Disappointing News From Virginia: George Mason University announced it has approved a new regulation that strengthens the school's prohibition against weapons on all of its Northern Virginia campuses. A university press release dated Aug. 17 states that the regulation approved by GMU's Board of Visitors prohibits students and employees, with the exception of law enforcement officers, from carrying or bringing weapons on campus. It also prevents members of the community at large from entering campus buildings and facilities or attending any event on campus with a weapon. http://www.timescommunity.com/site/tab5.cfm?newsid=18736319&BRD=2553&PAG=461&dept_id=511688&rfi=6 --- Illinois Counties Continue To Back RKBA: Some people in Champaign County are afraid their guns will be taken away. That's why pro-gun advocates are trying to get a resolution passed that would promise the 2nd amendment would be protected. People say they feel Chicago and Cook County is trying to run the rest of the state of Illinois...29 counties in the state have already passed an anti-gun ban resolution, people at the meeting hope Champaign County becomes the 30th to do so. http://illinoishomepage.net/content/fulltext/?cid=7946 --- Georgia Should Not Allow Park-Carry Bans: The hard truth of the matter is that parks, like almost every other public venue nowadays, have become more dangerous. As far as I know, law-abiding citizens, such as myself, who carry concealed weapons are the last group of people that government should be concerned about...The authorities should be more concerned about the predators - both two- and four-legged who have attacked and killed innocent people in parks. http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/stories/2007/08/22/equaled_0823.html The Opposition View: http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/stories/2007/08/22/gunsed_0823.html --- Sacramento Gun-Theft Ordinance Worse Than Useless: Sacramento recently passed an ordinance requiring gun owners to report the loss or theft of their firearms within 48 hours of when the owner knew or "should have known" the gun was missing...Ironically, the ordinance cannot be used against the real bad guys. No law can compel lawbreakers to report themselves. So a straw purchaser who legally buys a gun cannot be compelled to report that he resold it illegally. And since it wasn't actually lost or stolen, he hasn't violated the ordinance. http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/341695.html --- Ohio CHL-Holder Apprehends Murder Suspects: Robert Bragg said he had no time to consider the risks to himself when he confronted two ski-mask-wearing gunmen headed down his street Tuesday afternoon. The 24-year-old Ohio Air National Guardsman, who works as a military policeman at the Springfield Air National Guard base, went into his house and came out with his personal 9mm Baretta (sic) semi-automatic handgun and headed into the street soon after he heard gunfire and screaming... http://www.daytondailynews.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/08/23/ddn082307shootingbragg.html --- Oops, Wrong House: A 22-year-old woman shot and killed a New Orleans man and wounded a Metairie man after authorities say the two invaded a Luling home at gunpoint shortly after 4 a.m. Wednesday.. Investigators say the two men accosted Nathaniel Evans, 25, as he left his home on Paul Fredrick Street for work. He was forced back into the house by the men who were armed with a 38 revolver, a 9 mm and a 40 mm semi-automatic guns. Authorities say Evans and another resident, Irene Bailey, 22, were made to lie on the floor. Evans was shot while Bailey was able to find a gun and shoot both suspects. http://blog.nola.com/times-picayune/2007/08/woman_kills_one_intruder_wound.html --- Colorado Women Learn Defensive Shooting: Two months ago Christiansen was scared to hold a gun but now she and about 20 other women participating in the "Girls and Their Guns" shooting program know how to safely load and fire a gun...The summer clinic at the Minturn and Gypsum shooting ranges teach women of all ages basic hand-gun safety and self-protection and target skills. The focus is on safety, but by the end of the five-class course, the women will have practiced target shooting, rapid shooting, and shooting while moving. http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20070823/NEWS/70822032 --- Oklahoma Man Acquitted In Fatal Shooting: ..Gotcher countered that Krebbs did not have to flee. "A person is justified in using deadly force" to defend himself, Gotcher said during closing arguments. Self defense is a reasonable defense, even if the threat is determined later not to be real, he said. "You don't have to run from your home," Gotcher told the jurors. "You don't have to run if someone starts attacking you." http://www.mcalesternews.com/homepage/local_story_235110440.html?keyword=leadpicturestory --- Where Are All The "Assault Weapons"?: David Codrea discovers some interesting facts while reviewing a BATFE report on firearm traces of guns used in crimes in the various states. http://waronguns.blogspot.com/2007/08/where-are-all-assault-weapons.html --- Gun Lobby Or Smart Citizens?: ...If this is how Americans believe in fellow citizens on the issue of automatic weapons, I'd love to learn more about how they poll out on home self-defense, defense away from home, concealed carry and Castle Doctrine. Judging by the majority of states which affirm concealed carry of weapons, including reciprocity among states, I'd say we already have that answer, and this makes the Brady Center not only out of step with American values, but also irrelevant. http://www.goodforthecountry.com/ --- From SAF: A state police plan to halt firearms sales in Pennsylvania from Sept. 2 through Sept. 6, ostensibly to update that agency's background check system, is a civil rights outrage, the Second Amendment Foundation said today. "The Pennsylvania State Police have just provided a strategy to any state agency, and the FBI, for arbitrarily suspending the constitutional right to keep and bear arms," said SAF founder Alan Gottlieb. "No government agency should have that authority, and we are hopeful that state lawmakers will successfully derail this plan until the state police find some other way to update their system without interrupting firearms sales." http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/08-23-2007/0004650571&EDATE= Related Articles: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20070823_Uproar_over_Pa__plan_for_guns.html http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20070824_Rendell_will_reconsider_timing_of_gun_plan.html --- From The Firearms Coalition: Well, the anti's have finally published their list of events for their part of National Exercise Your Rights Day. They are planning to exercise their First Amendment Rights in the following ways: * a rally at a park in Newark near the school where the recent shootings took place * a protest at a gun store in Maryland that is responsible for the most crime guns found in Washington, D.C. * a candlelight vigil at the Arizona state capitol in Phoenix * a community gathering at a church in Birmingham, Alabama * an anti-violence coalition breakfast in Minneapolis * community forums on illegal guns in San Diego and Philadelphia * a march down Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. and rally in Dallas * a bell-ringing for gun violence victims at city hall in Duluth, Minnesota * a "freeway blog" over a busy highway in Houston * a silence vigil to protest recent shootings in Denver * a kick-off BBQ for Operation Ceasefire in Ewing, New Jersey * and Protest Easy Guns Lie-Ins in Seattle, Raleigh, Philadelphia, Portland (Maine), Minneapolis, St. Paul, Richmond (Calif.), and Springfield (Ill.) * a statewide letter writing campaign is being organized in California to build support for a crime-fighting "microstamping" bill being considered by the State Legislature. More information can be found on the Brady web site at: http://www.bradycampaign.org/action/trafficking/aug28/ I encourage gun rights activists nationwide to exercise your First and Second Amendment Rights by helping to make next Tuesday a record sales day for your local firearms and ammunition dealers and a record letter and e-mail day for your elected officials. If you live in an area where an anti-gun activity is scheduled, please show up at their events with proper attire, buttons, and signage to let these folks know that you support ALL of their rights. We've gotten a lot of responses from activists around the country planning to take individual action, but not a lot of information about group actions. The Second Amendment Sisters and Maryland activists are planning to "support" the event at Realco Guns in Upper Marlboro, Maryland from Noon to 2:00 and while it is difficult to ask activists in Northern Virginia to disarm and venture into "The People's Republic of Maryland", I am planning to do so and your support would be appreciated. Since this is going to be the official event for the DC area, it is also likely to be the biggest and receive the most publicity so we need the best turnout possible. If you or your group is planning any organized activity - march, shooting event, picnic, group buying trips, or whatever, please let us know so we can help get more people to join you. If you are willing to coordinate an event, please let us know. Missouri residents are reminded that your new law goes into effect on the 28th which should lower costs for you. Please forward this alert to everyone on your e-mail list and copy it into your favorite firearms forums. Yours for the Second Amendment, Jeff Knox www.FirearmsCoalition.org -- Stephen P. Wenger Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .