By Chad D. Baus

Barack Obama had not yet locked up the nomination for his party when he revealed his true feelings about gun owners to attendees of a private fund raiser in San Francisco last April:

“You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing’s replaced them,” Obama said. “And they fell through the Clinton Administration, and the Bush Administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”

The 'bitter clingers' comment continues to resonate, with John McCain regularly citing Obama's snide remarks on the campaign trail, and the NRA using the phrase in campaign materials.

Last week, an Obama supporter and U.S. Congressman from Florida took the stereo-typing of gun owners to a whole new level.

To Rep. Alcee Hastings, Democrat-FL, gun owners and hunters aren't just 'bitter clingers'. To Rep. Alcee Hastings, Democrat-FL, we are racist anti-Semites.

By Jim Irvine

I just finished a family vacation traveling through and spending time in several states including West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania. It is interesting what is legal or illegal as you travel across state lines.

I have concealed carry licenses from Ohio and Florida which allowed me to carry in each mentioned state, except Maryland. It is important to follow the laws of the state you are in, not where your license was issued. For researching state laws I used “The Traveler’s guide to firearms laws in 50 states” and www.handgunlaw.us as well as information from states Attorney General or State Police web sites.

Traveling through West Virginia is simple since signing a reciprocity agreement with them last year. There are no serious restrictions in cars, and very few victim zones where one can't carry their gun.

North Carolina restricts carry in several places Ohio does not, including all school property (including parking lots owned by a college) events where admission is charged and public events including parades and funeral processions. I was in North Carolina for the anniversary of September 11 and the events of that day are quite personal to me. But the restriction kept me from attending any memorial service. Carry in churches and religious sanctuary is permitted.