WASHINGTON - Congress gave the gun lobby its top legislative priority Thursday, passing a bill protecting the firearms industry from massive crime-victim lawsuits. President Bush said he will sign it.

A semiautomatic weapon a Tempe man bought for $899 to commit mass murder at the Super Bowl was banned until three years ago.

The change that President-elect Barack Obama was calling for on the campaign trail has yet to come to Washington, D.C., but it seems to have already reached gun stores in the Valley.

Two top Arizona Republicans argued Friday that the escalating violence along the Mexican border should not be used as an excuse for new regulation of firearms.

A proposal to make it illegal for some Arizonans to enforce federal gun laws is raising concern by the nation's largest defender of the Second Amendment.

A proposal to make it illegal for some Arizonans to enforce federal gun laws is raising concern by the nation's largest defender of the Second Amendment.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Is a gun like a virus, a car, tobacco or alcohol? Yes say public health experts, who in the wake of recent mass shootings are calling for a fresh look at gun violence as a social disease.

Fearing new federal laws and regulations, a state legislator wants to provide legal cover for Arizonans who do not want to obey them -- and penalties for federal officials who try to enforce them.

Jared Loughner is accused of emptying 31 rounds from his Glock 9 in front of the Safeway in Tucson, enabling him to hit 19 people before he had to reload.

MIDLOTHIAN, Va. - When 10-year-old Austin Smith heard Barack Obama had been elected president, he had one question: Does this mean I won't get a new gun for Christmas?

In the course of history and politics in the early 20th century, Theodore Roosevelt brought us the legend of the Rough Riders and the bully pulpit, an awareness for the rights of immigrants and was the namesake of the teddy bear.

WASHINGTON — Uncompromising and politically emboldened, President Barack Obama urged a deeply divided Congress Tuesday night to embrace his plans to use government money to create jobs and strengthen the nation's middle class. He declared Republican ideas for reducing the deficit "even worse" than the unpalatable deals Washington had to stomach during his first term.

Dear Editor: Once again our local National Rifle Association propagandist, Linda Turley-Hansen, displays her colossal credulity in her defense of that recklessly unpatriotic organization (AFN, Feb. 1, "How do they really stand on firearms ownership?"). Led by a Vietnam draft dodger, Wayne LaPierre, the NRA fought legislation that would block gun sales or permits to suspected terrorists. It also opposed legislation to require explosive manufacturers to include electromagnetic "taggants," thus enabling investigators to determine the source of terrorist bombs. The NRA also opposed legislation establishing a national database recording guns' "ballistic fingerprints." For the NRA, profits trump patriotism. The NRA's elitist hypocrisy is also evident in its contradictory policies on Second Amendment rights. In Arizona, the NRA backed legislation to allow guns in bars. But it quietly accepted a ban on guns at the 2004 Republican National Convention, and at the Super Bowl. I'd appreciate some gun nut's explanation of why Republican plutocrats deserve protection from guns in their purlieus, whereas lower-class bar attendees don't. Does the Constitution distinguish among economic classes in distributing alleged Second Amendment rights? Maybe Linda could explain. C.W. Griffin

Dear Editor: Once again our local National Rifle Association propagandist, Linda Turley-Hansen, displays her colossal credulity in her defense of that recklessly unpatriotic organization (AFN, Feb. 1, "How do they really stand on firearms ownership?"). Led by a Vietnam draft dodger, Wayne LaPierre, the NRA fought legislation that would block gun sales or permits to suspected terrorists. It also opposed legislation to require explosive manufacturers to include electromagnetic "taggants," thus enabling investigators to determine the source of terrorist bombs. The NRA also opposed legislation establishing a national database recording guns' "ballistic fingerprints." For the NRA, profits trump patriotism. The NRA's elitist hypocrisy is also evident in its contradictory policies on Second Amendment rights. In Arizona, the NRA backed legislation to allow guns in bars. But it quietly accepted a ban on guns at the 2004 Republican National Convention, and at the Super Bowl. I'd appreciate some gun nut's explanation of why Republican plutocrats deserve protection from guns in their purlieus, whereas lower-class bar attendees don't. Does the Constitution distinguish among economic classes in distributing alleged Second Amendment rights? Maybe Linda could explain. C.W. Griffin

BOISE, Idaho - The expiration Monday of a 10-year federal ban on assault weapons means firearms like TEC-9s can now be legally bought - a development that has critics upset and gun owners pleased.

“Surprise, surprise. The National Gun Manufacturers Association aka the NRA wants more guns in schools.”

HELENA, Mont. — Montana is trying to trigger a battle over gun control — and perhaps make a larger point about what many folks in this ruggedly independent state regard as a meddlesome federal government.

WASHINGTON - As the clock counts down on the decadeold ban on selling and buying assault-style weapons, phones have begun ringing off the hook at ArmaLite. Customers want to know when the newly outfitted AR-15 rifle will be ready.

In less than a week, Arizona residents will be allowed to carry a gun in their pocket or purse without needing paperwork to do so.

ALBANY, N.Y. — 

WASHINGTON - A longtime Senate gun control advocate announced plans Monday to introduce legislation banning high-capacity ammunition clips like the one linked to a weekend shooting that left six dead and an Arizona congresswoman gravely wounded.

I was fortunate this week to attend a forum on STEM education - Science, Technology, Engineering and Math - hosted by the local affiliate of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) and came away very impressed by what our state is doing on both a government and business level to address the educational needs of our future workers in the manufacturing and technology fields.

WASHINGTON — Seeking to focus on nation-building at home, President Barack Obama will use his State of the Union address to call for more spending on infrastructure and manufacturing, while also announcing the withdrawal of 34,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan within a year.

February 16, 2005