Viewpoints

Robert M. Morgenthau, who has served as district attorney for New York county since 1975, wrote the Wall Street Journal prior to last week’s failed attempt to pass a national-right-to-carry bill in the Senate. It failed by two votes. We reprint Morgenthau’s comments in whole to show how elected officials twist and misrepresent the facts on concealed-carry laws to restrict gunowner’s rights.

ABC News has reported that the United States Senate voted against a proposal that would have allowed certain gun owners to bring concealed weapons across state lines. The Senate's 58 to 39 vote fell just short of the 60 votes needed to tack on the contentious amendment to a massive defense policy bill. Senators will continue to wade through other provisions of the defense authorization bill throughout the week before taking a vote on whether to pass the complete package.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- CNSNews has reported that Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) isn't satisfied with Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor’s answers to questions about the Second Amendment, particularly her ruling that the right to bear arms does not apply to the states.

Data released by the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) reported 968,145 checks in June 2009, up 18.1 percent from the 819,891 reported in June 2008.

As president of the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute, a Non-Governmental Organization member of the United Nations, Steve Sanetti addressed the U.N.'s  Open-Ended Working Group last week with the goal of explaining the legitimate uses of firearms and ammunition for sporting purposes and hunting by many millions of law-abiding persons worldwide, and urging that civilian firearms should be beyond the scope of any proposed U.N. consideration of fully automatic military firearms when its deliberations turn to small arms and light weapons as part of an International Arms Trade Treaty.

The Gun Owners of America reported last week that Senators John Thune and David Vitter have sponsored S. 845, a bill that will establish concealed carry reciprocity in several states.

Chad D. Baus, the Buckeye Firearms Association's vice chairman, has posted a great read on the BFA website: An extensive review of the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence's IRS tax records--which indicate the coalition probably never met the legal standard as a charitable organization.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Twenty-five of the nation's leading gun rights activists wrote Congress to oppose the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor as an associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

The ongoing confirmation hearings considering the fitness of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor to join the nation's highest court have generated a lot of commentary related to constitutional issues that gun-owners care about. Here's a sampling of law-profession comments about her judicial record as it relates to 2nd Amendment, 1st Amendment, and 4th Amendment issues:

Former U.S. Representative Bob Barr wrote a chilling item in the Atlanta Journal Constitution recently. He said, 'The secret government ‘Terrorist Watch List,’ reportedly already swelled to more than 1.1 million names, will have an addendum, if gun control advocates in Congress have their way. This new addendum‚ also to be cloaked in secrecy‚ would empower the U.S. Attorney General to deny a person the ability to exercise their Second Amendment rights to purchase a firearm. 'While it is not surprising that some members of Congress are again using fear of terrorism to implement a gun-control agenda, the openly unconstitutional legislative language proponents are employing is troubling.

Former U.S. Representative Bob Barr wrote a chilling item in the Atlanta Journal Constitution recently. He said, 'The secret government ‘Terrorist Watch List,’ reportedly already swelled to more than 1.1 million names, will have an addendum, if gun control advocates in Congress have their way. This new addendum‚ also to be cloaked in secrecy‚ would empower the U.S. Attorney General to deny a person the ability to exercise their Second Amendment rights to purchase a firearm. 'While it is not surprising that some members of Congress are again using fear of terrorism to implement a gun-control agenda, the openly unconstitutional legislative language proponents are employing is troubling.

Regarding your response to John Lamkin’s letter, your decision to include a 'Value Guide' sidebar… Bravo. The sidebar was executed perfectly with the name, issue, grade, and comments. I pulled out my past issues and was able to really expedite my buying decision. Keep it up, and please try to add more than just one an issue. The Value Guides increase the value of the magazine exponentially.