In the first half, research scientist John Lott commented on a variety of gun-related topics. Regarding recent reports that the Dept. of Homeland Security plans to stockpile ammunition, he noted that the government saves money when it buys in bulk, and that Homeland Security has around 100,000 employees who are the equivalent of law enforcement-- many of whom undergo extensive training each year. While some have conjectured that they're doing this to drive up the price of ammunition, he believes gun owners shouldn't be concerned as these sales help keep ammunition makers profitable.

Lott reacted to a California Circuit Court ruling that the state couldn't ban both concealed carry and open carry guns. The court also struck down the so-called "good cause" requirement for getting a permit, saying that concern for one's personal safety should be sufficient justification. Typically, the people who're getting the permits in California are politicians and wealthy individuals, and not the people who are most likely to be victims of violent crime, and who need the protection the most, he remarked. Lott also spoke about the dangers of gun-free zones, and suggested that mainstream media often misleads the public on gun issues and studies.

----------------------------------

In the latter half, therapist Carla Wills-Brandon updated her work documenting evidence of contact with the afterlife through deathbed visions. She gave examples of the dying making contact with loved ones who have already departed, indicating that physical death is not the end of one's existence. In one unusual case from Pennsylvania, a husband and wife were in separate hospitals, and one passed on before the other, and was there to great their spouse as they too began to die, she recounted. Physicians and nurses are becoming more aware and accepting of deathbed visions, even if they're non-believers, she reported. Researchers have found that such visions are very common among the dying, and even for those sitting at their bedsides, she noted.

When we crossover to the Other Side, we take with us ourselves in a largely unchanged manner, and the environment is not so drastically different from what we know on Earth-- it's like moving from New York to California, she mused. To get a feeling about what the afterlife is like, people can do a kind of guided imagery exercise, visualizing leaving their body, greeting deceased loved ones, and observing the details of that realm, she suggested. Wills-Brandon also spoke about her study of dreamtime premonitions, which accurately foretell of a coming event or tragedy, and occur to many people who are not particularly psychic.

News segment guests: Gerald Celente, Steve Kates