Va: Victim turns gun on burglary suspects: "A strange twist in a Virginia Beach shooting investigation Friday. Police tell WAVY.com a burglary victim grabbed one of the suspects' guns and used it to fire at them. Bernstein described how it all unfolded,"We have a gentleman who was home alone in his house. He sees people outside and doesn't recognize them. They then force entry into his house. He begins to fight with them. We have four guys at least. Two were armed. During the fight, the homeowner gets shot at, but he was not struck. He was able to obtain one of the guns from one of the suspects. He begins to shoot at the suspects. All the suspects flee the house. One of the suspects was shot. He collapsed about 100-150 yards away from the initial scene. He has been taken to the hospital, but he is in police custody for being a burglary suspect. We are still out here looking for three other suspects involved in this."


Seattle mayor, gun activists in stalemate: "At least eight innocuous signs posted around the Seattle Center over the Memorial Day weekend during the Folklife Festival declared “No firearms allowed at this event or on these premises.” The signs had no force of law, there was no authority cited, and there are anecdotal reports from some in the gun rights community that armed citizens simply ignored those signs, kept their pistols tucked under cover garments, vests or loose shirts, and contrary to what anti-gun Mayor Greg Nickels would have had everyone believe would happen, nobody got hurt. For months, the mayor had been blustering and threatening and promising that he would issue an “executive order” banning firearms from all city property, including those carried legally by private citizens. For just as long, the Second Amendment Foundation in Bellevue, its sister organization, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and the National Rifle Association, have been waiting. Those groups are ready to hit Nickels with a lawsuit and he knows it.... according to Attorney General Rob McKenna’s office, Mayor Nickels does not have the authority to declare such a ban. That authority rests solely with the state legislature, under Washington’s model preemption statute. It might also be in direct violation of the State Constitution."


National parks are dangerous places: "Wow! Even if park crimes only happen when the gates are open eight hours a day, we’re still looking at a crime rate DOUBLE the national average. Surprised? I was, but after looking at the facts there’s no surprise. Many NPS units are urban in nature, not pristine wilderness. Parks in and of themselves are not crime-free … New York’s Central Park comes to mind. And now, so does Yellowstone. We’ve heard about “guns in parks” for months now. Yet it turns out the first discussion of actual crime data I recall seeing in “mainstream” print was nearly made worthless by spin from a “player” seeking to minimize a clearly-valid, not “specious,” question about park crime. Even worse, our player is a former public servant supposedly representing “good guy” rangers. Worst, no reporter has called the bluff."


Minnesota: City to allow more people to legally carry or shoot guns: Police Chief Jim Way said he has drafted changes at the request of City Council members who thought it was too restrictive. Way expects the council to approve the changes, which were discussed at a work session this week, by July. "We are trying to allow a little more hunting in Ramsey if people choose to," said Mayor Bob Ramsey, who initially raised concerns about the ordinance in a council strategic planning session. "We are allowing people, within reason, to be able to hunt and target shoot safely in the city. ...We wanted to make perfectly clear what is allowed or not allowed." He said residents in the northern part of Ramsey have large lots, such as his 11.5-acre property, where target shooting and some hunting can be done. A proposed new section on target shooting would "let people like me do some recreational shooting and set up a private range," Ramsey said. "If my wife and I want to go out and shoot, we can make a berm and the chief will decide if it's safe enough for a permit." The old ordinance prohibited anyone but police officers or hunters using shotguns with light shot to fire guns in the city. The proposed revisions reflect changes in state law that allow handgun possession by law-abiding citizens who obtain a state gun permit, Way said. Anyone discharging a firearm also would need a city permit issued by the police chief, he said."