A debate in Alabama over the legality of “no guns allowed” signs at rest stops along the state’s highways has been resolved. Gov. Robert Bentley agreed the signs were an infringement on gun owners’ rights and ordered the signs be removed on Friday.

Alabama is an open carry and concealed carry state, yet travelers pulling up to rest stops were still greeted with signs warning “no weapons beyond this point.” The Alabama Department of Transportation cited a state code that gives the agency power to “prescribe any reasonable rules and regulations so as to prevent unnecessary trespassing upon or injury to” state-funded roads as their justification, even though it contradicted state law.

“It seems like more and more, government tends to infringe on our right to bear arms,” said Republican state Rep. Barry Moore. “If anything, I think we need to be getting rid of gun-free zones, not creating more of them.”

Just over two years since a legislative package of severely restrictive gun control laws took effect in Colorado, Centennial State residents’ opposition to such infringements continues to grow.

According to a new Quinnipiac University poll, Colorado voters oppose tougher gun control laws by a margin of 56-to-39 percent and key Independent swing voters opposed such laws by a 59-percent margin. The poll queried 1,231 Colorado voters, and had a margin of error of 2.8 percent.

Along gender lines, the poll showed men opposed such laws 69-to-27 percent, while women support tougher gun control laws by 51-to-44 percent. The poll queried 1,231 Colorado voters, and had a margin of error of 2.8 percent.

Possibly showing an unexpected flash of reason, NBC News says that reporting of dreadful events does inspire copycats. And such perverse motivation isn’t trivial: As many as 20 to 30 percent of these events are inspired by reporting, according to a new study from Arizona State University and Northeastern Illinois University.

Got that? Very nearly a third. Worse, it shouldn’t be news: The Atlantic (2012), The Guardian (2006) and Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point (2002) support the same conclusions.

Assistant Professor Zeynep Tufekci of the University of North Carolina suggests: a) law enforcement should not release details about methods; b) social media presence of perpetrators should be removed; c) the names of the killer(s) should not immediately be released; and d) immediate interviews of survivors and the families of victims should be stopped.

The common thread is a simple one: Stop aggrandizing ghastly behavior, and we’re likely to get less—maybe far less—of it.

In a joint press conference with the Kenyan president, President Obama announced plans Saturday to further restrict the illegal ivory trade within the United States, virtually banning its sale across state lines. While the National Rifle Association strongly supports efforts to curb illegal poaching and the black market ivory trade, the organization warns that the proposed restrictions fail to protect elephants. 

The measures provide only limited exceptions for transactions on legally purchased products containing less than 200g of ivory, effectively criminalizing past legal purchases of firearms, art, furniture, and musical instruments containing ivory and destroying the property value.

Restricting the illegal poaching of any endangered species is an admirable goal, but the effects of this policy will be disastrous for Americans. If the Obama administration really intends to protect elephants, the focus should be on protecting them from poachers as opposed to the lawful owners of collectible firearms and antiques.

A jewelry store employee shot and killed a robber in southwest Houston Saturday, police say. When the robber attempted a hold-up at the Jade Jewelers on Westheimer and Wilcrest just after 4 p.m., the clerk shot the robber in the head. He was dead on arrival at the hospital. Police are seeking a woman seen running away from the scene for questioning.

Southwest Houston has seen its share of robberies lately—and honest citizens are fighting back.

Two weeks ago, just five miles away, when three masked gunmen went into the family-owned Super K convenience store on Beechnut Street and Jorine Drive, grabbed a customer to use as a human shield, and began pistol-whipping one of the store clerks, another employee shot and killed two of the three would-be robbers. Two weeks earlier, robbers had beaten a clerk at the same store so viciously that he’s been out of work ever since.

We continue to be made aware of stories coming out of Detroit, Mich., that indicate a growing number of citizens arming themselves and defending their property and persons. The latest incident occurred when two men reportedly threw a brick through the window of a house on Plainview Avenue, located on the west side of town. The woman living in the house responded by firing a single shot from her firearm, giving the suspects all the incentive they needed to flee.

There were no injuries reported and no arrests made. But the suspects might think twice before assuming that residents of the neighborhood are helpless.