KC Mall "Gun Free"

John Lott gets the scoop.

But it's not for lack of trying here...:)

[Via Eric]

UPDATE: I've had it reported that someone who lives near the mall says it is not posted. I don't know any more than that, or even if it is accurate, but thought I'd better throw this into the mix for your consideration. As with all developing stories, the urge to get information out quickly is often tempered by the reliability of that information. Since Prof. Lott reports "Security at the mall confirms that guns are banned there," I'm going to assign more credence to that based on his professional reputation.

Shameless Plug: A New Hope?

By now, GUNS readers will have heard that Washington D.C.’s firearm ban has been overturned. The 2-1 decision in Parker v District of Columbia by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals reversed a lower court ruling and affirmed that the Second Amendment protects an individual right. That sounds like a big deal, a huge deal some say, and they may be proven right.

"A New Hope?" is my Rights Watch column for the June issue of GUNS Magazine, on sale now at optimistic newsstands throughout the Republic. I just had time to get this one in before the issue went to press--normally there would be at least another month's turnaround, but the editor was able to bump my designated article to the following month due to the timeliness of the topic.

BONUS: See page 92 to see how you can win a "Totally Custom Gary Reeder/Ruger No. 1...chambered for the hard-hitting .50 Alaskan." Barrel length is 16" (18" with brake installed), the finish is matte stainless steel, laminated wood stock, ghost ring rear, fiber optic front sights, and a total value of $3,060. I normally don't get excited about hardware, but man, that is a nice-looking gun--one that I am ineligible to enter a card for.

The Letter The New York Times Didn't (Wouldn't) Print

E-mailed on April 22:

I must admit I am frustrated with the way "Shooting Rekindles Issues of Gun Rights and Restrictions" (April 18) omitted a key issue in the Virginia Tech debate. I consented to speak with reporter Leslie Eaton to discuss my email to The Times asking why coverage from all major newspapers and television networks ignored the school's "No Guns" policy. Additionally, past press statements by Associate VP of University Relations Larry Hincker, ridiculing reasoned pleas to allow lawful concealed carry and lauding the death of a bill that would have rectified this, need to be examined in light of the total failure of authorities to protect students and faculty forbidden from protecting themselves.

That none of this made it into your report is disappointing, but not surprising, considering this paper's historic opposition to citizens bearing arms. Still, I don't see how The Times can consider its obligation to its readers complete by suppressing this important information from public scrutiny and discussion.

David Codrea
Redondo Beach, CA

60 Minutes on Mental Health Bill

"Reporter" Steve Kroft starts out with misinformation and goes downhill from there: He tells us about the "1,000 homicides...committed by people with mental illness" each year, but fails to note how many of those involve firearms. He claims "the very first gun control law ever passed in the U.S. [was] way back in 1968..."

He then proceeds to mug for the camera with facial expressions as manipulative as his questions, only gives Larry Pratt enough exposure to make an out-of-context statement the viewers are being maneuvered into dismissing, and then gives us the "reasonable" alternative courtesy of Carolyn McCarthy and Wayne LaPierre.

I do have one question, something I haven't understood since these discussions have been resurrected: If someone is adjudicated mentally ill, why would it be necessary to make their medical records available to police, as everything I've read or seen in the media implies? Why wouldn't just a record of the judgment suffice? Court records are generally public records. I don't know enough about the system--is sealing such judgments common practice, and does it vary by state? Anybody have insight on this?

[Via 45superman]

So What Happened to the Romanian Newspaper Story?

I talked about it here.

I sent the following to reporter Cristian Lupsa:

Did the story get pulled?

Here's his reply:

It didn't. It ran Friday and it got very good play. For reasons I'm not quite sure of though, it didn't make it into our online edition. I'll send you a link if I can figure out what happened.

If it doesn't happen, I'll try to get a hard copy, plus post the actual questions-and-answers email exchange.

That's pretty typical for me: I get a chance for my 15 minutes of fame, and spend 14 of them trying to figure out what the hell happened.

A Grisly Tale

Glacier National Park, Mont. — JOHAN looked up. Jenna was running toward him. She had yelled something, he wasn't sure what. Then he saw it. The open mouth, the tongue, the teeth, the flattened ears. Jenna ran right past him, and it struck him — a flash of fur, two jumps, 400 pounds of lightning.

It was a grizzly, and it had him by his left thigh. His mind started racing — to Jenna, to the trip, to fighting, to escaping. The bear jerked him back and forth like a rag doll, but he remembered no pain, just disbelief. It bit into him again and again, its jaw like a sharp vise stopping at nothing until teeth hit bone. Then came the claws, rising like shiny knife blades, long and stark.

You have to get way deep into the story to find this:

The name badge said Katie. She wore the green and gray uniform of the park service. She had slid down the slope, balancing a medical kit and a shotgun in her hands...

Get that? The only person who had a gun was an "Only One," and she arrived way after the fact.

Why?

Why the hell do you think?

(Click on image to enlarge)

Yet they knew bears could represent a danger to humans, and still they impose and enforce this anti-human life policy.

The conclusion is inescapable: The National Parks Service--and their political masters--would rather see you and your loved ones horribly mauled--even eaten alive--than armed.

More thoughts on bears and anti-defense outrages..

We're the Only Ones World Challenging Enough

Seven weapons belonging to Wake County's Special Weapons and Tactics team were stolen from a van outside a Memphis barbecue restaurant Monday afternoon, authorities said.

Members of the Wake County Sheriff's Office Special Response Team were on their way to Little Rock, Ark., for the World SWAT Challenge and stopped at the Interstate BBQ Restaurant in Memphis, authorities said. While the deputies were inside, two men drove up in a Ford Explorer and broke into the van, authorities said.

Just think--if this can happen to world class "Only Ones," how could we possibly trust people as irresponsible as me and you with guns?

Thank goodness they had spare rifles and rods along with their spare ribs!

[Via Jeffersonian]

This Day in History: April 30

Midway through the War of Independence, on April 30, 1778, the American Revolutionaries succeeded in stringing a massive floating chain across the Hudson River at West Point, N.Y. Quickly dubbed "General Washington's Watch Chain" by the Continental soldiers, the unusual obstruction denied use of this strategic waterway to the British for the remainder of the war. The chain's 800 wrought iron links, supported by a connecting forty huge log rafts, were hastily forges at nearby Sterling Furnace in the Ramapo Mountains. Each two-foot-long link weighed about 125 pounds.