ILLINOIS STOUSH

Is "stoush" understood in America or is it just Australian slang? At its most literal, it means a punchup, a fight

As the gun lobby flooded the Statehouse with supporters Wednesday, a major showdown began shaping up in the House between members who back Mayor Richard Daley's anti-gun package and those who want to loosen weapons restrictions already on the books. Gun-rights supporters flexed their muscle by winning approval in a House committee packed with Downstate lawmakers for a series of pro-gun measures, including bills aimed at watering down Chicago's ban on handguns.

Meanwhile, anti-gun lawmakers on Thursday are queued up to move their own proposals--including measures to limit handgun purchases and ban many assault weapons--through a committee more sympathetic to their position.

That sets the stage for a major confrontation over gun control in the full House in the coming weeks that will pit urban and Downstate lawmakers against each other. It also could pressure Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich to take sides in a politically sensitive battle of which he has tried to steer clear. "Basically, it's going to be a bare-knuckled fistfight on the floor," said Todd Vandermyde, a lobbyist for the National Rifle Association.

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India: This ace shooter aiming high: "Ameeta Rani, a participant at the Kila Raipur Games, is not somebody you are likely to miss in a crowd. An avid shooter, Ameeta is pursuing the sport even after recently getting married. Sporting a bright red chura, Anita beat her rivals to come out tops in two of the three shooting events. Sports experts opine that if her talent and skill are nurtured, Punjab too can boast of a sportswoman of high ranking. And what does this young sportswoman wish for? 'Bull's Eye, a rifle, loads of targets and please, please, just one good shooting range.' The 23-year-old shooter won a bronze at the National Shooting Championship at Chennai last year. She has dreams aplenty, but what upsets her is the lack of a world-class shooting range in the state, no rifles and no sponsors either."


The Brady Law doesn't apply to Mrs. Brady?: "In the end, Mrs. Brady can get away with all this, because she knows full well that she will never be prosecuted for breaking her own namesake law. She knows full well that she will be held to different standard than rest of the common herd. In this case, she appears to be right too. However, it begs this question: if Sarah Brady, Sen. Feinstein, Rosie O�Donnell, and all the other hypocrites out there hate guns so much then why would they wish to possess them?"