From a National Shooting Sports Foundation press release via PR Newswire:
A letter signed by [13 Republican] United States senators to Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar raising important questions about actions by the National Park Service (NPS) to ban the use of traditional ammunition in parks that allow hunting has drawn praise from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry.

In concluding their letter to Secretary Salazar, the senators were very clear as to what they wanted to see: "We request that NPS cease all actions to prohibit the use of lead products on NPS lands by private citizens and NPS personnel."

Check out the full release.

It's always refreshing to see a  person reject "liberal" versus "conservative" politics in favor of  non-partisan rationality, and a good example of this can be found in this essay on the "liberal"-leaning news site Salon.
 
From the story:
 
I was a violent kid. More than anything, I loved to  play war. In my basement, I built a sandbag foxhole out of stacked-up sofa  pillows. I would hide inside and peer out at what I imagined were the smoking slopes of Iwo Jima, crawling with Japanese soldiers ready to fight to the death.

My parents were liberal. More than liberal: Unitarians. We had a National Organization for Women poster hanging in our kitchen. A family friend stayed with us at the house while going through a sex change. My dad was, and probably still is, an advocate of the most  draconian gun control proposals ever drafted, or even pondered. I'm sure both my parents voted for Carter, probably Dukakis, too. I remember a lot of family skinny dipping. Hell, my parents wouldn't even let me play on a football team.

That does not mean, however, that I have to do everything exactly the way they did. Now, I have a son. He is just turning 4. And I have decided to arm him to the teeth.

As the father of a well-adjusted and completely normal  child who also happens to think R. Lee Ermey's "Lock N Load" is the coolest show on television and who recently informed his  parents that he wants to be a "gun expert" when he grows up, I  commend  the "liberal" author's rejection of the ridiculous notion that toy guns somehow turn kids into killers. It shows that maybe, just maybe, common  sense is more powerful than political ideology.

Several months ago when I professed my unrequited love for fine English shotguns,   longtime author, falconer and double gun aficionado Steve Bodio suggested I check out the website of British shooting journalist and shotgun broker Diggory Hadoke.  
 
It's a good resource for keeping up with the current state of the British shotgun market, and despite the fact I can't afford a British shooting jacket, much less a shotgun, I try to peruse the site on a semi-regular basis just for the escapism factor. Some guys have porn, others have gambling or drugs. I have unattainable shotguns.
 
But as I was on the site a few days ago, this bit of news caught my eye.
 
"Paypal - Not only do they not want our business but they have banned us from using Paypal in any capacity ever again. Why? - because they found out we sell guns and gun accessories! What they thought a company called Vintage Guns sold when they accepted us in the first place I can only guess! The inconvenience has been considerable but I'm pleased to announce that we will be introducing WorldPay, the RBS system which is less arbitrary in its decrees over what is a 'nice' business and what is not. This system will once again allow clients to buy goods and services on-line through the website in a fast and secure manner."
 
I don't use Paypal because I believe the words "pay" and "pal" to be mutually exclusive, so I know nothing of their policies regarding gun and shooting-related businesses. But virtually everyone else in the free world does. Is this true? Does Paypal really discriminate against completely legal and legitimate businesses and individuals simply because said businesses and individuals are involved in the shooting sports? If it is true then maybe "Paypal" should change its name to "Payprick." At least it'd be more honest...

From the Chattanooga Times Free Press:

Gov. Phil Bredesen vetoed legislation on Thursday allowing Tennessee’s 220,000 handgun-carry permit holders to go armed in establishments selling alcohol.

Flanked by law enforcement officials from across the state, including Chattanooga Police Chief Freeman Cooper, Gov. Bredesen declared in a news conference at the Capitol that “guns and alcohol don’t mix.”

A few select quotes:

Governor Bredeson: [Permitting someone] to carry a concealed weapon into a crowded bar at midnight on a Saturday night defies common sense. . . .”

Metro Nashville Police Chief Ronal Serpas: “I’ve witnessed shootings in bars before,” Chief Serpas said. “The presence of somebody else with a gun would not have saved anybody. These things happen in the blink of an eye. It’s not like it is on TV.”

And the NRA response:

In his veto message, Governor Bredesen talked about his concerns with mixing firearms and alcohol. But he conveniently failed to mention the absolute prohibition, with grim consequences, for any permit holder who has one sip of alcohol while carrying a firearm. He also ignored the provision which allows restaurants to prohibit carrying firearms in their establishments by simply posting a sign. . . .

House Bill 962 . . . would give . . . law-abiding Tennesseans that chance to defend themselves . . . . The Tennessee Legislature understood that. That is why this common sense measure passed both chambers with overwhelming, bi-partisan support. We pledge to work to override this ill-conceived veto.

Now let’s hear from you.