National Rifle Association

With the recent passing of Charlton Heston, the National Rifle Assn. lost its biggest media gun. But rocker Ted Nugent -- the man known for once performing in a loincloth and for greeting concertgoers from the back of a bison named Chief -- is prepared to fill in for the elder statesman as popular culture's most outspoken proponent of the 2nd Amendment. In fact, he's set to debut his new song, "I Am the NRA," this weekend at the 2008 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits convention in Louisville, Ky.

Emboldened by Thursday's U.S. Supreme Court ruling affirming the right of individuals to own handguns, advocates said they would immediately challenge a San Francisco law that prohibits guns in public housing and sue other cities nationwide to overturn gun restrictions. The California lawsuit, which the National Rifle Assn.

The National Rifle Assn. is turning up the volume in its campaign against Barack Obama, airing more ads about his record on guns. Starting as early as Sunday, new spots will air in battlegrounds including Ohio, Virginia and Florida. The NRA already has spots in Colorado, New Mexico and Pennsylvania. Some use Obama's line, uttered at a San Francisco fundraiser, about "bitter" people clinging to their guns.

washington -- Republican Rudolph W. Giuliani renounced anti-gun positions he took when he was a moderate mayor of New York, and asked the National Rifle Assn. on Friday to support his presidential candidacy. Giuliani's overture to gun owners is considered a crucial step in his quest to reassure social conservatives, an important Republican constituency, that he shares enough of their values to warrant the party nomination.