When the same groups constantly squawking about "protecting the children" when the subject is making firearms illegal, refuse to OK a good idea specifically designed to protect children, you can clearly see their use of the word "protect" as a synonym for the word "disarm".

The latest manifestation of this curious behavior is a decision by officials at Reagan National Airport not to permit the display of Project ChildSafe's "Own It? Respect it. Secure it." billboard. It is, FYI, the same sign you can see displayed in other airports, including Hartford-Springfield, Las Vegas, Little Rock, Providence and St. Louis .

http://www.theoutdoorwire.com/image_archive/2168780.jpg> Project ChildSafe's signage on display in Hartford-Springfield airport. Not suitable for DC? Image courtesy NSSF's "Bullet Points".

It would seem the idea of making gun owners responsible for their possessions, isn't appropriate in the nation's capitol.

As it was explained to the NSSF by someone familiar with the process, "D.C. is a very political market and this is not something they wanted to be involved in."

Is that because they don't believe in responsible ownership, or because they don't want to admit the possibility exists that a -gasp- all gun owners aren't a slobbering, rabid mad-dog killers looking for their next victim?

Guess I've telegraphed my opinion. After all, this is the same forward-thinking place where the mayor and chief of police continue to thumb their respective noses at the Supreme Court of the United States after the nation's highest court had the gall to declare their longstanding anti-gun law unconstitutional.

OK, it's irritating, but it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. Especially someone who's seen- too-often that the old saw about gun control is true: "Gun control isn't about guns; it's about control."

Nothing concerns the elected officials in the District of Columbia as much as the possibility of an empowered average citizen. That's true for Chicago and other cities where crime statistics clearly contradict their continued insistence that fewer guns equals a safer populace.

They attribute drops in crime to everything from unusually hot summers to a more active police force. And continue to ignore the fact that the only change is that criminals -despite the fact their police departments are victims of cutbacks in virtually every area- including manpower.

The ability to ignore facts isn't limited to big city politicians. Little Waldo, Florida (pop. 1,022) is crying "foul" at being branded a speed trap by everyone from unsuspecting motorists to the American Automobile Association. AAA, by the way went so far as to erect a sign outside the little town that's best known for six different speed limit changes inside its limited city limits.

http://www.theoutdoorwire.com/image_archive/2168779.jpeg> AAA wasn't bashful about the fact that Waldo counted on travelers for a majority of its operating budget. Photo from AAA.

But Waldo's police department is currently being investigated for running speed traps- and allegedly assigning traffic ticket quotas to their officers. The chief and acting chief have both been suspended during that investigation.

Waldo's going to have a tough time denying the fact it writes a few more tickets than its neighbors -like nearby Gainesville (pop 128,000). The seven-man Waldo PD wrote 11,603 traffic tickets last year -that's slightly more than 1,657 tickets per officer . Gainesville PD, on the other hand, wrote 25,461 citations last year- fewer than 85 tickets for each officer on their 300-man police force.

Seem's like the answer to the old question "Where's Waldo?" is one many motorists traveling through that part of the state can answer.

Politicians, however, can read tea leaves when it comes to angry voters-even in California. Over the weekend, the California Assembly failed to gather enough votes to pass an ammunition registration bill that would have required firearms retailers to report identifying information to state authorities for every ammunition purchase made in the state.

State Senator Kevin de Leon, the next President of the Senate, fyi, originally proposed that anyone buying ammunition be required to obtain a state permit and undergo a background check before every ammunition purchase.

Ok it might seem ridiculous to you, but the bill failed by a 35-35-8 vote.

Finally, one piece of news that's positive. Today's news section will tell you about Ruger's latest innovation in gun introductions. The company was the first to announce a new product until the gun was actually shipping to dealers- and pretty much killed the "announce then build" practice industry-wide.

Right now, Ruger's running what they call a "New Unannounced Product" Flash Sweepstakes. (Note: Read the details from yesterday's Outdoor Wire at:http://www.theoutdoorwire.com/story/14097052829qk3kcyur4w)
Hyperbole notwithstanding, it's an interesting idea. Through 9:00 a.m. this morning (Thursday, September 4) you can enter the sweepstakes (hint: you'd best hurry because you'll need your personal contact information and the name of your preferred local firearms retailer).

The winner will be drawn some time after the entry period closes. The winner will be announced on Friday and come Monday morning, Ruger will have the unannounced new product waiting at their preferred retailer - the same day it will be announced to consumers.

Hopefully, their deadline won't prevent our bringing you that info, too.

We'll keep you posted.

--Jim Shepherd