Viewpoints

The NRA's Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) published a response to the ABC News item last week about Attorney General Eric Holder's comments that the Obama Administration will seek to ban some imported semi-autos, misrepresented as assault weapons.

From Barron's, the financial publishing firm: 'The stay-at-home hobbyist speculator crowd has been manically betting that societal unrest will have us all arming ourselves.'

ABC News reports what gun owners feared from Eric Holder: A statement that the Obama Administration will seek to ban currently legal semi-auto rifles and other self-defense firearms.

Well, Barack H. Obama has been sworn in as president. Eric Holder has been confirmed as attorney general. The FBI has reported that 10 of the highest-traffic NICS days of all time have occurred since the November election. Friday, November 28, 2008, saw 97,848 clearance requests—22,716 more requests than the second-highest day, Friday, December 22, 2006. Rounding out the top five were Saturday, December 23, 2000 (74,891); Tuesday, December 23, 2008 (73,427); and Saturday, November 6, 2008 (71,832). What’s more interesting about November 6 and three other top-ten days—Friday, November 14, 2008 (69,526); Saturday, November 15, 2008 (70,528); and Saturday, December 20, 2008 (71,409)—was that they didn’t occur on Black Fridays or the last shopping days before Christmas. Coincidence? I think not

Well, Barack H. Obama has been sworn in as president. Eric Holder has been confirmed as attorney general. The FBI has reported that 10 of the highest-traffic NICS days of all time have occurred since the November election. Friday, November 28, 2008, saw 97,848 clearance requests—22,716 more requests than the second-highest day, Friday, December 22, 2006. Rounding out the top five were Saturday, December 23, 2000 (74,891); Tuesday, December 23, 2008 (73,427); and Saturday, November 6, 2008 (71,832). What’s more interesting about November 6 and three other top-ten days—Friday, November 14, 2008 (69,526); Saturday, November 15, 2008 (70,528); and Saturday, December 20, 2008 (71,409)—was that they didn’t occur on Black Fridays or the last shopping days before Christmas. Coincidence? I think not

JUNEAU - Governor Sarah Palin encouraged U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to support recently adopted regulations allowing concealed weapons in national parks and wildlife refuges. Secretary Salazar has directed a review of the regulations that were approved by the previous administration.

WASHINGTON, D.C.–The Brady Campaign has released its annual state scorecards, which the group claims 'rate each state on the strength of its gun laws.'

Writing on SCOTUSblog, a website that reports on Supreme Court activities, Lyle Denniston said:'On a pace that very likely will put them in the Supreme Court at its next term, three significant test cases on the scope of the Second Amendment — the “gun rights” Amendment — are moving along in the lower courts. Briefing on the core question of whether state and local governments must obey the Amendment — and thus allow private ownership of handguns, for example — will be completed in the Seventh Circuit Court by mid-March. Argument and a decision by summer appear likely.

This from Alice Tripp of the Texas State Rifle Association: 'House Bill H.R. 45, introduced in Congress on 1/6/2009, aka 'Brian Holt’s Bill,' is an interesting read. Apparently, every gun owner will need to get a license [under this bill]. To get one, you’ll need the following:

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) has introduced the Respecting States’ Rights and Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act.

To see how the 'community activist' model of gun control is working internationally, gun owners need look no further than the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA), a London-based gun group headed by notorious gun-confiscationist Rebecca Peters.

AUSTIN, Tex. -- Howard Nemerov, writing in the Austin Gun Rights Examiner, has an excellent critique of how the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence fudged its numbers to claim too-high win rates of the anti-gun group's endorsed candidates: