West Virginia:

The veteran officer was using a Glock 21 .45 caliber pistol with out of country ammunition at a shooting range outside of Moundsville, [Chief Deputy Kevin] Cecil said.

It’s believed the ammunition was bad, causing the receiver to blow apart in the sergeant’s hand.

Ouch. Link sent by a reader.

via Outdoor Wire:

Archery and muzzleloader deer hunters in West Virginia will be able to enjoy additional antlerless deer hunting opportunities this fall, according to Frank Jezioro, Director of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. The Natural Resources Commission recently approved a special antlerless deer archery season and a special antlerless deer muzzleloader season that will take place on private lands only in selected counties where the harvest of additional antlerless deer is necessary for management purposes.

Archery September 14-19 and muzzleloaders September 21-26. See The Outdoor Wire for more details.

Note: I’ve been asked a number of times why GunPundit doesn’t cover a little more hunting, and it’s a fair question. Murdoc’s not the biggest hunter in the world (to say the least) but I know that many gun owners and outdoor enthusiasts are. So I’ll be making an effort to ramp up hunting coverage a tad here.

Those watching things closely may have noticed a trend:

• Gun sales jump (Utah)
• Area gun sales spike (Alabama)
• Gun sales rise in Ohio, stay flat in Ross County (Ohio)
• Gun sales shoot up after Election Day (Colorado)
• Gun sales up, supplies down (Texas)
• S.D. gun shops see rise in sales (South Dakota)
• Gun, ammo sales increase in Churchill, Lyon counties (Nevada)
• Local gun sales increase since election (Arkansas)
• Gun sales shoot way up (Maine)
• Hawaii gun sales shooting up
• Fear Fuels Gun Sales Locally (West Virginia)
• Gun Sales Are Up Since Obama Election (Kentucky)
• Fear of ban increases gun sales (Mississippi)
• Finger on safety as gun sales shoot upward (Idaho)
• Gun sales rise as owners fear stricter controls (North Carolina)
• Gun Sales Boom Ahead of Obama Presidency (Tennessee)
• Gun Sales Booming Since Presidential Election (Nebraska)
• Gun sales, permits climb following election (North Dakota)
• Gun Sales Rise As Buyers Anticipate Political Change (Washington)
• Gun Sales Shoot Upward in Springfield (Missouri)
• Madison gun sales soar (Virginia)
• Some stores see surge in gun sales (Pennsylvania)
• Firearm sales surge following election (Wisconsin)

These are all from the past two or three days and aren’t simply re-runs of AP items in different papers. All of these have considerable, if not exclusively, local content. I could easily have included many, many more.

No doubt, the media coverage is feeding the flames a bit. As is the fact that hunting seasons are kicking off or underway in most states right now. But the trend is unmistakable.

It doesn’t seem to be localized to the bitter, clingy parts of the nation. Or to the red states.

West Virginia Governor Signs Hunter Safety Education Bill

Signed into law on April 1, Senate Bill 9 directs the West Virginia Board of Education to develop a hunter safety program for use in the state’s public schools.

It will be offered to students in grades six through twelve. This is a great thing, because anything that exposes kids to guns and teaches them safe handling and proper use is not only good for the shooting sports, it’s good for anyone who takes the time to learn and also benefits those around them.

Doubtlessly, antis will see things differently. If people aren’t terrified silly of guns, how are they ever going to ban them?

Three “Castle Doctrine” self-defense bills under consideration:

Maryland: Senate Bill 449
Introduced by State Senators E. J. Pipkin (R-36) and David Brinkley (R-4).

West Virginia: Senate Bill No. 145
Unanimously passed by the WV Senate Judiciary Committee this week.

Minnesota: House File 498
Would increase the allowances for the use of deadly force in defense of home and self.