NEW CASTLE, Del. (AP) — Republican Christine O'Donnell received the endorsement of a newly formed gun-rights group Thursday and vowed to safeguard the right to own guns if elected to the Senate.

Ms. O'Donnell spoke at a news conference hosted by Sportsmen for O'Donnell, a group of gun-rights activists urging Delawareans to vote for Ms. O'Donnell in November over her Democratic opponent, New Castle County Executive Chris Coons.

"I strongly believe that regardless of circumstance, regardless of income, every Delawarean, every citizen, has a constitutional right to self-defense, and our leaders in Washington and our leaders in Dover seem to have forgotten that," Ms. O'Donnell said.

Sportsmen for O'Donnell Chairman John Thompson said Ms. O'Donnell would be a strong voice in Washington for hunters, competitive shooters and law-abiding gun owners.

"She will oppose efforts, by Democrats primarily, to restrict the right to keep and bear arms as protected by the Second Amendment," he added.

Mr. Thompson noted that under Mr. Coons' leadership, a bill was introduced in the state Legislature last year that would have allowed New Castle County to regulate firearms on property owned or leased by the county. Under a pre-emption law dating to the 1980s, local governments in Delaware are prohibited from establishing their own gun control laws, Mr. Thompson said.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/oct/7/odonnell-vows-protect-gun-rights/

One of the most aggressive anti-incumbency ads, though, is being aired by a Democrat. Joe Manchin, the West Virginian governor running for his state's open Senate seat, literally loads up his gun and shoots a bullet through a climate change bill.

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Republican advertising guru Fred Davis, of communications firm Strategic Perception, adheres to a philosophy that the best political ads get people talking. And Mr Davis's ads certainly sparked chatter this year.

In 2008, he was responsible for the "Celebrity" ad, which juxtaposed Mr Obama with images of starlets like Britney Spears, while a breathy announcer intoned "he's the biggest celebrity in the world".

This year, Mr Davis created two of the most-discussed ads. The first involved a "demon sheep" - the primary opponent of California Republican senate candidate Carly Fiorina is pictured as a phoney, red-eyed wolf dressed up in sheep's clothing.

The second opened with the unforgettable phrase: "I'm not a witch". Delaware Republican senate candidate Christine O'Donnell tackles her widely pilloried admission that she had "dabbled" in witchcraft at college by looking straight at the camera and declaring that far from being a witch, she is just like the average voter.

Christine O'Donnell tells voters she is not a witch, rather "I'm you"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11656690

The New York Times, a beacon of sanity amidst the Murdochy madness of the American news media, runs an intriguing gimmick on its website. In this election week which saw a Republican avalanche, readers were asked to choose one word which ''describes your current state of mind''.

Disgusted won out, by a big margin. Hopeful came next, but that was followed by frustrated, anxious, worried, disheartened and disappointed. Contrast this with Barack Obama's win in 2008, which produced elated, hopeful, proud and ecstatic.

This is not scientific polling, but it captures a mood. Times readers are liberal, intelligent and well-educated (rather like Herald readers, if I may be so bold.) They feel let down by Obama's failure to deliver his promise of ''change you can believe in''. Their dismay at the resurgence of the hard right is almost palpable.

And rightly so. The US is in dire straits. Unemployment is stuck at nearly 10 per cent, which means some 15 million people are out of work. Many of those millions face losing their homes. The economy is flatlining and almost certainly heading for recession, even though official interest rates are virtually zero. And the most startling statistic of all: the richest 1 per cent of Americans takes home 24 per cent of the nation's pay packet.

Far from fixing any of this, the Republican onslaught will make things worse. They and their Mad Hatter mates of the Tea Party want to cut taxes for the rich, slash social welfare and hack into any form of federal stimulus for the economy. At best, Washington will be in gridlock for the next two years as the Democrats and Republicans fight it out.

If I were an American I would be very afraid.

Mike Carlton

A US car dealership is trying to drum up business by offering an unusual perk for potential used-truck buyers: a free AK-47 assault rifle.

General sales manager Nick Ginetta says that since the promotion was announced in the Florida town of Sanford on Veterans Day (November 11), business has more than doubled at Nations Trucks.

Customers would have to pass a background check before using the $US400 ($405) gun-shop voucher.

They also have the option of using the money towards other firearms, or they can request a cheque for that amount instead.

The dealership has fielded some complaints about the deal, which Ginetta acknowledges is controversial.

But he adds: "My buyer is absolutely a gun owner, no question."

http://smh.drive.com.au/motor-news/free-ak47-with-every-truck-us-car-dealer-20101116-17uoq.html