Congress rejects proposed victim disarmament laws: "Five gun control measures, including one that would have banned gun sales to persons suspected of having links to terrorist groups, have been rejected by the powerful House Rules Committee, leaving their sponsor scratching her head over Congress' homeland security priorities. 'We're checking the shoes of 80-year-old grandmothers, but right now if you're on the no-fly list, you can still buy a gun,' said Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), who had sponsored the gun control measure as an amendment to the 2006 Homeland Security funding bill. Another of McCarthy's proposed amendments, a measure banning gun sales to persons convicted of felonies in foreign countries, was also rejected by the Rules Committee, thus preventing the amendments from being considered by the full House. ... Rep. McCarthy's other failed gun control amendments to the homeland security bill included closing the so-called 'gun-show loophole,' and reinstating the federal ban on assault weapons."


New York: Victim disarmers take aim at "sniper rifles": "The manufacturer of a .50-caliber sniper rifle boasts that it can bring down an airplane with a single shot, and that's just one of the things about it that worries local lawmakers. 'There is no reason to have this [sniper rifle] in a civil society -- in our society,' said Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola), who compared the rifle to a Humvee, saying that it is 'the best of the best' in terms of sniper rifles. She and other Democratic lawmakers are hoping to outlaw the rifle with a proposed state law called the Anti-Terrorism and Aviation Act. They say the gun could also be used to wreak havoc on chemical plants or oil storage facilities."


Minnesota: Pawlenty signs gun permit bill: "Gov. Tim Pawlenty on Tuesday signed a bill that allows easier statewide access to handgun permits. The law, which restores an identical 2003 measure that was struck down by the courts, takes effect immediately. The so-called conceal-carry law allows law-abiding people over the age of 21, to get a gun permit as long as they have a clean record, no mental illness and proper safety training. Several state courts struck down the 2003 law, citing the unusual procedure by which it was passed in the Legislature. Lawmakers moved quickly this year to re-pass it in a way that would pass muster in the courts."