Republicans Delay Holder Vote: Republicans have delayed for one week a committee vote on Eric Holder Jr.'s nomination to be attorney general, giving them extra time to pore over Holder's long record and force him to answer questions in writing about policies he would pursue at the Department of Justice... Asked by reporters what questions he is asking Holder, Specter said he wants to know more about Holder's views on national security, on detainee policies, and on investigating corporate fraud. He also said that former Bush adviser Frances Townsend disclosed in written testimony that she called Holder on the morning of Jan. 20, 2001, about a possible pardon for fugitive commodities trader Marc Rich - what Specter described as a previously undisclosed conversation... (No mention is made of Mr. Holder's atrocious record on the RKBA.) http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2009/01/at-republicans-request-committee-delays-holder-vote.html http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123257260776403591.html Related Commentary: http://frontpagemagazine.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=F020358D-6544-4EE1-96D9-69FFEBCD1BF9 http://www.examiner.com/x-1417-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2009m1d21-Holder-delayed --- Poll Shows Split on More Infringements: American voters are evenly divided on the need for stricter gun control laws but don't think city government should have the right to prevent citizens from owning handguns in their city. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 44% say stricter gun control laws while another 44% disagree and 12% are not sure. Most African-American and Hispanic voters believe stricter gun control laws are needed while a plurality (47%) of White voters disagree. Sixty-two percent (62%) of Democrats say stricter gun control laws are needed and 63% of Republicans hold the opposite view. Among unaffiliated voters, 37% want stricter laws while 48% disagree. Overall, the desire for stricter gun control laws is little changed from last December... http://www.opposingviews.com/articles/research-voters-split-on-need-for-stricter-gun-control --- New York Senate Applicant Defends RKBA: New York gun control supporters are urging Gov. David Paterson to pass over Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand when he selects the state's next senator, because, they say, her support of gun rights pus her "well outside the mainstream of most New Yorkers." But Gillibrand today proudly defended herself as a supporter of the Second Amendment, after noting the importance of hunting to her upstate New York district and her own family. "I come from a hunting family," said Gillibrand, after noting that her mother shoots the Thanksgiving turkey almost every year. Last fall, Gillibrand said, her mother "got a turkey" and "got a deer." According to Gillibrand, her mother "was on her rifle team in college" and is "the best shot in our family." ... http://blogs.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/10736/gillibrand-defends-her-2nd-amendment-stance --- Feldman to Speak on Heller: A landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to bear arms for private use will be the topic of a Jan. 23 talk at West Virginia University. Attorney and gun lobbyist Richard Feldman will share his views on the high court's decision in District of Columbia v. Heller at 10 a.m. in the Marlyn E. Lugar Courtroom of the College of Law. His talk - "Behind Enemy Lines: The Role of Guns in Presidential Politics" - is free and open to the public. Feldman is the owner of MLS Communications, a public relations and political consulting firm in Rindge, N.H. He formerly was regional political director for the National Rifle Association and executive director of the firearm industry's national trade association. He is the author of "Ricochet: Confessions of a Gun Lobbyist." ... (Feldman's book is, at best, an exposé of the inner workings of the NRA.) http://www.newsmax.com/health/acupuncture_headaches/2009/01/21/173620.html --- Utah to Reconsider Non-Resident Permits: The words "liberal" and "Utah" are rarely used in the same sentence, unless you're talking about firearms statutes. Utah's concealed-carry permit law is one of the most liberal, and by that we mean permissive, in the nation. Utah permits are inexpensive, simple to acquire, slow to expire, easy to renew and are accepted in 32 other states through reciprocity agreements. And, for those reasons, they're the permit of choice for a nation of gun lovers. Approximately half of the new permits issued by the state in recent years have been acquired by nonresidents, many from states with more restrictive laws. But that could change. There's a gun battle shaping up on Utah's Capitol Hill. State Sen. Scott McCoy, D-Salt Lake City, fired the first shot last week, filing a bill that would prevent nonresidents from obtaining Utah gun permits. And gun advocates, who claim to have been ambushed by the proposal, appear determined to shoot it down... http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_11505690 --- Demand Increases for Missouri Carry Permits: Gun rights supporters fear the new president will get Congress to impose new gun control laws. That fear triggered a surge in gun sales nationwide after the election in November. Instead of waiting, more people are exercising their right to personal protection. "I know Obama said he wouldn't take away any of our gun rights but that remains to be seen," said Glen Hirsch, who was buying a gun on a recent day. In Springfield, concealed carry courses are booked full through April. "I want to be able to have it when I need it," said Kevin Hale of Aurora. Instructors even added Sunday sessions. "The demand for this course has pretty much tripled over what it was a year ago," said Randy Gibson, a concealed-carry weapons class instructor. The demand increased from 381 applications in 2006 to more than 1,100 last year; 12 percent of the applicants are women... (As I recall, many Missouri residents prefer to carry on out-of-state permits.) http://www.ky3.com/news/local/37872384.html --- Texas Bill Would Eliminate Double Standard: ... State Representative Carl Isett (R-Lubbock) has introduced House Bill 410, a measure repealing the requirement that Concealed Handgun Licensees display their carry license if they are in possession of a handgun and are stopped by a law enforcement officer who requests identification. Under current law, failure by CHLs to display their carry licenses in these situations could lead to licenses being suspended for 90 days. When HB 1815 by Representative Isett and State Senator Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa (D-McAllen) passed and was signed into law in 2007, it legalized the carrying of handguns in private motor vehicles by non-CHLs, and it contained no similar "notice" requirement. HB 410 would remove the double-standard "notice" requirement that remains imposed by law on CHLs... http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?ID=4309 --- Oops, Wrong Electronics Plant: A woman accused of shooting a man with a bow and arrow at her father's workplace before being shot by two civilians and a Houston police officer has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon... After walking into the company's micro-electronics division, Parker shot Silva with an arrow and then pointed the apparent gun at two other employees, police said. Those employees, who are licensed to carry concealed handguns, fired "numerous" shots at Parker, hitting her several times, investigators said. Parker dropped her pistol, which later was found not to be a real gun, and retreated to an office with the bow and arrow, officers said. Workers at nearby businesses took cover and called police... (Either the company has the sense not to ban carry by its employees or it will have an embarrassing time trying to discipline this pair from violating the ban.) http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6219604.html --- Oops, Wrong House, Missouri Version: Clay County authorities said a homeowner took matters into his own hands early Wednesday morning when someone tried to break into his home. Deputies said a man was standing outside of the family's home in the 12000 block of Missouri State Route 92, just west of Kearney, screaming. The homeowner told police the man forced open the door and started to walk in the house. The homeowner said he shot the intruder, critically wounding him. He was taken to Liberty Hospital. Police said the homeowner's wife and two children were there when the incident happened. They are all OK. A Clay County Sheriff's investigator said the alleged intruder appeared to be "highly intoxicated." (Did the authorities really say that the "homeowner took matters into his own hands" or is someone editorializing? Where were the authorities as the incident developed?) http://www.kctv5.com/news/18531395/detail.html#- --- Oops, Wrong House, Texas Version: A teenage burglary suspect was fatally shot in an east Oak Cliff home this morning by the homeowner's son. Around 11 a.m., a resident in the 300 block of Hobson Street left her home, shortly before her adult son came by to drop off a newspaper, Dallas police say. As he pulled up, he saw the front door had been kicked in. Police say 17-year-old Gabriel Flores, who was inside the home, pulled out a handgun and fired it at the resident's son. The son, who has a concealed-weapons permit, shot back and hit the teenager... http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/012209dnmetburglarysuspectshot.17a769d8.html --- Rule One Reminder: An 81-year-old actor is recovering after being accidentally shot during a dress rehearsal with a gun that was supposed to be empty. The incident happened Sunday on the final practice run by a seniors theater group for their production of John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men." One actor picked up a pistol he had borrowed from another cast member and fired it at the head of fellow actor Fred Kellerman, who was playing the character Lenny. At the end of the play, Lenny takes a fatal gunshot to the head... The gun was supplied by a member of the Sarasota Senior Theater group, Bradenton police said. The group had used the gun in the past as a prop, but the member told police she did not check to see if the gun was loaded when she brought it for the show Sunday. The actor who pulled the trigger, who is also the president of the group and the play's director, told police "it was stupid" not to check to make sure the gun was empty... (Rule One: All guns are always loaded. Note the description of the wound - the bullet likely penetrated the scalp, not the skull.) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28775677/ -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .