In Virginia, two leading federal officials
have taken opposite positions
on congressional efforts to repeal the
draconian anti-gun laws in the District
of Columbia, notes Peter Hardin, of
the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Sen.
George Allen is a leading cosponsor
of the proposed District of Columbia
Personal Protection Act but Rep.
Thomas M. Davis III opposes it. Allen,
a potential Republican presidential
candidate in 2008, says, “D.C. is
not a state. It’s under the legal purview
of Congress. It’s time to give
law-abiding citizens of the Capital
their constitutional right to protect
themselves again. People ought to
be able to protect themselves and
their families in their homes.†Davis,
Chairman of the House Government
Reform Committee, says, “I personally
believe that federal legislation
seeking to overturn D.C.’s gun laws
is an unnecessary and potentially
dangerous assault on home rule.â€
In Seguin, Texas, a burglar terrorized
a mother home alone with her
two young children until she fought
back – with a gun. When Jennifer
Cooper, whose husband was out,
heard the intruder, she said she “got
up as quickly as I could, locked my
door and then someone was trying
to get in. I just told the boys, ‘I’m
going to get the gun. Hopefully, he’s
going to leave or I’ll have to shoot
him.’†Cooper and her children
hid in a bedroom while the intruder
roamed through her house for more
than two hours. That was when she
had enough, reported WOAI.com.
“I was not able to talk him away, so
I just shot the gun,†Cooper said.
“I warned him.†The bullet went
through the door and landed in the
ceiling. The intruder finally left.
In Texas, Gov. Rick Perry signed
legislation aimed at clarifying existing
firearm laws, enhancing protections
for law-abiding gun owners and
reducing barriers for gun ownership.
“The right to keep and bear arms
is a fundamental right of every lawabiding
citizen of our country,†Gov.
Perry said. The bills include measures
to extend the renewal period
for a concealed handgun license
from four to five years without an
increase in renewal fee; to reduce
all fees for a concealed handgun
license for military members and
veterans by 50 percent and lower
the age from 21 to 18 for members
of the military or veterans to obtain
a concealed handgun license; and
to exempt military members and veterans
from taking the range portion
of the concealed handgun licensing
process if they had been firearms
certified in the military within the
past five years prior to application
for the license.
