Art on Issues Jan 31, 2012
Gunfire Deaths in Children vs Pro-Life: A Political Double Standard
Summary This article discusses the political double standard of legislating to protect the 'unborn child' while consistently opposing legislation that would help protect those that have already been born from the documented risk of gunfire-related death and injury. The nature and effectiveness of the NRA's political contributions and lobbying efforts are discussed, and the often used argument of traffic-related fatalities to defend the loss of life by firearms is explored. It is postulated that the issue of gun-related injuries and death in children, regardless of a 'constitutional right', will become the indefensible issue that will put pressure on politicians ...read the full article


Daily Review Jan 30, 2012
Political Blotter: Long guns now targeted for 'open carry' ban
Some California gun-rights advocates had reacted to the state's new law banning "open carry" of unloaded handguns in public places by openly carrying unloaded long guns instead, but a new bill from the same author aims to nip that in the bud, too. Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, D-Pasadena -- now a lame duck, soon to be term-limited out of the Assembly and not pursuing a state Senate seat -- has introduced AB 1527, which would prohibit open carry of rifles and shotguns. "Last year, the state made it clear that this type of behavior had no place on Main Street, California," Portantino said ...read the full article


Citizens Voice Jan 30, 2012
With gun in tow, Hazleton man educates public on open carry
George Irizarry gets more than strange looks when people see him carrying a gun in a holster on his hip in Hazleton. Folks think he is breaking the law and telephone police. Police have drawn their guns on him and ordered him to drop to his knees. Irizarry takes their responses calmly, knowing that the law permits him to carry a gun openly. "I knew by open carrying I was going to get a lot of flack from the public and the local police department," Irizarry said. "Not only am I an open carrier, I'm a Hispanic male." He decided to carry his guns - ...read the full article


Associated Press Jan 30, 2012
New version of Arizona campus guns bill proposed
An Arizona lawmaker is renewing his fight to allow students and professors to carry guns on higher education campuses, raising a controversial issue that resulted in a veto by Gov. Jan Brewer last year. A bill that state Sen. Ron Gould introduced Monday with support from the National Rifle Association would allow people with necessary permits to carry concealed guns on campus grounds and prevent public universities and community colleges from restricting that privilege. Brewer, a Republican who has signed several gun-rights measures into law, vetoed a version of the campus guns bill in April. Gould said he's made changes in this year's ...read the full article


ABC News Jan 30, 2012
South Dakotans could be allowed to have guns in their car if bill passes
South Dakotans would be allowed to keep guns locked in their private vehicles at work if a House bill is passed and signed into law. The House Judiciary Committee on Monday voted to send the bill to the House floor. The bill, which has support from the National Rifle Association, would give an employee the right to store firearms and ammunition in a locked vehicle parked on work property. Those in favor say workers should have their guns for protection while driving to or from work, and also have them available for hunting outside of work hours. Rep. Roger Hunt, the committee's chair, says ...read the full article


Bangor Daily News Jan 30, 2012
Should nonresidents who are denied concealed weapons permits in other states be ineligible in Maine?
New York has strict gun laws for those seeking a concealed weapons permit. Maine, by comparison, has relatively moderate laws. However, because of loopholes in gun laws, a resident of New York can come to Maine and apply for a nonresident concealed weapons permit. If the permit is granted, that person can bring it back to New York, where the permit often is recognized. Maine State Police Lt. David Bowler calls this "permit shopping" and said it's the reason the Department of Public Safety has submitted a bill that prohibits Maine from granting a nonresident concealed weapons permit to anyone who has been ...read the full article


Media Matters Jan 30, 2012
Your Guide to Pro-Gun Argumentation
I've been debating pro-gun web surfers online (and offline) since 1998, and in that time, there has been almost no variation in the tactics they use in trying to support their belief that guns are awesome and make the world a better place. They may change the specific "evidence" they use, but the underlying arguments don't change. No matter how many times the arguments they use have been debunked, they continue to use the same faulty logic over and over again. Here's a quick guide to the most common arguments you're likely to hear... Ad hominem attacks: This is common with ...read the full article


The New American Jan 30, 2012
N.J. Assembly Considers New Gun Control Bills
The New Jersey Assembly is set to consider legislation which could amount to an all-out handgun ban considering the language of the bill. Though the measure mentions only ammunition, specifically "armor piercing ammunition," the National Rifle Association asserts that it is a virtual assault on handguns as well. Today, the New Jersey Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee will be considering Assembly Bill 588 and Assembly Bill 1013. AB 588, sponsored by Assemblywoman L. Grace Spencer (above left), claims to target any ammunition which would "pose a threat to the safety and well being of law enforcement," but some analysts recognize that ...read the full article


individual.com Jan 29, 2012
Conceal and carry laws fuel surge in female gun ownership
Six times, she tugged the revolver's trigger, and six times the bullets went home, puncturing chest, throat and then the gut. On paper, of course. Danielle Hunt smiled as she left her shooting stance, pleased at the holed human outline target about 20 feet away at the Crossfire Recreational Center gun range in Independence. And the feel of the revolver was sweet, too. The Kansas City Police Department employee is used to her semi-automatic, but the borrowed gun, a wood-grip .38 Taurus revolver, had its appeal. "Easier to control your shot," she said. "No recoil." A shooter for several years, Hunt was not surprised to hear ...read the full article


The News Tribune Jan 29, 2012
Washington state lawmakers push gun safety bill
Following a toddler's shooting death, Washington state legislators are considering a bill that would require additional testing of gun locks and safes before the equipment is distributed to law enforcement officers for home use. The bill was spurred by the 2010 death of the 3-year-old son of a sheriff's deputy after the toddler got ahold of a gun from a department-issued safe, which the family says was faulty. "I never thought to question my husband's police-issued equipment," said Kristie Owens, the child's mother, at a recent Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. "I assumed it would work properly. Why wouldn't it?" The legislation, which would ...read the full article