Published at TechCentralStation.com

October 6, 2004

by John R. Lott Jr.

During the Vice Presidential debate, Senator John Edwards asked how Vice President Dick Cheney could possibly oppose laws such as one preventing "plastic" guns that can avoid metal detectors. The bill in question was written and supported by the NRA and supported by gun control groups. Senator Edwards implied that only someone far outside the mainstream could vote "no," and Edwards obviously wanted to use this vote to question Cheney's seriousness in dealing with terrorism.

Dick Cheney was one of only a handful of congressmen who voted against the bill when it came up in 1986. Yet, it was bad law. The law provided placebo cures for imaginary ills.

The hysteria over "plastic guns" arose in the mid-1980s when the Austrian company Glock began exporting pistols to the United States. Labeled as "terrorist specials" by the press, fear spread that their plastic frame and grip would make them invisible to metal detectors. Rarely mentioned was that Glocks still had over a pound of metal. Anyone who has ever been through a metal detector at an airport should understand how silly this fear was.

Click on the "Read More..." link below for more.

October 7, 2004
Willoughby News-Herald

by Jeffrey Frischkorn

Concealed carry advocates believe few problems remain

With a number of the start-up bugs stomped flat, authorities responsible for issuing concealed carry permits say they believe the process is running smoothly.
However, concealed carry advocates believe a few problems remain six months into the process.

"We believe the process is going very smoothly even though there were bumps in the road in the beginning," said Bob Cornwell, executive director of the Buckeye Sheriffs' Association, the professional association comprised of the state's 88 sheriffs.

Daniel A. Dunlap, Lake County sheriff, said his agency debated the best way to serve prospective permit holders.

"What we wanted to do was avoid the long lines for applicants," Dunlap said. "People have been polite and reasonable about the experience, and the customers, if you will, have been satisfied with the process."

In Lake County, permits are being processed in as few as one or two business days, Dunlap said.

"One thing is the demand has been less than what we expected, though I did hear that many people went to adjacent counties to get their permits," Dunlap said.

Click on the "Read More..." link below for more.

Does anyone believe terrorists will be deterred by Federal and state-mandated school "safety" zones, which disarm teachers and parents who have concealed carry licenses?

October 7, 2004
ABCNews.com

Schools in six states in particular are being watched closely based on information uncovered by the U.S. military in Baghdad this summer, law enforcement and education officials told ABC News.

A man described as an Iraqi insurgent involved in anti-coalition activities had downloaded school floor plans and safety and security information about elementary and high schools in the six states, according to officials.

School officials in Fort Myers, Fla.; Salem, Ore.; Gray, Ga.; Birch Run, Mich.; two towns in New Jersey; and two towns in California have been told to increase security in light of the discovery.

Law enforcement officials say information on both elementary schools and high schools was included on the insurgent's disc, and that some of the schools involved were under construction this summer.

The ongoing construction was of particular interest to law enforcement officials. The terrorists who attacked the school in Beslan, Russia — where nearly 340 people were killed, many of them children — are thought to have hidden weapons in that school while it was under construction this summer.

Click here for the complete story from ABC News.

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