Epitaph for the NRA?: The National Rifle Association (NRA) may have triumphed in June when the Supreme Court found the District of Columbia's gun ban unconstitutional and affirmed the Second Amendment...But the sinking economy which people have put first and a candidate the NRA decried until a few weeks ago have made it increasingly desperate...The NRA has also lost street cred to its nemesis, the American Hunters and Shooters Association (AHSA), after failing to fight Mining Law amendments tucked in the House Federal Budget Deficit Reduction Act that allowed millions of acres of public lands treasured by hunters to be sold to mining companies in 2005... (I believe it was Mark Twain who said, "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.") http://newsblaze.com/story/20081022082621rose.nb/topstory.html --- Help Fund NRA Ads: With just under 2 weeks left before the election, the race is getting closer. NRA is having an impact, as the truth is being told to gun owners all over America about Barack Obama's clear record of opposition to our Second Amendment rights. We know that in the key battleground states, the race is close, but John McCain and Sarah Palin, the pro-gun candidates in this race, are slightly behind. We also know that gun owners can make the difference in these states! But we have to continue to make your voice heard by keeping our message on the air! Thanks to your support, and the support of members just like you, we have been able to be on the air in all the battleground states with ads like this one... https://www.nrapvf.org/Secure/Members/Contribute.aspx?memberid=1070907 --- Winnetka Balks at Ending Handgun Ban: Winnetka residents, some with tears in their eyes, recalled personal tragedies to make the case for keeping Winnetka's ban on handguns intact at an Oct. 21 Village Council meeting. The Village Council considered repealing its ban but put the discussion on hold for now. It will pick up talks Nov. 18. A handful of Winnetka residents and the National Riffle Association last month sued the village, claiming the ban violates their Second Amendment rights. Trustees were reluctant to make a quick decision, citing Winnetkas particurlarly violent history with handguns - including a deadly attack at Hubbard Woods School 20 years ago... http://www.pioneerlocal.com/winnetka/news/1235366,wn-gunlawweb-102208-s1.article --- Illinois RKBA Advocates Profiled: Local gun rights advocates Mike and Valinda Rowe have been busy the last few weeks pushing for a right-to-carry law in Illinois and providing some firearms safety instruction to a sales staff from around the world...This week, the Rowes were at the Harrisburg Lions Club Building for a town hall meeting on the concealed carry referendum on the November Saline County ballot. The county is one of about 14 in the state that have included on their Nov. 4 general election ballots a referendum that states, "Shall the Illinois Legislature enact a concealed carry law for the citizens of Illinois?" The referendum started in Winnebago County when they decided to craft their own county-wide concealed carry law. Rowe said many on the Winnebago County Board feel their residents should have the ability to protect themselves and don't want to wait for the state to pass a right-to-carry law... http://www.carmitimes.com/news/x270974681/Gun-rights-advocates-busy --- No Questions on the RKBA: Do you realize we've gone through all three presidential debates, and not one moderator asked a question about the Second Amendment or the Heller case? The biggest case the Supreme Court has handled in years doesn't merit a single question from the likes of Tom Brokaw and Jim Lehrer. The vice presidential debate was also devoid of questions about your gun rights, thanks to moderator Gwen Ifill... http://www.nranews.com/blogarticle.aspx?blogPostId=459 --- Oops, Wrong Landlord: An off-duty Chicago police detective shot and killed a convicted felon who police say tried to rob him Tuesday morning in the Englewood neighborhood. The shooting happened around 11:15 a.m. in the 6200 block of South Honore Street as the detective was doing work on a home he owned on the block. The man approached the officer, pointed a gun at the detective and demanded money, according to police. Sherrod Griffin, 44, of the 6100 block of South Whipple Street, was shot once in the abdomen and prounced dead at the Stein Institute, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office... http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2008/10/off-duty-cop-shoots-robber-police-say.html --- But Were They Having Fun?: A man sustained non-life-threatening injuries Wednesday morning when he was accidentally shot in the face on the South Side, police said. The shooting occurred in the 5700 block of South Stewart Boulevard - near East Drexel Road and South Del Moral Boulevard - and was reported about 7:20 a.m. by the victim's girlfriend, according to initial reports given to police. The girlfriend said that her boyfriend called and asked her to call for an ambulance because he and someone else had been playing with a gun and it went off, police said... (Rule One: All firearms are always loaded...) http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/263777 --- When Guns Are Outlawed...: ...Data provided to The Sunday Telegraph by nearly every police force in England and Wales, under freedom of information laws, show that the number of firearms incidents dealt with by officers annually is 60 per cent higher than figures stated by the Home Office. Last year 5,600 firearms offences were excluded from the official figures. It means that, whereas the Home Office said there were only 9,800 offences in 2007/8, the real total was around 15,400. The latest quarterly figures, due to be released on Thursday, will again exclude a significant number of incidents. The explanation for the gulf is that the Government figures only include cases where guns are fired, used to "pistol whip" victims, or brandished as a threat... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/3222063/Gun-crime-60pc-higher-than-official-figures.html --- When Knives Are Outlawed...: Police figures released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that forces in England and Wales are on course to record a total of 38,000 serious knife crimes this year - more than 100 a day. The figure is at least two-thirds higher than last year's total of 22,151 offences, announced by the Home Office in July when it unveiled its first annual count of knife crimes. The sharp rise has come about because ministers have changed the counting rules, in response to complaints that key categories of crime were excluded from last year's total... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/3022533/Knife-crime-worse-than-thought-new-figures-show.html -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .