Go time:

The U.S. Supreme Court said on Tuesday it would decide whether handguns can be banned in the nation’s capital, a case that could produce its first ruling in nearly 70 years on the right of Americans to bear arms.

The nation’s highest court agreed to hear an appeal by officials from the District of Columbia government arguing that the city’s 31-year-old law banning private possession of handguns should be upheld as constitutional.

The justices said they would review a precedent-setting ruling by a U.S. appeals court that broadly interpreted an individual’s constitutional right under the Second Amendment to bear arms and struck down the city’s law for violating those rights. (Reporting by James Vicini, Editing by David Alexander)

I told you.

Update: from the order at Scotusblog:

Whether the following provisions — D.C. Code secs. 7-2502.02(a)(4), 22-4504(a), and 7-2507.02 — violate the Second Amendment rights of individuals who are not affiliated with any state-regulated militia, but who wish to keep handguns and other firearms for private use in their homes?

A little history was made last night as the Knox County Commission passed on first reading the Recall Amendment. What makes this unusual is that Charter Amendments are done either by County Commission or by a Charter Review Committee.

But this amendment to the County Charter was actually started by a group of Knox County citizens. The idea began in the comment section of the Knoxville News Sentinel. The comments section had only been in the Internet version of the News Sentinel for a few months. While not exactly a blog, people began to use it as a blog having long discussions about matters concerning local government.

Commenter Brian Paone wrote one day he would start a website for the Recall Amendment. He did, and soon an entire group of people including the founders of the Wheel Tax petition were on board. Starting in early October Paone’s group was seen everywhere on local television, the News Sentinel, blogs, and on radio. Commissioners Lumpy Lambert and Mark Harmon co-sponsored a resolution to hear the Recall Amendment in County Commission. County Mayor Mike Ragsdale signed the petition as did Tennessee State Senator Tim Burchett and Representative Bill Dunn.

When approved on second reading the Recall Amendment to the Knox County Charter will be placed on the August 2008 ballot and the people will have a vote. Score one for the citizens. Maybe the Internet will be a valuable tool in keeping local government in check?

Go Army!

You going? Tentative attendees are:

Update: And they keep coming. Michael Bane is in.

You’re too fat and, frankly, our socialized healthcare just can’t bear the weight of it.

Abysmal.

Update: Err, no, the pun was not intentional.

The NFRTR (National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record) is the registry that maintains NFA weapons. So, a guy wants to lawfully buy a machine gun. He finds the gun, plunks down his roughly $15K for an AR and fills out the paperwork. The ATF verifies that the weapon is in the NFRTR and approves. Then, ATF realized that it wasn’t transferable after you dropped your money, did the transfer, and arranged a dealer and all the other hoops you have to go through to get an NFA weapon. Oops. You’re shit out of luck.

Of course, if the NFRTR was accurate and not full of errors, things like this could be avoided. In the past, agents have testified that the NFRTR is inadequate.

When it comes to gun laws, the enthusiast acts at his peril.

On the docket for a conference today. Could be tomorrow.

Over at Red’s Trading Post, there’s a letter from the acting ATF director responding to complaints to the National Ombudsman regarding the ATF shutting down firearms dealers.

His letter addresses that there is no correlation between the dramatic decrease of nearly 150,000 licensees and ATF revocation actions. I don’t think he knows what correlation means as there most definitely is one. He also addresses the Akins.

PA Governor Ed Rendell:

Don’t tell me it’s because our justice system is weak. It’s because there are too many guns out there in the hands of the wrong people, And putting those people in jail is one of the answers, but it is not the only answer.

Dude, it’s because your system is weak. Deal with it. Gun control is what politicians do instead of something.

Another pink AR-15. And a couple of cute pics here and here.

Full-auto, recoilless shotgun firing 300 rounds per minute. Via USC.

We all yammered on a bit back about what if we lose? Well, what if we win?

17 Year-old is one of the country’s best trap shooters.

Aunt B.: And I felt like, with enough practice, I could have gotten good at that and enjoyed it.

And that, folks, is what the anti-gunners fear most: people enjoying the shooting sports.

Good:

A Judge in South Carolina yesterday rejected arguments by NYC lawyers and said that a civil suit against Mayor Michael Blowhard can move forward.

And I love this:

Defendants cite no statutes or case law giving a mayor from the state of New York the power or authority to administer, regulate, or enforce federal law with respect to federal firearms licensees located in South Carolina or to investigate compliance with those laws outside of his own borders

And, of course, Bloomberg’s antics jeopardized other investigations and his investigators broke the law.

Oh, Canada. Looks like Mugwug needs a wheelbarrow just to carry the government forms he’s required to have on him just to transport his firearms to the range.

Greg:

Tell me that legislation can stop this kind of crime, and you’ll be lying. Well placed 00 buckshot, however, will stop this kind of crime.

We must close the restaurant loophole.

Legal issues with the Akins can be seen at past posts here. Now, one of the directors of the company has resigned and cited that the case cannot be won as a reason why.

I suppose all the folks who bought one now have a really overpriced stock on their 10/22.

In Boston:

Boston police are launching a program that will call upon parents in high-crime neighborhoods to allow detectives into their homes, without a warrant, to search for guns in their children’s bedrooms.

The program, which is already raising questions about civil liberties, is based on the premise that parents are so fearful of gun violence and the possibility that their own teenagers will be caught up in it that they will turn to police for help, even in their own households.

In the next two weeks, Boston police officers who are assigned to schools will begin going to homes where they believe teenagers might have guns. The officers will travel in groups of three, dress in plainclothes to avoid attracting negative attention, and ask the teenager’s parent or legal guardian for permission to search. If the parents say no, police said, the officers will leave.

If officers find a gun, police said, they will not charge the teenager with unlawful gun possession, unless the firearm is linked to a shooting or homicide.

Discretion would be used if they found other items or illegal activity.

It made the news. No credit to Kim, though.

Update: Oh, and I scored for ammo day:

1 brick of Federal 22lr

200 rounds of Remington 223

Couple of boxes of WWB 45ACP

Andrew Pridgen of the Nevada Appeal:

With more guns sold and registered per capita than anywhere in the U.S., Nevada is a gun state – always has been.

It also is the gun-death state. According to the Center for Disease Control, since 2000, Nevada has led the nation with an average of 26 gun-related deaths per 100,000 people.

However, no one can seem to get data from the CDC that agrees to those numbers.

Boortz read Marko’s Why The Gun Is Civilization on the air. Unfortunately, he gave credit to someone else.

Bed mounted shotgun rack.

Joe has a look at their objectives:

Practical or Combat shooting or any other shooting practice which involves the simulation of real life situations and/or the use of human shaped targets to be banned.

Difficult to do if you’re not aware of the laws but one way to alleviate the hassle is to buy weapons in state. Now, there’s a website for in state sales of firearms.

Breda takes a young lady shooting.

Aunt B. shot a gun for the first time.

Surface to air missiles for home defense?

Insty looks at reasonable regulation.

Mel has pics from her Ladies Shooting Camp here and here.

WBIR has video on three local women bloggers.

Well, SC sums it up:

Red’s Trading Post and various and sundry gun bloggers and activists are urging everyone to contact the Senate to insist upon a “NO” vote on Micheal Sullivan confirmation as director of BATFE.

David has a how to and instructions.