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By Chad D. Baus

News of a man dressing up in a Santa suit and murdering nine people in Los Angeles on Christmas Eve dominated cable news headlines for days after the event. News reports suggest Bruce Pardo took as many as four handguns and a homemade flame-thrower to the home of his ex-wife's parents, where at least 25 people were enjoying a Christmas Eve party. Pardo shot at partygoers and burned down the house, murdering at least nine people before committing suicide hours later.

Damage from the flames has thus far prevented officials from determining how many of the victims were shot to death, but hasn't stopped the gun ban lobby from attempting to capitalize on the tragedy.

Less than 48 hours after the attack occurred, the Brady Campaign Against Gun Violence issued a press release lamenting the "steady drumbeat of gun deaths and injuries that tears our families and communities apart," and suggesting that our nation's leaders "should do all that is within our power to find solutions to gun violence."

While the Brady press release could be considered somewhat distasteful, the truth is that both sides in the fight over gun rights and crime reduction have and will continue to use these tragedies as teachable moments. In fact, I find myself in agreement with the Brady Campaign President Paul Helmke's statement that "we should not despair and say this kind of violence is inevitable."

Indeed, there is much to be learned from this tragedy, which occurred in a state that has passed every conceivable form of gun control the gun grabbers have promoted, all in the name of reducing the violence.

By Stephen J. Feltoon

Recently, a handful of people forwarded me a letter that was sent from the President of GunFreeKids.org as well as Toby Hoover (Executive Director of the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence) and whose recipient is unknown because the address has been redacted. The content and context of the letter indicates that it was sent to a college in Ohio (more likely it was sent to ALL public colleges).

This letter warned of the gun lobby’s attempts to preempt public universities across the country, forcing their hands to allow concealed carry within their borders, and was laden with reasons why universities should oppose any legislation to allow this.

By Jeff Knox

Barack Obama’s nomination of Eric Holder to be the Attorney General demands an immediate and unequivocal response from gunowners and rights advocates and that response should be “Absolutely Not!”

Holder’s appointment to be AG must be approved by the Senate. While it is highly unlikely that opponents could muster the 51 votes needed to reject Holder’s appointment, a single Senator can place a “hold” on the confirmation and effectively lock up the system just as Democrats did with a number of President Bush’s judicial appointments and the appointment of John Bolton to be Ambassador to the UN. Once a “Hold” has been placed, a supermajority of 60 votes is required to break the hold. With enough vocal opposition to Holder’s confirmation, Obama could be forced to withdraw the nomination and select someone else to be his AG. Even if opponents cannot successfully block Holder’s appointment, a strong and concerted effort to do so will go far toward warning the Obama administration and the new Congress against trying to interfere with the rights of Americans to own guns.

Taken from the most recent “Page Nine” Alan Korwin’s “The Uninvited Ombudsman Report”

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OBAMA WANTS YOU
In an extraordinary outreach effort, the president-elect is actively soliciting input from special-interest groups with no holds barred. Shockingly, not a single firearms group has responded (there are 39 pages just listing groups that have filed reports). Have we become so set in our fears that we might fail to ask our president for those values and laws that more than half the country would want? Reach out to your local and national pro-rights groups and make your voice heard. The president-elect's website is loaded with opportunities, but they mean nothing if we don't use them. I'm working on a proposal, will release it soon. Go here to start yourself:
http://change.gov/open_government/yourseatatthetable

By Jeff Riley

A letter to the editor published by the Columbus Dispatch on Dec 19, 2008 by Dave Roden begins with this headline:

“No one should need gun in national park”

Tell that to Meredith Emerson...the 24 year-old woman whose body was found decapitated days after going missing on New Year’s Day 2008.

By Brian Darling

A conservative senator would be a true American hero if he or she would put a hold on -- i.e., threaten to filibuster -- the nomination of Eric Holder to be the next attorney general.

Let me be clear: I don’t believe that conservatives should use the filibuster to block Holder. But I do think the filibuster is an excellent procedural tool to force a needed debate. Senators should explore Holder’s views on the right to bear arms and the Elian Gonzales raid before they consent to his appointment.

The Second Amendment is sacrosanct to all freedom-loving Americans. Yet Holder, in his capacity as former deputy attorney general from 1997 to 2001 and acting attorney general in 2001, signed a brief to the Supreme Court last year arguing that “the Second Amendment does not protect firearms possession or use that is unrelated to participation in a well-regulated militia.” This strongly suggests that Holder is hostile to private gun ownership and will work to restrict gun rights.

There’s more. According to the Cato Institute’s David Koppel, Holder has “advocated federal licensing of handgun owners, a three-day waiting period on handgun sales, rationing handguns sales to no more than one per month, banning possession of handguns” and supported numerous other gun control initiatives.

Click here to read the entire op-ed at HumanEvents.com.

By Gabe Suarez

There has been a great deal of discussion about what to carry for an event like Mumbai. Gents, let's think about this. If you happen to be caught up in this at its conclusion, facing a dozen riflemen working together as a unit, and you with your Kel-Tec, what do you think your realistic chances of success are? Being real is not being defeatist, but come on.

Now, at the outset of the event, where there may be only one or two adversaries, it gets a little better in terms of odds. But only a little. You have one advantage and that is the advantage of surprise and one target. They, on the other hand have many avenues of danger to cover, only one which is yours. This will be a rapidly moving fluid situation.

One man was saying that using a cell phone to photograph the bad guys would be good. Pictures of the bad guys on your cell phone? Come on....seriously? If you have the ability to take their picture, you also have the ability to take their life, or GTFOT (get the f*** out of there) so get out of the evidence collecting mindset.

By Tim Inwood

It is not often a man gets to relive parts of his youth, more than a fifteen years after the first event, but in the aftermath of the November elections I am seeing something I experienced when I was 29 years old.

Most men would be delighted to be reminded of their younger days, but to be honest I am very saddened by this. What is this phenomenon I am reliving? Long lines and panic buying at gun-shows.

Former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, a good friend to Buckeye Firearms Association and to Ohio gun owners, has officially declared his candidacy for the chairman's post at the Republican National Committee (RNC).

Blackwell, a former endorsee of this political action committee who sits on the NRA Board of Directors, has sent a letter to RNC members seeking their vote.

According to The Hannah Report, Blackwell's letter, posted on his website at www.blackwell2009.com, calls for a remaking of the Republican Party "by returning to our core philosophy (limited government, traditional values and a strong defense), reaching voters more
effectively (by better utilization of technology, targeting and voter identification, and turnout), and reorganizing the RNC
itself (spending smarter, replacing staff and consultants, and modernizing our fundraising infrastructure)."

The Associated Press is reporting that there is common thread among the persons being issued pardons by President Bush: the important role firearms once played in their lives.