States Loosen Gun Laws

Obama's election hasn't been the silver bullet that gun rights activists feared—in fact, gun-rights advocates have successfully pushed for increased gun rights in many states. Last week Virginia passed a bill allowing people to carry concealed weapons in bars and other places that serve booze, less than three years after the Virginia Tech massacre. Montana and Tennessee passed the first laws exempting guns and ammunition made in their states from federal regulation last year. Arizona and Wyoming are pondering a half-dozen proposals, including allowing residents to carry concealed weapons without permits, while Indiana blocked employers from banning guns in vehicles on company property. Although Obama signed bills allowing guns in national parks and luggage on Amtrak trains, gun-rights advocates are still skeptical, as the chief executive of the NRA put it, "we know that the first chance Obama gets, he will pounce on us."