The right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the State …
Looks like they are looking into it. Indiana also allows people that are over 18 to obtain carry permits. Of course, federal law doesn’t allow anyone under 21 to buy a handgun, but there’s no law against possessing one.
I would imagine this has a chance of passing in a pistol packing legislature.
Not just stifling dissent, but crushing it.
My sources are telling me Governor Kaine has vetoed both the Virginia restaurant carry bill, to allow people to carry in restaurants provided they do not consume alcohol, and the bill to allow firearms to be kept in a locked contained within a vehicle without a license to carry concealed.
UPDATE: Link with more information up at NRA now.
UPDATE: Countertop has more. So does Pro-Gun Progressive
UPDATE: Sailorcurt too.
Joe is asking folks to call and e-mail their state senators, and has a list. This is a pretty bad and broad ban on so-called assault weapons. Even if you don’t live in Nebraska, if you live near Nebraska, shoot in Nebraska, or have some kind of tie to the state, call.
Bitter notices in an unrelated article that legislators in Nebraska are feeling the heat from NRA members over proposed gun control measures. Good! It’s how this is going to go down in flames.
Taking a look at the new Walther SP22, I notice this at the bottom:
Important Note: The SP22 is not available for sale in California. Void where prohibited by law.
I wonder if California’s laws in this matter, which seem to ban ordinary .22LR sporting pistols, is the kind of law that Ray Schonke finds to be reasonable. Kudos to Walther (and by association Smith & Wesson) for not subjecting the rest of us to California’s nonsense.
Rep. Norm Dicks may derail the National Parks rule change:
Dicks vows to block bid to lift ban on loaded weapons in national parks WASHINGTON – With a showdown looming, U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks says he’s prepared to block any effort by the administration to lift the current ban on carrying loaded weapons in national parks.
It’s not an idle threat.
As chairman of the House Appropriations interior subcommittee, Dicks oversees the National Parks Service’s annual budget and is in a position to prevent the administration from dropping the Reagan-era ban. While the Washington Democrat is usually reluctant to add legislative provisions to his spending bill, he is ready to make an exception in this case even if it prompts a presidential veto.
Remember this when the Democrats try to tell you how much they support the second amendment this fall. I have a great deal of respect for our staunch pro-gun Democrats like Dan Boren, John Tester, Rich Boucher, and many others, but the fact is they are part of a party who promotes leadership that are actively hostile to the rights of gun owners. We are not talking about arming people in National Parks here, simply making National Parks compliant follow whatever rules the states want to put in place on the matter of firearms. Right now, I can be arrested if I travel through a National Park on the way to shoot somewhere else. That’s not right. It should be changed.
An article from the Philadelphia Inquirer on Students for Concealed Carry. It’s contains a pretty good contrast between how both sides try to frame the debate. First, the Inky’s statement:
 The idea of loaded guns in beer-soaked frat houses isn’t as farfetched as it seems. At least 13 states are considering some form of legislation allowing concealed-carry on campus, according to the National Conference on State Legislatures.
No bias there, no sir. But what do they mention earlier in the article?
Along with books, laptop and cell phone, there is something else that Jeremy Clark thinks is essential to bring to class: his gun.
The Villanova University law student said the sickening spate of campus shootings, from Virginia Tech to Northern Illinois University, left him feeling vulnerable without his Glock 9mm semiautomatic handgun.
“If I’m in a classroom where a shooting is taking place, I’d like a chance to be able to defend myself,” said the 29-year-old Army veteran from Bethlehem, Pa., who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Call me crazy here, but I’m willing to go out on a limb here and make an a few assumptions.
A lot of the activism in this particular issue seems to be coming from veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. And why not? The army trusted them to lug a fully automatic M4 assault rifle around, why do people in civilian life insist on treating them like irresponsible children?
Dave Kopel and Howard Nemerov have cooperated on a paper that seems to show that countries with higher rates of gun ownership correspond positively to greater freedom. Go check it out.
It would appear the proprietor of TopGlock is feeling awful about the fact that he sold a pistol to the Virginia Tech scumbag and the NIU scumbag. He’s started a web site, which includes a forum, open to both sides in the gun debate. Right now it looks to have some anti-gun representation.  Readers with more time than I have might want to go there to make sure the pro-gun side of the debate is represented.
I don’t think Eric Thompson has anything to feel bad about, any more than a car dealer should feel guilty if he sells a car to a guy who ended up causing a drunk driving fatality. The moral blame is on the muderous scumbag, not the person who legally sold them the tools.
Hat tip to reader Kaveman, who heard about this on NPR this morning.
Once they have your back against the wall, and your political power has been neutered, they will continue to tighten the vise:
EIGHTY per cent of Central Victoria gun dealers will be driven out of business and attempts by farmers to control vermin will be undermined if recommendations of a licence fee increase are accepted, dealers claim.
The Regulatory Impact Statement is part of a State Government draft proposal on changes to firearm regulations recommending lowering some licence fees including rifles by 11 per cent, professional hand guns by 17 per cent, increasing others such as sporting hand guns by 97 per cent and firearm dealer licences by up to 647 per cent.
A & L Guns owner Rod Flower said his licence fee will increase from about $1380 to $7400 for a three-year period under the new price guidelines.
‘‘This will close down 80 per cent of the businesses and will affect country Victoria more than anywhere else,’’ Mr Flower said.
They don’t care. That’s the whole idea. It’s for the children, after all.