I know, not exactly on subject, but what can I say, I thought this was a cool story.

From Houston Chronicle:

PHOENIX — A missing handwritten transcript from a coroner’s inquest done after the legendary gunfight at the OK Corral has resurfaced in a dusty box more than 125 years after the most famous shootout in Wild West history.

The document resurfaced when court clerks stumbled on the box while reorganizing files in an old jail storage room in Bisbee, about 20 miles south of Tombstone.

Stuffed inside was a modern manila envelope marked “keep” with the date 1881.

Court officials turned the document over to state archivists on Wednesday. Experts will immediately begin peeling away tape, restoring the paper and ink, and digitizing the pages.

The first pages could show up on the library’s website for historians to review as soon as next week.

It’s unlikely the transcript will provide any shattering revelations, since historians have already reviewed photocopies of the document and the inquest was covered in detail by local newspapers at the time.

But history buffs said the transcript is enlightening nonetheless, clearing up fuzzy points in the copies and revealing small notes that might not have appeared on the photocopies.

“They were handled by the people of that moment, and they’re the actual artifact that encapsulated that time period,” said GladysAnn Wells, Arizona State Librarian.

The 1881 gun battle between the forces of law and a gang of rustlers left three men dead, made folk heroes of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday and inspired numerous movies about the untamed Old West.

The inquest was done on the same day Earp, his two brothers and Holliday confronted a gang of drunken outlaws, sparking a 30-second gun battle in the streets of Tombstone that killed Frank and Tom McLaury and Bill Clanton.

The document has been missing for decades — last seen when it was photocopied in the 1960s. The pages include verbatim testimony from eyewitnesses to the shootout.

The document is legible, but the paper has darkened to an amber beer color and is brittle like a potato chip, said Cochise County Court Clerk Denise Lundin. The handwriting can be difficult to read because the court reporter was rapidly taking notes, she said.

Even if the document doesn’t reveal new information, the discovery helps historians feel more comfortable with the record, said Gary Robertson, a Wild West historian and author of the book “Doc Holliday, the Life and the Legend.” But most importantly, it sparks the imagination.

“Every time you find one it gives you hope that maybe you’ll find some more,” Roberts said. “Maybe there will be something else that we’ve all been dying to get our hands on.”

Lundin is convinced that somewhere in her courthouse are records of the inquest for Johnny Ringo, another legendary outlaw.

“These things aren’t something you can go search for,” she said. “You really just have to watch for them.”

In doing a little online reading about the shootout, it appears the Clantons are still pissed about getting there ass kicked a century ago

• TPWD Scoping Migratory Bird Issues at Public Hearings News Release Media Contact: Steve Lightfoot, 512-389-4701, steve.lightfoot@tpwd.state.tx.us April 28, 2009 AUSTIN, Texas — In addition to public comment on proposed fee increases and dove hunting seasons, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is inviting input on a series of scoping issues related to migratory game birds during public hearings......
• Left-Handed Shotguns Left-Hand Shotguns are few and far between. Finding one that has any style can be hard and expensive. I'm in the market for an over-under 20 ga. or 28 ga. and am getting frustrated. I listen to my brother going over all his options and I'm stuck choosing between plain......
• Headed for a Showdown From the Houston Chronicle: WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed Wednesday to decide whether strict local and state gun control laws violate the Second Amendment, ensuring another high-profile battle over the rights of gun owners. The court said it will review a lower court ruling that upheld a handgun ban......

• Van Pelt Beats Mallinger in a Sudden Death Battle at the US Bank Bo Van Pelt finally managed to take his first PGA tour event win, though he may never be given a chance to defend it. He managed to win against John Mallinger during the second playoff hole, allowing him to take the win in the U.S. Bank Championship on Sunday after......
• Stephen Colbert shows Jay-Z his iPad at the GRAMMY Awards Guess which futuristic gadget made a cameo at that 52nd Annual Grammy awards. The Apple iPad has been unveiled just last week and it is already making waves in the digital industry and even beyond. For a device that has yet to be fully out there, people already recognize......
• Bridgestone Invitational at the Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio This week in golf featured the Bridgestone Invitational, held at the Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. This course/tournament combination is well known, as it is often considered one of Tiger Wood’s favorite locations to play. Some of the big names that played in the tournament include Tiger Woods, Phil......

Communist, no dove hunting, that would be like no birthday or Christmas.

From the PostStar.com

It may have been nearly 50 years ago, but local real estate agent David Collins still fondly remembers his dove hunting outings while stationed with the U.S. Army in Kentucky.

“It was a whole lot of fun,” he said.

Unfortunately, he hasn’t hunted doves since, because New York does not allow dove hunting.

But Collins is among a group of bird hunters statewide that is making a push to convince state officials to create a dove season. As he has gotten older, the 68-year-old was looking for a less labor-intensive bird hunting opportunity that he could share with his grandchildren.

Unfortunately, misconceptions about doves have not helped the cause, he said. The dove population is healthy, and hunters nationwide account for only about 10 percent of dove mortality. However, many still think of them not as a potential game bird, but as the cute birds that frequent their bird feeders.

“It’s not a songbird, it’s not a bird of peace,” he said. “Yes, people feed them in their backyard, but they also feed deer in their backyard.”

Then there’s the issue of the potential revenue the state could bring in through additional hunting license sales, Collins pointed out.

The sportsmen federations of Warren and Washington counties have gotten behind the movement, as have their counterparts in Greene and Columbia counties.

The New York State Conservation Council has also gotten on board, asking the state Department of Environmental Conservation to survey hunters on the issue.

Collins is working with hunters from around the state, and has gotten support from other sportsmen federations, as well. He said he and other would-be dove hunters plan to meet with Assemblywoman Teresa Sayward, R-Willsboro, this week to discuss the issue.

Efforts to get New York to allow dove hunting have popped up periodically since the 1980s, but for some reason have not garnered the political support needed.

Thirty-nine of the 48 lower states have dove hunting seasons of up to 70 days, with daily bag limits of up to 15 birds in some states. Pennsylvania and New Jersey are among the states that allow dove hunting.

At the request of the NYSCC, the state Department of Environmental Conservation surveyed 5,000 small game hunters last year about their thoughts on a dove hunting season

The survey found 23.4 percent answered that they’d support or strongly support dove hunting in New York, while 11 percent said they went out-of-state to hunt doves, wrote Bryan Swift, the DEC’s game bird unit leader. More than 64 percent either did not answer the question or responded that they didn’t care either way.

“There is no biological reason why doves could not be hunted in New York,” Swift wrote. “However, until political support increases to the point that a bill to amend the Environmental Conservation Law is introduced, passes both the Senate and Assembly, and is signed into law by the governor, we encourage small game hunting enthusiasts to continue to enjoy New York’s other game bird hunting opportunities for turkey, grouse, woodcock and waterfowl, available in a variety of habitats across the state.”

Collins said anyone interested in helping the effort can call him at 791-0188 or e-mail him at davecollins@roadrunner.com.

• New Season Hunting, Fishing Licenses Go On Sale Aug. 15 AUSTIN, Texas — Texas hunting and fishing licenses for 2009-2010 will go on sale Saturday, Aug. 15. Sportsmen are reminded all current Texas annual hunting and fishing licenses (except for the year-to-date fishing license) expire Aug. 31. Most fees for recreational hunting and fishing licenses have increased by five percent;......
• New Dove Lease Listing Charlie at the Picosa Ranch has recently listed his dove lease on our free listing service. THANK YOU, Charlie. Our goal at DD&S is to build a free site where hunters can view available listings and read reviews from hunters who have hunted these leases. So Charlie, get some of......
• TPWD Offering 'Big Time' Hunts  In the mail yesterday I received Texas Parks & Wildlife Department's special drawings magazine. Right inside the front cover was an advertisement for 'BIG TIME Texas Hunts'. There are seven 'Big Time' hunts you can put in for. They all start with Texas, e.g. Texas Premium Buck Hunt, exotic safari,......

• Choose Great Hunting Gifts Whether you're looking for hunting gifts for a hunting buddy or you're someone who doesn't hunt but you need a gift for someone who does, just keep in mind what the person loves and it'll be hard to choose a gift that they don't love. Gift giving for anyone is......
• How to Choose a Deer Hunting Ranch A deer hunting ranch gives hunters an opportunity to gather together and really enjoy hunting on a whole new level. People who deer hunt individually obviously enjoy the entire experience or they wouldn't go. For some people it's simply a solitary way to spend time. But a deer hunting ranch......
• Pheasant Hunting Lodges Pheasant hunting lodges are the perfect place for the person who loves to hunt pheasant. This can take pheasant hunting from monotonous and almost a competition sport with other hunters who go to the same area, to something much more enjoyable. Take some time to find pheasant hunting lodges near......

In an interesting twist, a gun conviction ruling by the Supreme Court becomes the precedence in a Texas lawsuit against Obama Care.

From the Houston Chronicle:

A Texas high school student’s decision to bring a .38-caliber handgun to school in 1992 could end up at the center of the legal fight over President Barack Obama’s health care reform plan.

Alfonso Lopez Jr.’s arrest at Edison High School in San Antonio set in motion a legal battle that may prove crucial to 13 state attorneys general fighting the new law.

Lopez, a senior when he was arrested for handgun possession in March 1992, ended up facing federal charges of violating the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990. But the Supreme Court, on a 5-4 vote, threw out his conviction five years later on the grounds that Congress exceeded its regulatory authority under the Constitution when it approved the 1990 law, which makes it a violation of federal law to possess a firearm in a school zone.

Commerce clause cited

In filing a lawsuit last week challenging the new health care law’s mandate that everyone must have health insurance, the 13 state attorneys general — including Greg Abbott of Texas — cited the same legal reasoning that went into the Lopez ruling.

At issue in both cases is the Constitution’s commerce clause, which limits the regulatory powers of Congress to matters involving interstate commerce. In the Lopez decision, conservatives on the court led by then-Chief Justice William Rehnquist ruled that the 1990 gun law was unconstitutional because it had nothing to do with commerce between states.

Upholding the federal government’s right to control guns in school zones would give Congress “a general police power of the sort retained by the states,” Rehnquist wrote for the majority.

That’s almost exactly the argument the states are making now in a lawsuit filed March 23.

Drawing parallels

Abbott and the other 12 state attorneys general say that health care does not meet the legal definition of interstate commerce, rendering illegal the congressional mandate that all Americans must purchase health insurance.

“In the past 15 years the Supreme Court has scaled back Congress when they’ve tried to inject themselves into purely state matters,” said one of the 13, Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, in an interview on MSNBC.

The Lopez ruling was one of two Cox cited, saying it was a case where the federal government “tried to criminalize purely state behavior within a state.”

Prior to the Lopez ruling, the Supreme Court had for 60 years mostly followed the lead of Congress, ruling that congressional claims of regulatory power were valid under the Constitution. With the Lopez ruling, court watchers predicted a wholesale scaling back of such claims, clipping the wings of Congress to legislate in any area it wanted.

Hedging their bets

In the 2000 case of U.S. v. Morrison, the justices knocked down a provision of the Violence Against Women Act that gave victims of rape, domestic violence and other gender-motivated crimes the right to sue attackers in federal court. Rehnquist also authored the opinion.

Still, the attorneys general are hedging their legal bets. They also argue that the health care law’s insurance mandate for individuals violates the 10th Amendment, which states that powers not specifically delegated to Congress by the Constitution are “reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.”

Critics of the lawsuit say the U.S. health care system is national in scope, transcending state lines, and that extending benefits to the uninsured is an economic activity that requires the participation of all in the insurance pool.

If Obama administration lawyers can establish a connection between the health care law’s goals and interstate commerce, the high court’s conservatives may be hard-pressed to rule against Congress, skeptics say.

“The courts are not supposed to overturn the will of the elected representatives of people; that is something that’s generally anathema to conservatives,” said Paul Rothstein, a law professor at Georgetown University. “Conservatives may not like the health care plan, but they don’t want to be put in a position of judicial activism, overturning what the people’s elected representatives put in place.”

Supreme Court changes

Other experts see the lawsuit as having a very good chance of success, especially since Congress entered uncharted waters in approving health care.

The lawsuit “is definitely not frivolous,” said professor Randy Barnett of Georgetown University in an interview with the National Law Journal. “Anyone who says it is — and I know a lot of law professors have — they’re whistling past the graveyard,” Barnett said. “Anything that has never been done before has no precedent for it. And this (health care reform law) has never been done before.”

Since the Texas case was decided, Rehnquist has died and Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, a swing vote who sided with the majorities in the 1995 and 2000 rulings, has retired. In their places are two solid conservative votes, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito. Last year, moderate-liberal Justice David Souter resigned and was replaced by a like-minded jurist, Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

It’s not exactly how I thought we would have to use guns to fight healthcare, but hopefully it works.

NO Bama ‘12

• OK Corral Shootout Documents Found After 50 Years I know, not exactly on subject, but what can I say, I thought this was a cool story. From Houston Chronicle: PHOENIX — A missing handwritten transcript from a coroner's inquest done after the legendary gunfight at the OK Corral has resurfaced in a dusty box more than 125 years after......
• TPWD Sets Hearings on Lastest Proposals In a news release from Steve Lightfoot with Texas Parks and Wildlife, he announced the the department would conduct 21 public hearings. The hearing would cover the topics of increasing fees and yhe new dove season propsals. Changes proposed for the 2009-10 Texas dove season include a 70 day season......
• Proposed legislation to infringe on hunter's rights Infringe is putting it mild. There are two bills in the Texas House of Representatives that are aimed directly and Texas hunters and gun owners. If passed, we could find ourselves needing some legal counsel. The following is from Texas State Rifle Association's website: Bad Bills~Bills to Stop HB 736 by......

• Obama At House Republican Retreat In Baltimore: FULL VIDEO, TEXT [/caption] Video of President Obama's remarks to the House Republican retreat in Baltimore on Friday, Jan. 29, 2010 and Q&A With GOP Lawmakers: Complete transcript of Obama's remarks as recorded by the White House: 12:10 P.M. EST THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Please, everybody be......
• The Conservative Case for Gay Marriage [/caption] Why same-sex marriage is an American value. By Theodore B. Olson | NEWSWEEK Together with my good friend and occasional courtroom adversary David Boies, I am attempting to persuade a federal court to invalidate California's Proposition 8—the voter-approved measure that overturned California's constitutional right to marry a person of......
• Damn usary laws I was about to lend another investor $15k at 3% interest per month with a 6 month ballon or an extension with a 6% penalty but the escrow company told me that its against texas's usary laws!I spoke to a broker and he said there are ways around it but......

I know what my brother’s getting for christmas!! As much as he shoots, he could make a setting of six in NO TIME

Just click on the picture to visit the artists website.

• Another Good Shotgunning Tip Joe Cermele has some good points on not blocking your target with your gun. This is a common mistake usually caused by rushing your mount or excessive gun movement. Follow these pointer below and you will use less bad words and break more targets. A major cause of baffling misses......
• When To Start Training I'd like to introduce you to Layla. She's six weeks old and I just brought her home two days ago. Soon she'll be retrieving my dove but for now I have to start the training process. Let's face it, at six weeks old her attention span is short and......
• Left Handed Shotgun Catalog Okay, I've been doing a little research on left handed shotguns. I figure I'm not the only left-hander that finds it difficult to find a left handed model. So I compiled a list of left handed shotguns available for 2009. Hope it helps my fellow left handers in their quest......

• Keeping The Love Alive Your relationship is important to you. Everyone cares whether or not their relationship lasts. It is true that some of us reach a burn out point with our partner and during that period we may not work as hard to keep things moving ahead. What often happens is we begin......
• Best Guide for Your Travel in Phoenix Internet surely gives lot of great things in our life. One of them is the best and easiest way to get information. Now, if you plan to visit Phoenix with your girlfriend and you want to take her to best movie theaters, but, you have no idea which movie......
• Cause and Effect in Deaths of Six Teenagers in Melton Mowbray Crash Six young people died at about 2 this morning on the A607 just south-west of Melton  Mowbray. This is where it was.  It was a bend of about 45 degrees on a 40mph double white-lined single carriageway road. Bizarrely, one of the father's blames the police for confiscating his son's......

I wonder who’s going to make the holster that big bastard!!

Pictures from the Firearm Blog:

Here is google’s translation from the original Chinese article.

Talk about home defense!!!

• The Benelli Vinci vs. Argentina The lucky bastards from Shooting Times got to be the first to test Benelli's new Vinci model out in Argentina. The folks from Benelli allowed them to abuse the latest member of the Benelli family, in an effort to establish the Vinci as one of Benelli's premier shotguns. Argentina boasts the largest......
• When To Start Training I'd like to introduce you to Layla. She's six weeks old and I just brought her home two days ago. Soon she'll be retrieving my dove but for now I have to start the training process. Let's face it, at six weeks old her attention span is short and......
• Bird dog training (part I) The following is the first article, written by my brother, in a series on how to train your bird dog. Darla. his lab, is an awesome bird dog. He has trained her since she was a puppy. Not only is she awesome hunting dove, she's great hunting quail also. If you've......

• Weekend Links - Martin Luther King Day Edition It's Martin Luther King day. For some that means you get the day off. Others have to work a normal day. Either way, it's worth reading up on some Martain Luther King Jr. history. When you are done with that catch up on some personal finance links. Jeremy doesn't like......
• Certain Principles Of A Good Content. Perhaps you’ve read about certain principles of a good content for a blog in my previous articles. Now I’d like to add new details. So you can get acquainted with new principles right now. So in addition to the “relativity” of content its value is also determined by comparison. Your......
• The Friday Gathering for 9/4/2008 Ever take on a little too much? I seem to have done so over the past few months. The problem is I have all of these ideas and things I want to do, but not enough time to do them, at least not without sacrificing things that are more......

Starting tomorrow, Browning will begin their coverage of the 2010 Shot Show. Not to mention, they are offering some pretty good deals.

There is no event that is more important for the hunting and shooting business than the annual Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT Show). And it is huge, with over 707,000 square feet of exhibit space and 1,700 exhibitors. Over 1,400 media people will be there covering the show. The SHOT Show comes around once a year and next week is the big week. Just like last year, Browning will offer you blog updates of activities as well as details on product introductions at the Show along with video, articles and photos.

This year’s Show is in Las Vegas, Nevada, which is just a short hop for those of us living out West, working at the Browning headquarters in Morgan, Utah.

Last year the big worry was the direction of the economy. And although times have been very rough for many of you across the country, the mood leading up to this SHOT Show is very optimistic. 2009 was a pretty good year for the industry and we expect the mood to be very positive with many great new products from the best companies. As for Browning, you can expect more excitement, more fun and more great products than ever.

——————————————————————————-

As with last year, Browning’s special Web coverage of the Show will focus heavily on the new in-line products with extra attention given to the rarest of Browning products: the SHOT Show specials. These products — from every category in the Browning lineup — are offered to dealers only at the SHOT Show and usually manufactured in limited quantities. These are not only some of the most interesting and unique products made, but over the years they have proven to be some of the most collectable.

This year the SHOT Show runs from Tuesday, January 19 through Friday the 22nd. 2010 product is online right now, but expect SHOT Show specials to be available online by Tuesday. And, using the link on our home page, you can go to our running blog with extra details and observations from the Browning product managers. Since this is a trade show – not a consumer show – we hope to give you an insider look with our Web coverage.

Last year, with nearly 50,000 in total attendance and with its ranking as the 23rd largest trade show in the United States and Canada, it was truly an impressive gathering. Nearly 2,000 exhibitors are starting in the next few days to set up for the show.

To be a part of the excitement, simply go to browning.com starting Tuesday morning and we should be up and running with our first special reports. We’ll see you there.

When you visit Browning.com next week be sure to visit the SHOT Show blog section for updates, videos and details on new and special products.

——————————————————————————-

I’ll do my best to keep you posted on the specials that go on at the 2010 Shot Show.

• Remington - An American Legend [caption id="attachment_141" align="alignright" width="336" caption="Remington latest, Model 887"][/caption] Remington is one of the greatest companies in America. Since 1816, Remington has been a leader in firearms, ammunition, targets, and many, many more industries. The legend is that Remington's founder, Eliphalet Remington II, believed he could build a better gun than......
• Left-Handed Shotguns Left-Hand Shotguns are few and far between. Finding one that has any style can be hard and expensive. I'm in the market for an over-under 20 ga. or 28 ga. and am getting frustrated. I listen to my brother going over all his options and I'm stuck choosing between plain......
• Walking the field Perhaps my favorite way to hunt dove is to walk the field for those dove that  have lighted in the field. Of course, if you are in a big shoot with many other shotguns, you can't do this for obvious safety reasons.  However, later in the season this method can be......

• Real Estate: No Bottom Yet? John Mauldin is an investment adviser and president of Millennium Wave Investments. He sends out an interesting weekly newsletter, which most recently focusedon the current real estate market.  It seems like the bottom isn't in sight yet: Analyst contend that much of the bad news in the subprime-loan and housing......
• Don't use your time profitably? Sue someone! If keeping your day job is the cake, then investing in yourself outside of your day job is at least the icing, or maybe even another four or five cakes' worth. But if that sounds like way too much work, there's always the chance you can hit the jackpot by......
• Have You Overlook An Important Area When Saving Energy? One of the areas that seems the least understood when using green products is the "carbon footprint". To illustrate this point about green products, a simple story about the use of CFL (Compact Florescent Lamp) bulbs may help. When in a restaurant the other day, I noticed that the......

This is right up my alley. Sixteen lucky contestants will battle weekly for a 100,000 dollar prize. The game, shooting. Each week they will be tested with different weaponry, with one elimination per week. So if you’re interested, scroll down and click on the link to get started. Check out the article from Field and Stream for more information.

Bourjaily: Are You America’s Top Shot?

Can you shoot? Are you in shape? Are you a character?

If you can answer “yes” to all three, you might be the contestant Pilgrim Productions is looking for to appear on the History Channel’s upcoming “America’s Top Shot.”

Pilgrim – producers of “Ultimate Fighter”, ”Dirty Jobs” and “Ghosthunter” – needs to cast 16 shooters. One will eliminated each week in a marksmanship challenge until the last man or woman standing claims the $100,000 prize. Because this is a History Channel show, weekly competitions could feature any projectile weapon ever made, from atlatls to assault rifles.

Pilgrim’s Semi Aboud – casting producer and fellow Lebanese-American – says: “The kind of person who will do well will be an expert in one type of shooting, but will be able to pick up other kinds quickly.”  In addition he says: “Contestants will have to be physically fit. Some of the challenges will involve running, climbing, and lifting heavy objects while shooting.”

Finally, Aboud notes, “You will need a big personality. I hesitate to use the word “character” but this is is TV after all and we want people who are interesting to watch and root for. You will have to be able to express yourself when interviewed about your feelings about the other contestants.”  Having read the comments to this blog, I have no doubt all of you are well-qualified in the “big personality” and “expressing feelings about others” departments.

Not all the details are final. You may shoot these events in historical costume. You may wind up living in a house with 15 other shooters during the filming. At any rate, it will be an adventure, and how cool would it be if a Gun Nut reader appeared on the show?

Application deadline is Jaunaury 18. Click here for your chance.