The House Federal and State Affairs Committee gathered testimony Wednesday on a bill allowing concealed-carry permit holders to bring firearms onto college campuses and into publicly owned buildings in Kansas.

With the bill, introduced by Omaha Sen. Scott Lautenbaugh, the use of force, including deadly force, is presumed to be necessary for defense against a person unlawfully entering or present in a home or vehicle.
Lautenbaugh said the bill clarifies the rights of people to protect themselves in their homes and cars, and that it is not criminal conduct if the factors apply. It also offers immunity from civil liability.

House oversight committee chairman Rep. Darrell Issa told The Daily Caller that Attorney General Eric Holder owes an apology to the Mexican government and to the families of Operation Fast and Furious victims south of the border.
“Justice has blood on their hands,” Issa said Wednesday during an exclusive interview with The DC, referring to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Chicago has seen a 16 percent spike in the number of people holding state firearm owner’s identification cards in the past two years, state officials said Wednesday.
About 122,000 people had FOID cards at the beginning of this year compared to 105,000 at the beginning of 2010, said Monique Bond, Illinois State Police spokeswoman.

Yesterday, we reported that two NRA-drafted employee protection bills were filed in the Tennessee Senate, Senate Bill 2992 and Senate Bill 3002.  We are pleased to announce that the House companion bills have now been filed.  Today, House Bill 3560 and House Bill 3559 were introduced by state Representative Eddie Bass (D-65).  These NRA-drafted bills would prevent employers from discriminating and enforcing policies against the storage of lawfully-owned firearms in employees’ locked private motor vehicles parked at work.  

Several pro-gun reform measures are on the move in this year’s thirty-day session which began on January 17th.  Senate Bill 26, introduced by state Senator Bill Payne (R-Albuquerque) is legislation that would allow New Mexico residents to purchase long guns in non-contiguous states and residents of non-contiguous states to purchase long guns in New Mexico.

House Bill 1508, a shooting range protection bill, and House Bill 2471, a background check reform bill, are scheduled for an executive session and could be voted on by the House Judiciary Committee this Monday, January 30, at 1:30 p.m. in Hearing Room A of the John L. O’Brien Building in Olympia. 

The Senate Courts of Justice Committee on Wednesday approved a measure that would eliminate Virginia’s one-gun-a-month restriction on handgun purchases, setting up what could be the most significant change to Virginia’s gun laws in years.