Viewpoints

ORLANDO, Fla. — Two days before the 2009 SHOT Show is to open, a major urban newspaper, the Orlando Sentinel, took the side of self-defense by gun owners in an editorial.

By John R. Lott, Jr.Despite a huge Democratic Senate majority, Eric Holder's confirmation hearings are going to be difficult. He has a long record to defend. Whether it is his involvement and inconsistent statements about Bill Clinton's pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich or his pushing Clinton's clemency of the FALN terrorists or his failure to disclose his work for troubled Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich after Blagojevich's legal problems surfaced, he faces tough questions.

By a large majority, hunters and shooters feel that the coming changes in Washington D.C. will make it more difficult for them to purchase firearms, according to a recent poll.

The NRA is expected to drop the City and County of San Francisco as a named party in the lawsuit, and there are reports of a settlement with the Housing Authority itself that may moot out the suit.

A federal appeals court panel has ruled that a defamation case brought by gun store owners against New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg should proceed in Georgia's Cobb County Superior Court, not federal court.

For the November 2008 'Downrange,' I wrote that I was in '… a grim mood, because I believe I have seen the future, and the future has shown me that Barack Hussein Obama will become the 44th president of the United States.' Alas, that has come to pass. And at least one Gun Tests reader thought it was my fault. In an email addressed to my alter ego, Tim Woddard, former Gun Tests reader Paul Peterson of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, wrote: 'I personally was appalled at the defeatist attitude you took in this month’s [November 2008] editorial. This election is too important for all gun owners to have a gun publication roll over and give the election to the Senator from Illinois.… [Y]ou are the ONLY publication who is doing anything other than urging their readers to vote AGAINST the Senator from Illinois.… After reading your editorial, I can no longer subscribe to your magazine in good conscience. Please cancel my subscription.'

Your experience of having the Taurus gun 'lock up' or 'freeze' sounded very familiar. My Taurus Tracker in .44 Mag did the very same thing after I fired about 20 rounds and the firearm became warm. It was completely locked up. Two days later, cold to the touch again, it functioned properly. So far, Taurus has not responded to my letter asking for advice. Needless to say, our mutual experiences with this company’s products suggest strongly they are not reliable and could get you killed in an armed confrontation.

Your experience of having the Taurus gun 'lock up' or 'freeze' sounded very familiar. My Taurus Tracker in .44 Mag did the very same thing after I fired about 20 rounds and the firearm became warm. It was completely locked up. Two days later, cold to the touch again, it functioned properly. So far, Taurus has not responded to my letter asking for advice. Needless to say, our mutual experiences with this company’s products suggest strongly they are not reliable and could get you killed in an armed confrontation.

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence today filed suit in federal court asking that the court strike down a last-minute Bush Administration rule change allowing concealed, loaded firearms in national parks and wildlife refuges. The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and seeks an injunction to block the rule, which is scheduled to go into effect on January 9, 2009.

After pledging his support for the Second Amendment during the campaign, President-elect Barack Obama appoints devout gun-ban supporter Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff.

News of a man dressing up in a Santa suit and murdering nine people in Los Angeles on Christmas Eve dominated cable news headlines for days after the event. News reports suggest Bruce Pardo took as many as four handguns and a homemade flame-thrower to the home of his ex-wife's parents, where at least 25 people were enjoying a Christmas Eve party. Pardo shot at partygoers and burned down the house, murdering at least nine people before committing suicide hours later.

This year has been busy for GunReports.com. From our initial startup in the middle of April through the recent elections, we’ve produced hundreds of gun-related stories about law, regulations, and politics that inform the site’s members.