Gunpundit has an instructional post on the difference between fully- and semi-automatic firearms. The presenter is a California cop--maybe his law enforcement credentials will give him extra sway with the non-shooting public. I certainly like the fact that he pulls no punches with the press.

--John Snow

Even if you don't have a few free minutes, make time to read Brian Doherty's history of the Heller case. It gives a quick run-down of how the case came to be and the numerous near-misses it had along the way.

Particularly interesting is how the NRA played an obstructionist role in an effort to block Heller in the early stages out of fear that the time wasn't right for a Second Amendment challenge.

Concluding, Doherty says:

An excellent piece.

—John Snow

It's not exactly a call to arms, but it certainly is the next best thing. Everyone is being asked to purchase 100 rounds of ammunition this week (or if you're a reloader the equivalent). Helpfully, you don't have to get all your ammo at once: any purchase made this week "counts."

More importantly, if you cannot purchase ammo in your area, the site urges you to contact your local representative and complain.

—John Snow

Gun owners and Second Amendment-rights watchers: here’s a great idea that we’d love to see catch on with state lawmakers across the country.

As a result of legislation passed this summer, South Carolina will have its first-ever Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday on the two days after Thanksgiving this year.

The Palmetto State’s 48-hour reprieve from imposing its 6-percent state sales tax on firearms will begin at 12:01 a.m. on Nov. 28 and continue through 11:59 p.m. Nov. 29. The Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday will apply to the purchase of “fixed-cartridge handguns, shotguns and rifles.”

So-called sales tax holiday bills are nothing new for state legislatures. In 2008, a total of 13 states either reduced or eliminated sales tax on the purchase of back-to-school clothing and supplies during the final weeks of August.

But South Carolina proudly stands alone with its ambitious temporary removal of the state’s sales tax on guns.

And it didn’t come easily, either.

In fact, the South Carolina House and Senate had to override Republican Gov. Mark Sanford’s initial veto of S1143 to finally pass the “Second Amendment Recognition Act” in late June.

The bill was introduced by State Representative Mike Pitts, a pro-gun stalwart and recipient of the NRA’s Rick Daniel Memorial Defender of Freedom Award.

Supporters hope the tax break will translate into increased sales for gun shops and sporting goods stores, coming as it does during what are traditionally two of the biggest shopping days of the calendar year.

The South Carolina Department of Revenue clarified that sales of items such as ammunition, black powder, holsters, archery supplies, antique guns and collectible guns will continue have state sales tax applied during the two-day period. In addition, the South Carolina tax holiday does not affect federal excise tax, which is imposed on all firearms and ammunition under the Pittman-Robertson Act.

—J.R. Absher

Double-digit increases in gun sales in New Mexico. Will the "good" times continue? Depends on who is slated to occupy the White House come January:

“If (Sen. John) McCain wins I probably won’t see it. If (Sen. Barack) Obama wins I’m looking for a sellout,” he said.

More good news for the gun industry for the wrong reasons.

—John Snow

The Delaware State Police have been caught breaking the rules regarding gun purchase records. This came to light after the police refused to authorize the purchase of a firearm by a woman because of her age, gender and the fact that she hadn’t purchased a gun ever before.

Never mind that a person’s age and gender are not valid reasons to deny a purchase—the fact that the police have apparently been keeping a database of gun purchase records illegally has many gun-rights advocates up in arms.

According the article, Delaware’s database goes back at least seven years.

This image from The Post provides some extra background on the story. I'm guessing the reason that De Niro and Keitel are listed as also having a "premise" permit is that they have more than one firearm and aren't allowed to carry that other firearm for personal protection.

When I had my "target" permit while living in upstate New York I had to list the serial number of every handgun on the license. Those were the only firearms I was legally permitted to handle. So if a pal of mine and I owned identical guns it would technically be against the law for use to shoot the other's pistol, just because the serial numbers were different. Smart, eh?

I pushed our local cops on this issue and asked if it was against the law for my wife to use my gun in the event that an intruder came into the house while she was home alone. They hemmed and hawed and I never got a straight answer because, I suspect anyway, that by the strict letter of the law she wasn't allowed to touch it.Again, brilliant.

But this goes hand in hand with the attitude that a barrel shroud or a pistol grip is what makes a gun an evil object that should be prohibited.

—John Snow

Some of us own handguns for protection. Others like to hunt with them. Still others enjoy participating in shooting competitions.

But if you’re Martha Stewart’s daughter, Alexis, you own a pistol in order to shoot your dogs in the head:

This is from a story in the New York Post on celebrities in New York who pack heat or who have gotten permits to keep handguns in their homes. The latest to join the ranks of celebrity gun owners are New York Mets David Wright and Carlos Delgado.

The famous-folks-with-guns is one of those stories in New York that crops up every few months. It highlights the well-known fact that celebrities have an easier time getting approved for permits in places like New York and Los Angeles than the rest of us, who either face additional red tape or are denied the right to have a firearm.

As much as I question Stewart’s motives for arming herself, it makes me wonder if the NYPD is relaxing its notoriously strict requirements for gun ownership in the Big Apple. After all, if the desire to whack your dogs is justification enough to have a gun in the home, what would the police say to someone who wanted to carry a handgun in order to protect and save their life?

—John Snow

Update: Ahab's take.

Update: Murdoc sums it up rather nicely:

Hello Kitty guns: Bad.
Goodbye Doggy guns: Good.

An odd question I know, but I had to ask. On the heels of our much-discussed post on gun owners and the Second Amendment, which is a call to unity for all firearms owners, I came across several comments in the far reaches of the Internet that question the NRA’s loyalty to the cause of gun rights.

Mostly, the arguments go something like this: Various people who are or were associated with the NRA hierarchy have made statements at some point that are either critical of certain kinds of guns or have revealed themselves to be hopelessly hunter-centric, as opposed to supporters of shooters in general. Therefore, the NRA is a hunter (or “Fudd” as some of these player-haters like to call it) organization that’s not worthy of support by true gun owners.

In particular, a lot of attention is given to some quotes by Charlton Heston from a 1997 interview where he said that, “AK-47's are inappropriate for private ownership, of course.” Heston was First Vice-President of the NRA at the time.

Pennsylvania resident Meleanie Hain is fighting to get her concealed-carry permit back.

This from the Lebanon Daily News:

On Sept. 11, Hain created a stir among other parents when she wore her weapon — a loaded Glock 26, about the size of an adult hand — in a holster to her 5-year-old daughter’s soccer game at Optimist Park in Lebanon, also known as Southwest Park.

Although she did not break a law by carrying the weapon openly, she is now facing the loss of her concealed-weapons permit. But she is not giving up without a fight.

“I’m just a soccer mom who has always openly carried (a firearm), and I’ve never had a problem before,” she said. “I don’t understand why this is happening to me.”

Dustin has an in-depth round-up.

—John Snow