In a feature article we posted here yesterday, we told you how 1,000 Second Amendment supporters who gathered in Phoenix, Ariz., and fired two simultaneous shots were shunned by the Guinness Book of World Records with no explanation given. 

Now, however, an explanation has been given. And boy, is it stupid.

“Guinness World Records does not monitor mass participation records that, each time the record is broken, increase the danger posed to the general public or environment,” the company said in a released statement. “As the activity proposed by the NRA is not one we feel can be safely monitored on a global basis, we unfortunately are unable to recognize it as a record.”

Obviously, the 2,000 shots in the 1000 Man Shoot were fired in complete safety to the general public and participants, as are millions upon millions of shots fired each year at shooting ranges throughout the nation. Guinness’ statement is asinine at best, and highlights the company’s apparent disdain for lawful gun owners practicing a pastime they enjoy.

A Monday article posted at MilitaryTimes.com reports that a new Pentagon policy allows U.S. military personnel to request permission to carry concealed handguns at government facilities—even “for personal protection not associated with the performance of official duties.”

One of the effects, said Defense Department spokesperson Maj. Jamie Davis, is that “it is very clear now that the commanders have that authority (to arm recruiters) to use at their discretion.” 

Davis said the directive is the result of years of work, starting in the aftermath of the 2009 attack at Fort Hood, Texas. Work was accelerated after another attack at Fort Hood in 2014, and the 2015 attack in Chattanooga, Tenn. In all those cases, military policy barred the victims from carrying firearms for personal defense. 

Troops can now be armed at recruiting stations and reserve centers if their commanders approve. Servicemen and women must be 21 to apply, and are subject to records checks by both military and civilian authorities.

The recent signing of a critical piece of legislation in Pennsylvania has moved semi-auto rifles out of the “prohibited” category for hunting.

On Monday, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf signed House Bill 263, making Pennsylvania the 49th state to allow semi-automatic rifle hunting. As amended, the new law will eliminate the prohibition on semi-automatic rifles for hunting and allows for the Pennsylvania Game Commission to regulate these sporting rifles for all game species in accordance with season and bag limits.  

The use of semi-automatic shotguns for hunting has been legal for decades in the Keystone State. However, the use of semi-automatic rifles for hunting was prohibited in Pennsylvania, and remains unlawful in the neighboring state of Delaware.

NRA’s Institute for Legislative action is encouraging Pennsylvania NRA members to please take a moment to thank their state representative, state senator and Gov. Wolf for supporting this important legislation.

The “permitless” carry train, which left the station a few years ago, continues its journey across the country, with the latest stop being South Dakota.

The Associated Press reports that state Rep. Lynne DiSanto plans to sponsor a measure in the upcoming legislative session that would no longer require a carry permit for law-abiding state residents to carry a concealed firearm for self-defense in the state. “I just hope this opens the door to people considering being gun owners and having the opportunity to protect themselves and their families as it was intended by the Constitution when it was written,” she said.

A similar measure moved through the South Dakota legislature in 2012, but was vetoed by Gov. Dennis Daugaard.

For three years running, campus carry has been introduced in the Missouri House and Senate. Each year, it has stalled. 

Supporters have renewed hope that 2017 will be the year in which law-abiding gun owners can finally bring their firearms onto campus, just like they can when not on campus property. Thanks to a Republican super majority in the legislature and a Republican governor elected to succeed Democrat Jay Nixon, plans to bring the campus carry bill back are already underway.    

 “I believe it’s important because we do have a right through the Second Amendment,” said Republican state Rep. Jered Taylor. “We shouldn’t take someone’s rights away because they stepped across the street and onto a college campus. Overall, I think it’s about personal responsibility and personal safety.”

Legislators can begin pre-filing bills on Dec. 1, ahead of the first day of session on Jan. 4.

Last Friday, on a quiet evening in Lewiston, Maine, two men began following 27-year-old Michael Hensler as he walked home. As Hensler approached his apartment building, the pair attacked—pulling a knife, striking him, and taking his wallet. However, it turned out that two men and a knife weren’t a match for Hensler’s .22-caliber pistol. 

An upstairs neighbor told investigators that when the two began beating the victim at knifepoint, the attackers were yelling, “… you are going to die!” That’s when Hensler pulled out his handgun and fired in self-defense. 

Initially, Hensler believed he missed both robbers; however, police told CBS-13 that after the encounter a man checked into a nearby emergency room with a gunshot wound to his shoulder. After he was treated and released from the hospital, police arrested Abdulahi Abdi and charged him with robbery. The search for Abdi’s partner in crime continues.