and wallet by stabbing the gunman in the chest, Cincinnati police said. Daniel Jackson, who turned 43 on Sunday, is listed in stable condition this morning at University Hospital, said Sgt. Darryl Morton. He faces one count of aggravated robbery. Jackson approached the victim, 21-year-old Kevin Guilfoyle, as he left work about 1:30 a.m. at Maribelle's Tavern, 2062 Riverside Drive...He had just opened his car door and hadn't turned the car on when Jackson approached him. His first thought was protecting himself. "I just didn't want to get shot," Guilfoyle said... http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080811/NEWS0107/308110023/1055/NEWS --- Oops, Wrong Chumps: An aspiring Savannah rapper who was shot and later died was committing a crime when it happened, police said Wednesday. Kareem Omarr Grant, 25, was shot in the back of the head July 19 during an attempted robbery of two people, said Judy Pal, a Savannah-Chatham metro police spokeswoman. The robbery victim shot Grant in self-defense, she said. Pal said police are not disclosing the identities of the two men who were being robbed "for their safety" and because the investigation remains open...Grant's death is being classified as a justifiable homicide. No charges were issued against Grant's shooter, but the Chatham County District Attorney's office will have the final say... http://savannahnow.com/node/547260 --- Oops, Wrong Camper: A Sioux Falls man was shot at after attempting to break into a camper. 18-year-old Jeremy H. Miller was arrested and charged with two counts of burglary, criminal entry into a motor vehicle, and possession of alcohol by a minor. It all happened early Sunday morning at Baltic River Park, which is located about 20 miles north of Sioux Falls. The Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office says that when Miller tried breaking into a camper, the person inside shot at him through a window in the door... http://www.ksfy.com/news/local/26845424.html --- Oops, Wrong House, Georgia Version: A 75-year-old Union City homeowner said a frightening break-in started when someone rang his doorbell. Then, the homeowner said, there was a noise at his back window. "So I went upstairs and got my pistol and came back down," said the homeowner who didn't want to be identified. The homeowner said he walked to the room where he heard the noise, got on the floor, and opened the door slightly. The homeowner said he saw someone crawling through the window. "I'm within 8 feet of the guy. I'm nervous. I yelled at him and it seemed like his hand went up so I hit the floor and I started shooting," said the homeowner. The homeowner said he fired at least three rounds. Police said one bullet hit the 17-year-old suspect in the leg and the other in the groin area... http://www.wsbtv.com/news/17143415/detail.html --- Oops, Wrong House, Florida Version: ...A Srant Drive resident fatally shot an armed man after the man broke into his home about 4:30 p.m., the Escambia County Sheriff's Office said. The resident, whose name has not been released, confronted the gunman and shot him after hearing someone breaking in through a side door, Sheriff's Office spokesman Glenn Austin said. The suspect, Rodney Allen Williams, 27, staggered out of the house and died. Deputies continued to search Sunday for a second suspect in the home invasion, Austin said. The homeowner is not facing any charges in connection with the fatal shooting, Austin said. "He was an armed intruder who came in with a weapon. The homeowner saw the threat and defended himself," Austin said. "When you're threatened, you have the right to defend yourself..." http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080811/NEWS01/808110308/1006/NEWS01 --- Oops, Wrong House, Arizona Version: The search is on for at least two men believed to be involved with a deadly home invasion in Tolleson. It happened at about 9 p.m. Sunday near 91st Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road. Three men reportedly tried to bust into a home in the neighborhood. According to Phoenix police, at least one suspect is dead after the homeowner pulled a gun and fired in self defense. Police said that homeowner was also shot in the confrontation. His injuries reportedly were life threatening... http://www.wsbtv.com/news/17143415/detail.html --- Kids and Guns in Montana: BeSafe is a story about how one typical Montana family deals with firearm safety issues in their home. This story is designed to be read to children of ages in first through third grades...Some parents may say, "But we don't have any guns in our home." Fine, but nearly all children will sometimes play at a friend's or neighbor's home. We estimate that about 90% of the homes in Montana contain firearms. We want all children to understand the first principle about gun safety for kids - don't touch. If children should come into association with a firearm, anywhere, they will need the inoculation of some firearm safety preparation, just like water safety, fire safety, or traffic safety... http://www.marbut.com/besafe/ --- BATFE Traces Mexican Guns to US: Nearly all illegal guns seized in Mexico come from the United States, the head of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said Monday. ATF acting director Michael Sullivan said investigators have traced 90 to 95 percent of the weapons found in Mexico to the U.S. Generally, only law-enforcement officers or military personnel can legally possess guns in Mexico. Sullivan, speaking at the fifth annual Border Security Conference at the University of Texas at El Paso, said the weapons are being traced as part of an effort by the U.S. and Mexico to stop the illegal flow of guns south... One bust came in May, when the owner of a Phoenix gun shop was arrested on charges that he knowingly sold hundreds of weapons to "straw purchasers" who funneled the weapons to violent drug cartels in Mexico. Two Mexican men accused of helping to set up the sales also were arrested... http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/93410.php -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .