Omaha Shooting Unlikely To Alter US Gun Laws: Once again there has been
a mass shooting in the United States, this time in a Nebraska shopping
mall. Once again there is no national outcry for gun control...Leading
presidential candidates for the November 2008 U.S. election issued
statements expressing sorrow and support for the victims. None called
for tighter gun laws, which are traditionally left to state and local
authorities...Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent
Gun Violence, disagrees. He said European countries have enacted
effective gun control laws and that U.S. politicians are cowed by the
gun lobby as exemplified by the National Rifle Association.
http://en.epochtimes.com/news/7-12-8/62726.html
---
Countersuit Against Bloomberg Gains Support: In Mayor Michael R.
Bloomberg's campaign to remove illegal guns from New York City's
streets, he sued 27 out-of-state gun dealerships last year over what he
said were illegal sales. Most agreed to settle, while others chose to
take their chances in court. But here, in this town of 48,000 where
Julia Roberts was born, the fight has become deeply personal. Jay
Wallace, who owns Adventure Outdoors, one of the major gun distributors
in the area and a defendant in one of the city's lawsuits, is
countersuing Mr. Bloomberg, alleging fraud, slander and libel...
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09/nyregion/09guns.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=us&pagewanted=all
---
California Expands Lead Ammo Ban: It will be illegal for hunters to
possess or fire lead ammunition when they are in California condor
habitat under regulations adopted Friday by a state commission. By a
vote of 3-1, the California Fish and Game Commission expanded the
state's lead ammunition ban in an effort to safeguard North America's
largest flying bird...Earlier this summer, commissioner R. Judd Hanna
said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration asked him to resign
after he clashed with the National Rifle Association over pending condor
protections. Schwarzenegger signed a bill several months later that
banned most lead ammunition, but the commission's decision goes further...
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lead9dec09,1,3191608.story?coll=la-headlines-california
---
Pennsylvania Castle-Doctrine Bill Set For Hearing: "Castle Doctrine"
legislation, House Bill 641, introduced by State Representative Steven
Cappelli (R-83), will be heard in the House Judiciary Committee on
Tuesday, December 11 at 10:00 a.m. in Room G50 of the Irvis Office
Building. This critical legislation will ensure that law-abiding
Pennsylvanians have the ability to defend themselves and their loved
ones from violent attack without fear of criminal prosecution or civil
action. Please contact the members of the House Judiciary Committee and
strongly encourage him or her to protect our right to self-defense by
supporting and voting for HB 641!
http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?ID=3304
---
How Well Can Cops Shoot?: ...New York City police statistics show that
simply hitting a target, let alone hitting it in a specific spot, is a
difficult challenge. In 2006, in cases where police officers
intentionally fired a gun at a person, they discharged 364 bullets and
hit their target 103 times, for a hit rate of 28.3 percent, according to
the department's Firearms Discharge Report...In Los Angeles, where there
are far fewer shots discharged, the police fired 67 times in 2006 and
had 27 hits, a 40 percent hit rate, which, while better than New York's,
still shows that they miss targets more often they hit them... (The
first multimedia graphic, "Shooting and Unpredictability," is well worth
studying.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09/weekinreview/09baker.html?pagewanted=all
---
Putting Your Techniques In Context: ... It has been said many times the
person interested in home defense may or may not need the skills being
taught to the local SWAT Team, but there are other skills that many
might consider universal and fundamental that still have very specific
contexts in which they belong. Skills such as the "tactical reload",
slicing the pie and team communications all have important places, but
their places are very specific and don't necessarily apply to every gun
owner...
http://www.imakenews.com/valhalla/e_article000971011.cfm?x=bbLn12t,b3mc6Ctb
---
NRA-ILA Alerts: Alerts for the various states are posted on the NRA-ILA
website.
http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/State/
---
From John Farnam:
8 Dec 07
6.8mm
I just completed several days of hunting wild pigs in FL. I got two.
One was 125 lbs. The other 225 lbs. Both instances were broadside
shots on moving targets. Range was fifty meters in both cases.
I used my new XCR in 6.8mmSPC. Ammunition was Cor-Bon DPX, 100gr. The
XCR is equipped with an EOTech optic, forward mounted, and a Vickers
sling from Blue Force Gear.
This particular EOTech is equipped with their "multiple range" reticle.
Instead of a circle with a dot in the center, there are four dots within
the circle, all in a ventricle row, representing aiming points at four
different ranges. I decided that I don't like this reticle, preferring
the single aiming point. The row of dots generates too much clutter,
and I find, when using the top dot as my aiming point, that I tend to
shoot high.
The pigs we hunted are hardy and have been shot at a lot, so they're
wary and always on the move. I hit both pigs on the point of the
shoulder, as is my habit, but neither dropped immediately. One ran
thirty meters before dropping. The other ran fifty. Neither bullet
exited. Both were found just under the skin of the opposite side. The
ones we recovered were fully expanded, but several petals on one were
broken off. These pigs are tough! The 6.8 surely strikes with more
authority than the 223, but it is not the equivalent of a 308.
This XCR, like my copy in 223, is wonderful and ran without a hiccup.
Like the FAL, the XCR's gas system is adjustable, but Robinson Arms
suggests it be left at maximum pressure for the break-in period of 300
rounds. Recoil is similar to that of a 223. This rifle is compact,
fast, and manageable. It makes an ideal car-gun. Highly recommended!
Once again, I can't say enough about Cor-Bon and their Barnes bullets!
They are hard to beat!
/John
(While I'm sure John meant "vertical," not "ventricle," his point about
complicated reticles is well taken. Such devices may have a place on
precision rifles, which are normally used in sniping or similar roles,
where the time frame to take a shot is usually a few seconds. On a rifle
used for quick response, the complexity can prove to be a liability. As
to extrapolation from the hunting field in the evaluation of the 6.8mm
round, I will defer to the hunters and others who have experience
shooting live flesh)
--
Stephen P. Wenger
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
