Last month, the Indiana General Assembly adjourned after passing two bills of importance to gun owners and sportsmen.  The following bills were recently signed into law by Governor Mike Pence (R):

Last month, the Indiana General Assembly adjourned after passing two bills of importance to gun owners and sportsmen.  The following bills were recently signed into law by Governor Mike Pence (R):

If right-to-carry concealed carry laws are deemed so dangerous by gun control proponents, letting anyone who is not a criminal carry a gun with no other regulations should be really bad, right?  Well, on June 9th, if Illinois hasn't adopted a concealed handgun law by that point in time, it will be legal to carry a concealed handgun in Union county and probably effectively in the rest of the state.  The problem for gun control advocates is the same as it is each time that states pass right-to-carry laws: they have made predictions about impending disaster that never occur.  In this case the damage could be worse since the claims of doom have been particularly loud and the change in laws in Illinois could be particularly extreme with all regulations ended on June 9th.

Press goes after Acting IRS Commissioner



Acting Commissioner: "We will talk on Friday."

Elijah Cummings on IRS: Laws 'probably broken' 'this is one of the most alarming things that I have ever seen'

AP exec editor: Never 'seen anything like this'



AP exec editor: "I have been in this business more than 30 years, and our first amendment lawyers and our lawyers inside the AP, and our CEO a well known first amendment lawyer, none of us have ever seen anything like this."

A trio of home invaders entered a house in Houston, Texas, forced the homeowner’s son into a closet and ransacked the house. While the criminals were searching for valuables, the son left the closet, retrieved a gun and fired on the intruders, striking one in the leg and neck and causing all to flee. The wounded criminal only made it to a nearby home before collapsing, at which point neighbor Craig Gaddis discovered him and called the police. Following the incident, Gaddis showed support for the young man who was forced to defend himself, telling local media “The owner, thank God for rights, he shot one of ‘em.” Gaddis also addressed the criminal adding, “He got what he deserved… You want to come over here and rob houses? Those of us who carry guns in our houses, they are there for one reason – to keep you people out.” 

A gun-control bill calling for background checks at gun shows has been temporarily set aside.The bill scheduled for debate Tuesday was tabled and could be taken up again as soon as Wednesday. It would require that a national instant criminal background check be performed prior to the sale or transfer of a firearm at a gun show. The bill would require gun show operators to post signs at gun shows to notify exhibitors of the background check requirement. Failure to perform a background check could result in a $2,500 fine, not $10,000 as initially proposed.

The House passed House Bill 972 from Allen Fletcher, R-Tomball, which would allow concealed carry unless the university opts out every year after talking with students, faculty and staff. The bill then went to the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, where it passed 4-2.

My newest piece at National Review starts this way:

Should you ask your neighbors if they own a gun before your child plays at their house? And what do you do if they say yes?After the tragic accidental death this month of a two-year-old Kentucky girl who had been shot by her five-year-old brother, the answer may seem obvious: Do not let your child play at a gun owner’s home, at least if you are not sure he is locking up his guns. . . .

Just when you thought that the IRS scandal couldn't get any worse, this comes up.  Confidential information on the conservative groups that the IRS was hassling were given to Liberal organizations.  From the Daily Caller:

The division of the Internal Revenue Service that improperly scrutinized the tax-exempt status of conservative groups sent confidential information on 31 conservative groups to the well-funded liberal nonprofit journalism organization ProPublica, according to a revelation made by ProPublica Monday.
“The same IRS office that deliberately targeted conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status in the run-up to the 2012 election released nine pending confidential applications of conservative groups to ProPublica late last year,” according to the ProPublica report.
“In response to a request for the applications for 67 different nonprofits last November, the Cincinnati office of the IRS sent ProPublica applications or documentation for 31 groups. Nine of those applications had not yet been approved — meaning they were not supposed to be made public. (We madesix of those public, after redacting their financial information, deeming that they were newsworthy.),” according to ProPublica. . . .

Today, an amended version of House Bill 533 passed in the Missouri Senate by a 26-7 vote. Sponsored by state Representative Jeanie Riddle (R-49) and state Senator Brian Munzlinger (R-18), HB 533 would protect the right of a state employee to store a firearm in his or her private vehicle on state property as long as the vehicle is locked and the firearm is not visible.  HB 533 will now return to the state House for a concurrence vote.  Please contact your state Representative TODAY and urge him or her to vote to concur with the Senate amendments to this critical pro-gun reform.

At the end of last year Texas had 584,850 permit holders.  Reducing the number of training hours to obtain or renew a permit from 10 hours to 4 to 6 hours will dramatically increase the number of permit holders (a copy of the bill is here).  The exact increase in permits depends on how the final regulations on training are drafted, but it could increase the number of permits to over 750,000.  Reducing the number of hours will reduce the cost of permits, and that will increase both the number of permit holders but also the share of permits held by poorer individuals.  The $140 fee for permits will still make Texas' permits among the most expensive in the country. Texas is still relatively unique in requiring retraining for renewal -- eliminating that would have a dramatic effect on the number of permits.

Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com
Another concealed carry permit holder who uses a concealed handgun permit to stop criminal (video link here).  Oregon had about 5% of its adult population with permits in early 2011, though I suspect that it has increased substantially since then.

Is this specialization of labor one of the reasons that humans outcompeted Neanderthals?  The WSJ has this:

. . . In all hunter-gatherer societies there is a sharp difference between the foraging strategies of the two sexes. Men generally travel far in search of mobile prey that they need to bring down with well-aimed projectiles. Women generally go out in groups and search for good sources of roots, ripe berries or nuts, which they use their acute powers of observation to spot and collect. . . .
This sexual division of labor over foraging is not only far more marked in people than in most other animals (it was, arguably, the first "gain from trade" we stumbled upon, benefitting both sides), but it may be a relatively recent feature of our evolutionary history, invented in Africa just 150,000 to 300,000 years ago. Some archaeologists have concluded that Neanderthals did not practice it: that female Neanderthals were co-operative hunters with men, not gatherers. . . .

Yesterday, the House Judiciary Subcommittee B reported an amended version of House Bill 714.  This NRA-supported legislation, sponsored by state Representative Jacqueline Schaffer (R-105), seeks to eliminate the option of destroying lawful firearms that are in safe working condition that have been seized or otherwise recovered by law enforcement.

Why would a prosecutor think that it is reasonable to hide Trayvon Martin's drug use and violent history from the trial?  Violent criminal history is one thing, but what can you say to justify excluding drug use or texting at the time of the attack?  The texting surely goes directly to Trayvon's state of mind.  From WKMG Orlando, Florida:
. . . The state said in motions filed on Friday they want to prevent Zimmerman's attorneys from bringing up Martin's personal life, including his school records, previous suspension from school, fights, text messages sent prior to his death unless related to case and his social media use.
The motion also says the state wants to prevent the defense from using Martin's toxicology report, which showed the level of marijuana in Martin's blood the night he was shot and killed.
The state's filings suggest they fear the defense may try to attack Martin's character, instead of focusing on whether Zimmerman murdered Martin. Assistant prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda argued that Martin's past is irrelevant and would clearly be designed only to prejudice the jury. . . .

Nikki Goeser, the winner of the last Sybil Ludington Women’s Freedom Award, has a dramatic new book.  From the description:
“For Nikki Goeser it was a day like any other ... with one exception. Her husband, Ben, had only 16 hours to live. On that fateful day in Tennessee, the man she loved would be murdered by a beast who was stalking her. In compliance with state law Nikki had left her legal firearm locked in the car. With the help of legislatively created pistol free zones, one evil man gunned down Nikki’s husband as she was forced to look on, alone, defenseless and disarmed by an ill-conceived law designed to save her. Read this inspiring story of courage through remorse, as one woman struggles to seek justice for the man she loves. Follow Nikki Goeser as she fights to ensure that others are never held victim to the same terrible fate.”The paperback version is available here and the Kindle version here.

Some information from the Canton Daily Ledger
Q: What happens if no law is enacted by June 9?A: Gun-rights advocates use the term “constitutional carry” to describe a state in which, with an obsolete, discredited law on the books, Illinoisans could carry any type of weapon anywhere, at any time, concealed or not.Technically, only those defendants directly affected by the 7th Circuit’s ruling — the attorney general and Union County law enforcement officials — would be prevented from enforcing the law. But it’s likely anyone arrested for illegal weapons possession would have a strong case for having a conviction tossed out based on the 7th Circuit’s ruling.Phelps wants to avoid that scenario.“A lot of gun owners don’t want a lot of restrictions so they want to go off the cliff,” Phelps said. “I’m worried about that because of the uncertainty that it brings.” . . .

State police have charged a 31-year-old Dutchess County driver with a misdemeanor after he was pulled over and found with two more bullets in his handgun magazine than allowed under New York's new gun control law. Gregory Dean Jr. of Hopewell Junction was stopped for an inadequate light on his license plate about 9:45 p.m. Sunday in New Lebanon, troopers said. Police said their investigation showed the semi-automatic on the passenger seat was a legally possessed, but its magazine contained nine rounds, not seven as required since April 15.