C.J. Grisham, president and CEO of Open Carry Texas, headlined a rally at the Capitol on Monday with fewer than 100 gun enthusiasts. Grisham and members of his organization want see the passage of House Bill 195 by Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford.

FEBRUARY 24: A gun owner displays his pistol at a class taught by King 33 Training at a shooting range on February 24, 2013 in Wallingford, Connecticut. King 33 Training, a company that trains and educates individuals on the safe and proper use of guns and other uses of protective force, offers classes to marksmen of all levels.

Eight gun control measures that Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has made a centerpiece of his legislative agenda this year died Monday morning in a state Senate committee. McAuliffe announced in December that he would push for a renewal of the state's one-a-month limit on handgun purchases, a requirement that buyers at gun shows undergo background checks, a ban on anyone subject to a protection-from-abuse order having a gun, and revoking concealed-handgun permits for parents who are behind on child-support payments.

The Senate Courts of Justice panel voted Monday against bills aimed at beefing up Virginia's gun control laws. The proposals include limiting handgun purchases to one a month and closing the so-called "gun show loophole" that allows sales by private sellers without a criminal background check.

Doctor Vivek Murthy stands among other bystanders during the first day of legal arguments over the Affordable Care Act outside the Supreme Court in Washington, in this March 26, 2012 file photo. REUTERS/Jason Reed/Files In a 2013 special election, anti-gun U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly swept into office after being bankrolled by former New York City Mayor-and current, self-appointed nanny-stater and financier of the gun control movement-Michael Bloomberg.

Today at noon gun lovers from across the state are gathering on the steps of the Capitol to rally for increased Second Amendment rights. It's part of Minnesota Gun Owners Lobby Day .

Not content with California's gun-control laws, which are among the strictest in the nation, Los Angeles is continuing to demonstrate its liberal bona fides by pursuing even more restrictions. In late November, the City Council unanimously gave tentative approval to an ordinance, authored by Councilman Paul Krekorian, that would require gun owners to apply trigger locks or securely lock away guns even within their homes.

The Des Moines-metro area's first public indoor gun range will open this month in Johnston, and a second indoor facility is already in the works in Clive. CrossRoads Shooting Sports in Johnston and Rangemasters Training Center in Clive could help fill a hole for a growing number of central Iowa gun owners.

The Dispatch welcomes letters to the editor from readers. Typed letters of 200 words or fewer are preferred; all might be edited.

The Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma has accepted money from the highly partisan Everytown for Gun Safety to put on a two day seminar on covering guns and gun violence. They have already been criticized for creating a propaganda vehicle using money supplied by Michael Bloomberg.

Members of a national parent group say they won't shop at Harris Teeter as long as shoppers can bring gun into their stores. National Moms group protests Harris Teeter's gun policy Members of a national parent group say they won't shop at Harris Teeter as long as shoppers can bring gun into their stores.

When South Carolina state Rep. Alan Clemmons heard a Summerville, S.C., high school student had been arrested and suspended from school for a creative writing essay about buying a gun to kill a pet dinosaur, the Republican "That caused me to start looking into what's so wrong with our educational system that a young man gets arrested over a fictional essay about shooting a dinosaur," Clemmons said. Clemmons' investigation included conversations with teachers and school administrators who confirmed his worst fear: zero-tolerance policies had squelched any discussion of the Second Amendment and firearms in schools.

I would like to comment on a letter to the editor which is so far off that it would be laughable if not for how serious the subject is.

Gun rights. What are they? Are there limits? What are American attitudes? What informs positions of Americans? Do race/ethnicity/political affiliation impact attitudes? A Dec. 10, 2014, report by the Pew Research Center indicates current American thoughts on the subject of gun rights and is entitled "Growing Public Support for Gun Rights."

Fresh off a victory in Washington state, a leading gun control group backed by billionaire Michael Bloomberg is hoping to make Oregon its next prize in a campaign to require gun sales to go through universal background checks. Everytown for Gun Safety backed a voter-approved initiative in Washington last year that made the state the 17th in the country to expand background checks past the federal standard applying only to licensed gun dealers.