I Hunt, But I Oppose the N.R.A. – NYTimes.com

By LILY RAFF McCAULOU

EARLIER this month, Mitt Romney delivered a speech at the annual National Rifle Association convention, calling for a president “who will stand up for the rights of hunters, sportsmen and those seeking to protect their homes and their families,” presumably with guns. I’d like to remind Mr. Romney that those are distinct groups. Too often — especially during an election year — hunters and N.R.A. members are lumped together as one and the same.I’m a hunter and a sportswoman. I own guns, but not for self-defense. I support gun control laws. I would happily vote to repeal the Stand Your Ground law in my home state of Oregon. In other words, the N.R.A. does not represent me.Among gun owners, I’m hardly alone. The N.R.A. has just over four million members. That sounds like a lot until you consider that about one in five American adults own one or more guns. That’s nearly 50 million people. That means roughly 90 percent of gun owners do not belong to the N.R.A.  Click Link Below For Full Story!  Interesting viewpoint.

via I Hunt, But I Oppose the N.R.A. – NYTimes.com.

Tax-free shopping brings out hunters in Louisiana | The Town Talk

By Jeff Matthews • jmatthews@thetowntalk.com • September 5, 2009

Louisiana Archery and Sports Center in Pineville was supposed to open at 9 a.m. Friday.

But the customers couldn’t wait that long.

“We normally open at 9, but we had customers outside looking to get in at 8,” said manager Beth Thomas. “So I let them in. I didn’t want to keep people waiting. I know some folks were stopping by before they had to get to work.”

Friday marked the opening day of the first “Louisiana Second Amendment Weekend Sales Tax Holiday,” a three-day period when purchases of firearms, ammunition and hunting supplies are exempt from state and local sales and use taxes.

If business at Louisiana Archery and Sports Center on Friday was an indication, it should prove to be popular locally. The crowd stayed steady into the early afternoon at the store on La. Highway 28 East, and was expected to stay strong into today. The store is not open Sunday, although the holiday extends into that day.

“Accessories, guns, stands, bows,” Thomas said. “We’re selling a lot of everything. Anybody wanting to purchase big-ticket items, this is the time to do it.”

Liz Meyer of Ball was birthday and Christmas shopping with her mother for her husband and son. She bought a floating shotgun case, a pair of shotgun shell belts and Thermacell mosquito repellent.

“I’m here to cash in on no sales tax like everybody else,” she said.

Sean Lacombe of Deville bought two deer stands priced at $200 each, saving him close to $40.

“I’m here strictly because of the tax-free weekend.” he said. “It definitely helps when you’re spending $400. I was going to purchase them a couple of weeks ago, but I decided to wait until today to save some money.”

Hunting is big business in Louisiana, with more than 250,000 estimated hunters spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year on the sport. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported that more than $200 million in hunting equipment was purchased in Louisiana in 2006. The FBI conducted gun checks on roughly 250,000 firearms purchased in Louisiana in 2008.

Unlike the general sales tax holiday on Aug. 7-8, which waived state taxes but not local taxes, this weekend’s holiday covers both. That can add up to as much as 9 percent of purchase price.

The bill establishing the event makes it an annual event to run the first Friday-Sunday in September.

“I think a lot of people have been waiting for this weekend,” Thomas said. “We had the one a few weeks ago, even then people were saying, ‘I’m going to wait until September to get the full effect.’”

via Tax-free shopping brings out hunters in Louisiana | thetowntalk.com | The Town Talk.

Disarming the Obama Administration – WSJ.com

Gun owners need not apply.

By BRENDAN MINITER

Article

Every president-elect vets his incoming staff and usually that vetting begins with a lengthy questionnaire. But one question asked on Barack Obamas questionnaire is raising hackles among gun owners and fans of the Second Amendment. Question No. 59 begins: “Do you or any members of your immediate family own a gun?”

The questionnaire goes on to insist that a gun-owning jobseeker “provide complete ownership and registration information,” and asks: “Has the registration ever lapsed? Please also describe how and by whom it is used and whether it has been the cause of any personal injuries or property damage.”

South Carolina Republican Sen. Jim DeMint believes the incoming administration is biased against gun owners in its hiring. “The questionnaire already seeks information about illegal activity so there is no reason to ask this question unless the Obama Administration plans to use it to discriminate based on lawful activity,” he wrote in an email blasted out to supporters recently. The senator plans to follow up by introducing federal legislation making it illegal to discriminate against someone for the simple fact that they lawfully own a firearm.  For Full Story click link below.

Disarming the Obama Administration – WSJ.com.