This from the AP:

The Senate on Wednesday rejected letting people carry hidden guns in 48 states if they have a concealed weapon permit in any one of them, a rare victory for gun control advocates in a Democratic-controlled Congress that has been friendly to the gun lobby.

Opponents said it would force states with tough concealed weapon permit restrictions to let in gun carriers from states that give permits to convicted criminals, minors and people with no firearms training.

"It’s extremely dangerous policy," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., noting that her state demands fingerprinting, federal background checks, a course of training, and verification by a local sheriff before issuing a permit to carry a concealed gun.

As as the proud holder of a concealed carry permit here in Texas, I don’t think it’s “dangerous” for me to carry my concealed gun into other states that also allow concealed carry.

This bill would have made a conceal carry permit in one state valid in other states with conceal carry laws.

I think it’s funny if the left considers the defeat of this bill some kind of great victory for them — it only failed by two votes.

According to AmmoLand.com, Americans bought enough firearms in 3 months to outfit the entire Chinese and Indian Army combined. Moreover, Americans bought more than 1.5 billion rounds of ammunition in the month of December alone.

Whenever I think all might be lost for this country, I read statistics like that and I know we’ll be fine. Americans are smart to buy as much firepower as they can, because contrary to his rhetoric Barack Obama is the most anti-gun president we’ve ever had.

(hat tip Free Republic)

The Supreme Court struck down Washington D.C.’s ban on handguns as unconstitutional. Justice Scalia wrote the majority opinion saying in part that an outright ban on handguns is incompatible with the second amendement.

Writing for the majority, Justice Antonin Scalia said that an individual right to bear arms is supported by “the historical narrative” both before and after the Second Amendment was adopted.

The Constitution does not permit “the absolute prohibition of handguns held and used for self-defense in the home,” Scalia said. The court also struck down Washington’s requirement that firearms be equipped with trigger locks or kept disassembled, but left intact the licensing of guns.

Scalia noted that the handgun is Americans’ preferred weapon of self-defense in part because “it can be pointed at a burglar with one hand while the other hand dials the police.”

This was absolutely the right decision. There are few rights as fundamental to being an American as our right to keep and bear arms.

Unless you are a felon or mentally disabled in some way, the State can no longer prevent the ownership of handguns. Washington D.C. has had the strictest gun laws in the country with an outright ban on handgun ownership. Ironically, Washington D.C. is also home to the worst gun violence in America.

No state official yet has explained how the only place in America with an outright handgun ban has some of the worst handgun violence. The idea that no one will have a gun because it’s against the law is comical.

Criminals will continue to own firearms with or without gun laws, the only question is whether or not law abiding citizens will be able to protect themselves from gun toting criminals.

The Supreme Court has rightly concluded that Americans have a right under the Constitution to do just that.

-Chris Jones