United States
Baltimore Prosecutor Wants Long Guns to Earn No-parole Jail Sentence
Associated Press
10 March 2010
ANNAPOLIS -- Baltimore's top prosecutor is heading to Annapolis to push state lawmakers to pass stronger gun laws. Baltimore State's Attorney Patricia Jessamy says she plans to appear Thursday at a Senate hearing to recommend expanding a no-parole law that has helped cut violent crime. Under the 2000 law, convicted felons charged with gun possession face a mandatory no-parole penalty of five years in prison. The state's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Bulletproof Body Armour Ban Fails, Moves to California Supreme Court
San Francisco Chronicle
10 March 2010
SAN FRANCISCO - The California Supreme Court said Wednesday it will hear a prosecution appeal of a ruling throwing out a state law that bans anyone who has been convicted of a violent felony from owning body armor. The unanimous order was a victory for Attorney General Jerry Brown, who had asked the court to take up the case, and for San Francisco Police Chief George Gascón, who had urged Brown to appeal. The law, passed... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Cleveland to Fight for Its Gun Restrictions In Front of Ohio Supreme Court
Cleveland Plain Dealer (Ohio)
10 March 2010
COLUMBUS, Ohio - If Cleveland had its way, every gun in the city would have to be registered, no one would carry a weapon openly and assault weapons would be banned. All three of those rules, however -- and there are others the city would like to impose -- run contrary to an Ohio gun law that took effect three years ago establishing one set of firearm rules for everyone from Lake Erie down to the Ohio River. The city has... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Iowa Attorney General Pleads for Law to Take Guns from Domestic Abusers
Des Moines Register (Iowa), Opinion
10 March 2010
The Iowa House of Representatives has an opportunity this week to make Iowa a safer place - by passing a law that will help keep firearms and offensive weapons out of the hands of persons who are subject to a domestic abuse protective order, or who have been convicted of abusing their partners. This bill will save lives. It will help prevent women, men and children from being terrorized, maimed and killed by violent abusers. More... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Massachusetts Supreme Court Rules Gun Storage Law Not Unconstitutional
Associated Press
10 March 2010
BOSTON, Massachusetts - The highest court in Massachusetts on Wednesday upheld the constitutionality of a state law that requires gun owners to lock weapons in their homes in a ruling applauded by gun-control advocates. The case had been closely watched by both gun-control and gun-rights proponents. Massachusetts prosecutors argued that the law saves lives because it requires guns to be kept in a locked container or equipped... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
California Refused, But Mentally Unstable Pentagon Shooter Got 2 Guns
WUSA-9 TV News (Washington DC)
9 March 2010
ARLINGTON, Virginia - How did a man with a history of mental illness and run-ins with the law get two semi-automatic handguns? Handguns that John Patrick Bedell allegedly used to attack two Pentagon police officers last Thursday? Bedell tried to buy a handgun in California and was turned away, apparently because of his mental illness. But the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says it's still unsure... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Student Openly Wears Pistol at Utah University, Insists He Has the Right
Fox News (USA)
9 March 2010
OREM, Utah - A Utah Valley University student says he is within his rights openly displaying a gun while carrying a concealed gun permit, even while on campus. And that is what student Nick Moyes did Friday morning when he was stopped by the campus police and was told to put the gun away. As president of UVU's Republican Club, Moyes was hanging posters for an event when he was detained. "We are allowed to open carry on... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Tiny Ohio Town Faces Lawsuit for Excluding Gun Shop, Banning Guns
Vindicator (Ohio)
9 March 2010
CAMPBELL, California - Council is reconsidering a citywide gun-sales ban after a lawsuit threat. Law director Mark Kolmacic told city council at its caucus meeting last week that a group called Ohioans for Concealed Carry has threatened a lawsuit over the ban, which stemmed from an effort by a Hubbard man to open a gun-repair shop on property he owns at 120 Robinson Road. Kolmacic would not elaborate after the meeting,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Chicago Mayor Makes Annual Call for Gun Control, Microstamping Pistols
Chicago Tribune
8 March 2010
Flanked by several parents who had lost children to gun violence, Mayor Richard Daley on Monday called for new laws to restrict gun sales and stiffen penalties for criminals who use them. Although Daley announces new gun-control initiatives every year, this year's announcement took on added significance because the U.S. Supreme Court is weighing whether to overturn the city's handgun ban. "The aggressiveness of the gun... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Owners Flaunting Weapons in Public 'Expose Rifts' in US Gun Lobby
New York Times
8 March 2010
For years, being able to carry a concealed handgun has been a sacred right for many gun enthusiasts. In defending it, Charlton Heston, the actor and former president of the National Rifle Association, used to say that the flock is safer when the wolves cannot tell the difference between the lions and the lambs. But a grass-roots effort among some gun rights advocates is shifting attention to a different goal: exercising the right... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Pro-gun Lobby Stirs It Up At Starbucks, Obama Fails to Deliver Gun Control
Sunday Times (UK)
8 March 2010
WASHINGTON - It is not exactly Gunfight at the OK Corral -- more like Lattes at High Noon -- but the Starbucks coffee chain has become an unlikely battleground for US gun owners campaigning to carry their weapons openly in public. Last Thursday morning, Jim Snyder walked into a Starbucks cafe in Virginia and ordered a tall hot chocolate without cream. On his left hip was his mobile phone. On his right hip was a semi-automatic Browning... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Supreme Court Gun Control Case Could Have Broad Impact - George Will
Washington Post, Column
8 March 2010
WASHINGTON -- It is said, more frequently than precisely, that the reasons the Supreme Court gives for doing whatever it does are as important as what it does. Actually, the court's reasons are what it does. Hence, the interest in the case the Supreme Court considered last week. It probably will result in a routine ruling that extends a 2008 decision and renders dubious many state and local gun control laws. What could -- but, judging... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mexico,United States
Tennessee Gun Collector, Drug Dealer Blows Whistle on US-Mexico Trade
Scripps Howard News Service (USA)
8 March 2010
The U.S. boss of a violent Mexican drug cartel who admitted ordering a hit on someone who ran afoul of him has been a busy man since authorities nabbed him and 34 kilograms of his cocaine at the border. He's traveled to Williamsport, Pa., to accompany his son on a Little League baseball trip. He's attended his sister's graduation from Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. He's vacationed with his family in Panama City, Fla.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Irish Gun Law Flaw Feared Forcing Hunters to Shoot Unlawfully
Sunday Business Post (Ireland)
7 March 2010
The Department of Justice took four months to inform the Department of the Environment about a major error in its new firearms licensing system. The justice department has already confirmed that it accidentally omitted a declaration on the new licence which permits gun-owners to hunt legally in the state. The mistake means holders of the new licence who shot protected animals during the recently-closed hunting seasons for... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Supreme Court Weighs, Could Weaken US State, Local Gun Control Laws
San Francisco Chronicle
7 March 2010
WASHINGTON - Gun-control advocates think, if not pray, they can win by losing when the Supreme Court decides whether the constitutional right to possess guns serves as a check on state and local regulation of firearms. The justices will be deciding whether the Second Amendment - like much of the rest of the Bill of Rights - applies to states as well as the federal government. It's widely believed they will say it does. But... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
America's Love Affair With Firearms Won't Be Quelled By Mere Statistics
Irish Times
6 March 2010
AMERICA -- Cities and states that restrict gun ownership are seeing that prerogative threatened by the Supreme Court "We Americans, we cling proudly to our guns and religion," Sarah Palin, the failed vice-presidential candidate and darling of the Tea Party movement, said at a recent rally for Rick Perry, the Republican governor of Texas. The historian Richard Hofstadter coined the phrase "gun culture" to describe America's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Virginia Kills Attempt to Reverse One-handgun-a-month Limit on Sales
Washington Post
5 March 2010
A Virginia Senate panel designed to eliminate House gun rights proposals went about its work efficiently Thursday, killing an attempted repeal of the state's 17-year-old ban on buying more than one handgun a month and several other bills. The Senate Courts of Justice special subcommittee, which was composed of four Democrats and one Republican, voted 4 to 1 along party lines to table the gun-a-month repeal sponsored by Del. L. Scott... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Chicago's Pointless Handgun Ban: Crime Weakens Case for Gun Control
Chicago Tribune, Column
4 March 2010
When Chicago passed a ban on handgun ownership in 1982, it was part of a trend. Washington, D.C., had done it in 1976, and a few Chicago suburbs took up the cause in the following years. They all expected to reduce the number of guns and thus curtail bloodshed. District of Columbia Attorney General Linda Singer told The Washington Post in 2007, "It's a pretty common-sense idea that the more guns there are around, the more gun violence... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
Commission Proposes Ban on Semi-automatic Handguns in Finland
Macleans (Canada)
4 March 2010
On Sept. 23, 2008, a culinary student named Matti Juhani Saari walked into a vocational college in Kauhajoki, Finland, drew a semi-automatic pistol, and killed 10 people before taking his own life. Less than a year earlier, an 18-year-old fatally shot eight people at a high school in Tuusula, 50 km north of Helsinki, before killing himself. In the wake of Saari's rampage, Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen promised a grieving nation that... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Landmark One-handgun-a-month Sales Limit Faces Reversal in Virginia
Washington Post
4 March 2010
RICHMOND,Virginia - The latest and most significant effort to repeal Virginia's gun laws faces a critical vote on Thursday, when senators will consider a measure that would undo the state's landmark one-gun-a-month law. Democrats, who control the Senate, will try to kill the legislation through a newly formed subcommittee that they stacked with anti-gun lawmakers. Republicans and other gun rights advocates have protested, saying... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Maine Lawmakers Consider Removing Guns in Cases of Domestic Abuse
Bangor Daily News (Maine) / Capital News Service
4 March 2010
AUGUSTA, Maine -- Members of the Legislature's Criminal Justice Committee have voted to allow a bill to be considered this session that would require police to seize all guns in the possession of a person charged with a domestic violence offense. Rep. Anne Haskell, D-Portland, co-chairwoman of the committee, said the bill is based on language from a working group created by law last year to examines issues concerning domestic violence... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Pentagon Police Officers Shot, Gunman Killed in State with 'Lax Gun Law'
New York Times
4 March 2010
WASHINGTON -- Two police officers at the Pentagon were wounded Thursday evening when a man walked up to the entrance of the complex's subway station and, without a word, opened fire on them, Pentagon officials said. Police officers quickly returned fire, fatally shooting the gunman after hitting him once in the head and once in the shoulder. The gunman was identified as John Patrick Bedell, 36, according to a police official here... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Case Courts Disaster: Inevitable Increase in Illegal Gun Trafficking
Philadelphia Inquirer, Editorial
4 March 2010
A gun-rights decision by the Supreme Court two years ago threatened to make it more dangerous to walk the streets of Washington. Now the top court's conservative voting bloc seems intent upon expanding the risk to other U.S. cities by dismantling strong gun-violence safeguards. Chicago's long-standing handgun ban came into the crosshairs of the National Rifle Association this week, as the group sought to extend the reach... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Bill Would Stop Florida Using Hidden Handgun Money for Public Projects
Associated Press
3 March 2010
TALLAHASSEE, Florida - The Florida Senate has passed a bill that will force lawmakers to keep their hands off a trust fund that covers the costs of the state's concealed weapons permitting program. The bill (SB 1158), a top priority for the National Rifle Association, passed Tuesday. It now goes to the House where a similar measure (HB 651) has cleared committee and awaits floor action. The Legislature recently has been... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Constitutional Bookends Close In, Corral US Gun Control Movement
Atlantic (USA), Column
3 March 2010
The second Constitutional bookend corralling the modern American gun control movement is just about in place. The Supreme Court's oral argument Tuesday morning strongly suggests that a majority of the justices intend to extend onto the state and local scene the Second Amendment's individual gun rights. Once such a ruling is in place (bet the house on the last week of June) we'll see a sea change in the way gun ordinances are written, enacted,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Effort to Tighten Minnesota's Gun Show Law Getting Folks Riled Up
Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St Paul)
3 March 2010
From Virginia to Arizona, federal and state gun laws are loosening everywhere from national parks to Amtrak trains. But in St. Paul, a proposal that would send Minnesota in the opposite direction is headed toward its first hearing Friday -- a bill requiring background checks on the purchaser of any firearm sold at a gun show. The proposal pits its DFL sponsor, St. Paul Rep. Michael Paymar, against the mighty arsenal of... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Laws: US Supreme Court Should Toss Out Chicago Handgun Ban
El Paso Times, Editorial
3 March 2010
In 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a strict handgun ban in the District of Columbia. Now the court is considering a strict gun ban in Chicago. But there's a big difference between the two cases. The D.C. case covered only federal jurisdictions. According to a McClatchy Newspapers story, "District of Columbia v. Heller applied only to federal jurisdictions, because the Bill of Rights, as originally written, covers federal... ( gunpolicy.org )
New Zealand
Judge Tosses New Zealand Police Reclassification of Assault Weapons
New Zealand Herald
3 March 2010
A High Court decision has set back efforts by police to impose greater controls on a wider range of firearms. The court has ruled against a move by police to reclassify many "sporting configuration" firearms as military-style semi-automatics (MSSAs). Police spent $60,000 advertising the changes. Owners would have had to undergo more stringent vetting, register each affected weapon and have a more expensive gun safe. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
Ireland,United Kingdom
Report Details Last Acts of Gun Surrender, Destruction in Northern Ireland
Associated Press
3 March 2010
DUBLIN, Ireland - The governments of Ireland and Britain praised their disarmament commission Wednesday and published its final achievements in removing weapons from Northern Ireland's underground armies. Both governments in 1997 asked Canadian Gen. John de Chastelain to persuade a half-dozen militant factions to surrender their hidden arsenals. That mission finally ended last month with a flurry of weapons moves. Wednesday's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
All US Gun Laws Could Be in Jeopardy, Depending on High Court Case
National Public Radio (USA), Transcript
2 March 2010
The U.S. Supreme Court steps back onto the firing range, so to speak, as it takes up the controversial question of gun rights Tuesday. At issue is whether the Second Amendment right to bear arms puts constitutional limits on state and local laws as well as federal laws. For the first 100 years of America's history, the Bill of Rights -- protecting rights of free speech and religion, among others -- limited only what the federal... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Another Landmark Constitutional Duel Over Right to Bear Guns in America
Wall Street Journal
2 March 2010
The Supreme Court today is the scene of a Constitutional duel in a case that will decide if the Second Amendment's guarantee of an individual right to bear arms applies to the states. The answer will determine whether the Court's landmark 2008 decision in District of Columbia v. Heller is a hollow legal anomaly, or if it extends nationwide. In McDonald v. Chicago, the Justices will consider whether the Windy City's ban on handguns... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
At Least 5 US Supreme Court Justices Poised to Relax US Gun Controls
New York Times
2 March 2010
WASHINGTON -- At least five justices appeared poised to expand the scope of the Second Amendment's protection of the right to bear arms on Tuesday, judging from comments at an unusually intense Supreme Court argument. By its conclusion, it seemed plain that the court would extend a 2008 decision that first identified an individual right to own guns to strike down Chicago's gun control law, widely considered the most restrictive... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Black Chicago Supreme Court Plaintiff 'Pawn of Wealthy White Gun Nuts'?
Chicago Sun-Times
2 March 2010
Otis McDonald doesn't care what you think. You can accuse the black inner-city grandfather of betraying Chicago neighborhoods overrun by thugs with guns. Go ahead, call him a pawn of wealthy, white gun-nuts suing to lift the city's handgun ban. But the 76-year-old Morgan Park man who has become the face of one of the most important Second Amendment lawsuits in history wants you to know this: He is not a "showpiece"... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Found with Machine Gun, AK-47s, Gun Owner Decries 'Most Wanted' List
Daily Record (New Jersey)
2 March 2010
PARSIPPANY, New Jersey - A lawyer defending a Parsippany man accused of owning illegal assault guns and trying to sell a machine gun wants prosecutors to reveal whether his client or the buyer were on any county-wide lists of targeted alleged criminals. Filed on behalf of defendant Adam Coughlan, attorney Gregg D. Trautmann's motion was filed in Superior Court, Morristown, in response to a law enforcement initiative announced in... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Government Has No Right to Deny Divine Right of US Gun Ownership
Augusta Chronicle (Georgia), Editorial
2 March 2010
In the comedy Roxanne , Steve Martin is a fire chief of an incompetent department that's as likely to start a fire as put one out. "I have a dream," he tells the men after dousing one of their own little fires. "It's not a big dream, it's just a little dream. My dream -- and I hope you don't find this too crazy -- is that I would like the people of this community to feel that if, God forbid, there were a fire, calling the fire department... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
High Court Justices Suggest They May Overturn More US Gun Control Laws
Associated Press
2 March 2010
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court suggested Tuesday it will strike down U.S. cities' outright bans on handguns, a ruling that could establish a nationwide ownership right fervently sought by gun advocates. But the justices indicated less severe limits could survive, continuing disputes over the "right to keep and bear arms." Chicago area residents who want handguns for protection in their homes are asking the court to extend its 2008... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Learning from DC Handgun Ban: Less Gun Control Leads to Less Crime
Washington Times, Editorial
2 March 2010
The year after the Supreme Court struck down the District of Columbia's handgun ban and gun-lock requirements, the capital city's murder rate plummeted 25 percent. The high court should keep that in mind today as it hears oral arguments about a Chicago handgun ban. Gun controllers screamed to high heaven that impending disaster would follow the court's decision to junk some of the district's gun controls. One of those screaming... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Supreme Court Likely to Strike Down Some US Gun Laws, But How Many?
Talk Radio News (USA)
2 March 2010
Even liberal Justices seemed to agree in today's Supreme Court oral arguments that the Second Amendment must prevent cities and states from passing certain gun regulations. The Supreme Court in 2008 ruled that the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to bear firearms, but that ruling applied to only the federal government, and today's case, McDonald v. Chicago, raised the question of whether states as well are prevented from restricting... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Supreme Court Poised to Rule on Chicago's Longstanding Handgun Ban
ABC News (USA)
2 March 2010
Otis McDonald, 76, is afraid for his life in his crime-saturated Chicago neighborhood and he is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn his city's strict ban on handguns in the home. "In my home, this is the only time I worry," McDonald said. "There's more guns coming into this city than the police can take away from them. So if I've got a gun, and if others have guns in their homes to protect themselves, then that's one thing... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Supreme Court Refuses to Release Same-day Audio of US Gun Ban Case
Associated Press
2 March 2010
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court is declining to release the audio of Tuesday's high-profile argument over gun rights upon its conclusion. Spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said the court turned down a request by broadcasters, often made in closely watched cases, to provide the same-day audio recordings of the argument. With television cameras and reporters' tape recorders barred from the court, the availability of audio provides the public... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Supreme Court Seems Ready to Up-end Gun Control in US Cities, States
Christian Science Monitor
2 March 2010
WASHINGTON - The US Supreme Court appears to be on verge of extending the constitutional protection of the Second Amendment's right to keep and bear arms to every jurisdiction in the nation. During an hour-long oral argument at the high court on Tuesday, several justices exhibited a willingness to enforce their landmark 2008 gun-rights decision at the state and local level. If they do so, the decision may doom not only... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Supreme Court Considers National Expansion of Right to Bear Arms
Reuters
2 March 2010
The Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared likely to extend the federal right to own guns to state and local governments, but some justices said firearms still could face regulations and restrictions. In a legal challenge to Chicago's 28-year-old handgun ban, the high court seemed deeply divided along conservative and liberal lines in considering how broadly to extend its landmark 2008 ruling that individual Americans have a federal... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Virginia Democrats Aim to Quash Gun Lobby Bills in 'Gun-running State'
Richmond Times-Dispatch (Virginia)
2 March 2010
A number of House of Delegates bills that would make it easier to purchase, carry and use guns have been routed to a newly created Senate subcommittee loaded with legislators opposed to expanding gun rights. Sen. Henry L. Marsh III, D-Richmond, chairman of the Democrat-controlled Senate Courts of Justice Committee, announced the shift. The new panel appears to be an attempt to defeat firearms legislation that would stand... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Wisconsin to Compel Gun Dealers to Check Mental History of Purchasers
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Wisconsin)
2 March 2010
MADISON, Wisconsin -- Dealers would have to check the mental health histories of handgun buyers before selling them firearms under a bill passed unanimously Tuesday by the Senate. Senators also advanced a bill that could lead to limits on the areas where tickets for Milwaukee Brewers and Green Bay Packers games could be resold outside the stadiums. The handgun measure is meant to help prevent shootings such as the one at... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Chicago Handgun Ban Presents Quandary for US Supreme Court Justices
Washington Post
1 March 2010
As a member of the Junior ROTC, teenager Antonin Scalia toted his rifle on the subway ride back and forth to Queens. As a hunter, he speaks lyrically of stalking wild turkeys. And as a justice, he may have reached the pinnacle of his more than two decades on the Supreme Court when he wrote the majority opinion that said the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to own a firearm. But when the justices on Tuesday confront... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Handpicked Gun Owners the 'Face' of Drive to Lobby US Supreme Court
Associated Press
1 March 2010
CHICAGO -- A couple worries that burglars who tried to break in when the wife was home alone will return. A retiree fears the drug dealers and junkies just outside his window will attempt -- again -- to steal what he spent a lifetime earning. And a businessman wants to protect himself as he could when he was a police officer. Together, they are the face of the most serious challenge yet to Chicago's 28-year-old handgun ban. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Right of Americans to Protect Themselves Against Other People's Guns
New York Times, Editorial
1 March 2010
Two years ago, the Supreme Court struck down parts of the District of Columbia's gun-control law. On Tuesday, the court will consider whether that decision should apply everywhere in the country, not just in the federal territory of the nation's capital. We disagreed strongly with the 2008 decision, which took an expansive and aggressive view of the right to bear arms. But there is an even broader issue at stake in the new case:... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Tories Used 'Every Trick in the Book' to Stall Police Gun Registry Report
Toronto Star (Ontario), Editorial
1 March 2010
As Parliament resumes sitting this week, among the issues on the order paper will be gun control -- specifically, a private member's bill to abolish the long-gun registry. The bill passed second reading last fall by a vote of 164-137 as some Liberals and New Democrats joined the Conservatives in supporting it. Critics of the long-gun registry insisted that it is of little use to the police and not worth maintaining. This argument... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Second Amendment Has Become a Frivolous Challenge to Gun Law
San Francisco Chronicle, Opinion
1 March 2010
In 2006, Harvey Jackson pleaded guilty to illegal drug distribution and firearm possession after he was caught selling cocaine out of his home. Two years later, when the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Second Amendment protects a right to possess a firearm in the home for self-defense, however, Jackson challenged his conviction, arguing that the amendment guaranteed his right to keep a gun to protect himself while conducting his home drug... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Virginia Bows to Gun Lobby, Moves to Scrap One-gun-a-month Sales Limit
Washington Post, Editorial
1 March 2010
When then-U.S. Attorney Richard Cullen, a Republican, gave vigorous support in 1993 to Virginia limiting the purchase of handguns to one a month, some people questioned the propriety of a federal prosecutor getting involved in a state legislative matter. But Mr. Cullen believed that it was his duty to speak out because the gun running made possible by Virginia's lax laws was a national problem. That is just as true today -- and it's why... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Campaign Grows as More US Gun Owners Flaunt Handguns in Starbucks
Associated Press
28 February 2010
Dale Welch recently walked into a Starbucks in Virginia, handgun strapped to his waist, and ordered a banana Frappuccino with a cinnamon bun. He says the firearm drew a double-take from at least one customer, but not a peep from the baristas. Welch's foray into the coffeehouse was part of an effort by some gun owners to exercise and advertise their rights in states that allow people to openly carry firearms. Even in some... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Lobbyists Packing Handguns Startle San Francisco Beachgoers
Associated Press
28 February 2010
SAN FRANCISCO, California - Men and women, armed with handguns strapped to their sides in holsters, fanned out across San Francisco's Baker Beach to help pick up trash and to increase awareness of gun-owners' rights. Robert Montgomery, 39, of San Jose, said he joined in the event Saturday to get out the message that "it's not just criminals who carry guns." Montgomery also wore a miniature video camera and recorded audio... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Supreme Court Tipped to Loosen Reins on City, State Gun Control
Associated Press
27 February 2010
WASHINGTON - Gun control advocates are hoping they can win by losing when the Supreme Court rules on state and local regulation of firearms. The justices will be deciding whether the right to possess guns guaranteed by the Second Amendment -- like much of the rest of the Bill of Rights -- applies to states as well as the federal government. It's widely believed they will say it does. But even if the court strikes down handgun... ( gunpolicy.org )
Philippines,United States
Montana Shooting Promoter Touts Illegal Trophy Hunting in Philippines
AllHeadLineNews (USA)
26 February 2010
MANILA, Philippines - A U.S.-based group offering trophy hunting in the Philippines has caught the attention of Filipino officials. Hunting wildlife is illegal in the Philippines under the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act. In an advisory issued on Friday, the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau reminded foreign nationals not to transact with groups offering trophy hunting in the Philippines. "Any person who will... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Supreme Court Decision Could Further Weaken Gun Laws Across America
USA Today
26 February 2010
WASHINGTON -- In 2008, when national gun rights advocates were looking for residents to challenge Chicago's ban on handguns, Otis McDonald was in effect looking for them. McDonald, 76, says he had seen his neighborhood on the far South Side of Chicago turn from bad to worse over the years with "gangbangers and drug dealers." "My wife and I are here alone all the time now," says McDonald, a retired maintenance engineer, who with... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Canada Safety Council Wants Replica Guns Registered, Owners Licensed
CBC News (Canada)
25 February 2010
Replica guns should be licensed and registered just like the real thing, say safety advocates and police. In recent years, police officers across the country have shot and killed several people holding guns that later turned out to be replicas. The Canada Safety Council has approached police to push for gun replicas to be regulated under the federal Firearms Act, said council president Emile Thérien. That would require them to... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Lobby Targets California Sheriff's Hidden Handgun Permit Policy
Orange County Register (California), Blog
25 February 2010
Sheriff Sandra Hutchens prompted guffaws from some Second Amendment stalwarts when she said at a Feb. 9 candidate forum that she's approved 90 percent of applications for concealed weapons permits. In fact, she's significantly tightened distribution criteria. There are 22 percent fewer CCW permits than when Hutchens was appointed to the job in 2008. And most permits she's approved come with restrictions absent from permits issued... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Maine Plans to Buck New Federal Rule Allowing Guns in National Parks
Associated Press
25 February 2010
AUGUSTA, Maine -- Lawmakers in Maine, home to one of the nation's most-visited national parks, are considering whether to override a new federal law that allows guns in the sanctuaries. A law that took effect Monday lets licensed gun owners take firearms into national parks and wildlife refuges - provided state law doesn't say otherwise. No states have laws that supersede the new policy, officials say. The Maine bill would... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Fearing Imagined Obama Agenda, US States Push to Loosen Gun Laws
New York Times
24 February 2010
When President Obama took office, gun rights advocates sounded the alarm, warning that he intended to strip them of their arms and ammunition. And yet the opposite is happening. Mr. Obama has been largely silent on the issue while states are engaged in a new and largely successful push for expanded gun rights, even passing measures that have been rejected in the past. In Virginia, the General Assembly approved a bill last... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Laws Loosen in US, Even as Gun Policy Changes Little Under Obama
CBS News (USA) / Political Hotsheet, Blog
24 February 2010
Gun rights advocates are pushing for a slew of new laws in numerous states to loosen gun control, the New York Times reports, in anticipation of stricter gun control laws from the Obama administration. Those policies, however, have yet to materialize. Because he campaigned on promises to make the expired federal Assault Weapons Ban permanent, to close the loophole that allows unlicensed dealers to sell firearms at gun shows without... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Oregon Lawmaker, Gun Lobby Fight to Allow Hidden Handguns for Felons
Oregonian (Portland)
24 February 2010
SALEM -- Lawmakers scrambled Wednesday to fix what they called a "mistake" in a bill from last year that vastly broadened rights of convicted felons to obtain a license to own a gun in Oregon. But opposition from the gun lobby quickly doused all but a single tweak: Felons must make their requests to a Circuit Court judge instead of a justice of the peace. Language in a 2009 bill inadvertently changed state law to allow... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Current Laws Not Stopping Illegal Gun Epidemic in East Bay, California
San Francisco Chronicle, Column
23 February 2010
Since the start of the year, Oakland police have confiscated more than 200 illegal guns during routine traffic stops and planned police arrests. In Richmond, police seized more than 25 guns in vehicles during routine traffic stops in January alone. Illegal guns have become an epidemic problem in the East Bay. It seems we've become numb to the constant gun violence and remain unfazed when the gunman turns out to be too young... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Colorado University Embroiled in Debate Over Hidden Handguns in Class
National Public Radio (USA), Transcript
22 February 2010
Across the U.S., most public universities ban students and faculty from carrying concealed handguns on campus. Colorado State University has, up until now, been one of the few exceptions to this rule. But now, campus leadership wants to change the policy, and that's not sitting well with students and local gun rights advocates. The university's board of directors voted to pass a ban on carrying concealed weapons last year. At a... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Guns Now Permitted But Not Necessarily Welcomed in US National Parks
Los Angeles Times
22 February 2010
A federal law taking effect Monday may alter the standard checklist for many Americans as they pack to visit their national parks: insect repellent, snacks, hiking boots ... double-barreled shotgun. Visitors now can pack heat in any national park from Gates of the Arctic to Everglades, provided they comply with the firearms laws of the park's home state, according to the new law that was passed as an amendment to credit-card legislation.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Milwaukee Police, DA Blast Law Designed to Suppress Gun Tracing Data
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Wisconsin) / Watchdog Reports
22 February 2010
As a candidate, Barack Obama promised to get rid of a law - quietly passed by Congress - that hides information from the public about guns used in crimes and the stores that sell them. Instead, President Obama has embraced most of the law and added even more rules that could make it harder for law enforcement to crack down on dealers and stores selling guns to criminals. While supporters of the secrecy law say shielding... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada
Tories Delayed, Disputed Mounties' Report Showing Gun Registry Success
Toronto Star (Ontario)
22 February 2010
OTTAWA -- The release of an annual firearms report last fall was delayed by testy officials in the public safety minister's office who demanded to know, among other things, details about an employee "celebration" of the program's 10th anniversary. That was just one of a series of questions posed to RCMP officials after the 2008 Commissioner of Firearms Report was delivered to the minister's office for tabling -- a full seven weeks... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Libertarians Sue Washington DC for Right to Carry Hidden Handguns
Washington Post
21 February 2010
He was at the heart of the landmark Supreme Court case that took down the District's handgun ban. But before arriving at the range, he warns in a text message: "You will find I'm not the best shot." Once he fires a few rounds, however, it's clear that Tom G. Palmer is no novice, either. He lands a couple right in the torso of his human-shaped target. Then he aims at the target's head, misses once by a few inches, then hits twice.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Chicago's Supreme Court Gun Case: Will Justice Antonin Scalia Flip-Flop?
Wall Street Journal / Law Blog, Blog
19 February 2010
"Of course, properly understood, it is no limitation upon arms control by the states." -- Justice Antonin Scalia, writing in 1997 about the Second Amendment. Since we declared our affection for McDonald v. Chicago, the big gun rights case that will be heard next month by the Supreme Court, the pre-gaming analysis has continued unabated. Today LB colleague Jess Bravin weighs in with his own take on the alliances and buzz... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Court Injunctions New Trend in Controlling California Gang Gun Violence
San Francisco Chronicle
19 February 2010
In a bold move to reduce escalating gang violence, Oakland asked for a court order Thursday to severely restrict gang activity in a 100-block swath. Nineteen people police identified as gang members would be placed under a curfew and prohibited from associating with one another, loitering and possessing guns in the "safety zone," an area in North Oakland near the Berkeley and Emeryville borders, if the Alameda County Superior Court... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Getting Rid of Gun Control: One-gun-a-month Limit Hurts the Law-abiding
Washington Times, Editorial
19 February 2010
Virginia finally is poised to repeal its unusual law that prohibits law-abiding citizens from buying more than one gun per month. It's about time, because the red tape has not had the desired effect in lowering crime. There is no academic research by criminologists or economists that shows that one-gun-a-month regulations reduce crime in either the states that pass them or their neighbors. The laws have merely inconvenienced honest Americans... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Gun Control Defeat Inevitable in US Supreme Court Handgun Ban Case?
Bloomberg (USA)
19 February 2010
For gun-control advocates, defeat may be inevitable in the Chicago handgun-ban case before the U.S. Supreme Court. The question is whether they will get a consolation prize. The central issue in the case, set for argument March 2, is whether the Constitution's Second Amendment applies to state and local gun laws, in addition to those enacted by the federal government and District of Columbia. When the court in 2008 struck down D.C.'s... ( gunpolicy.org )
Hungary
Hungary PM Calls for Greater Gun Control, Crackdown on 'Sport' Shooters
Hungary Around the Clock (Budapest)
19 February 2010
Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai yesterday asked Justice and Law Enforcement Minister Imre Forgács to draft a decree on tightening gun control regulations within days. Bajnai spoke about crime as he assessed 2009 at a police conference. "The tragic or almost tragic shooting incidents of recent months have drawn attention to the need to tighten regulations on access to firearms," he said, adding "we cannot allow sick people who are... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New Law Pushed by US Gun Lobby Allows Loaded Guns In National Parks
Associated Press
19 February 2010
WASHINGTON - Loaded guns will be allowed in Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon and other national parks under a new law that takes effect Monday. The law lets licensed gun owners bring firearms into national parks and wildlife refuges as long as they are allowed by state law. It comes over the objections of gun-control advocates who fear it will lead to increased violence in national parks. The national parks law takes effect... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
North Carolina Collector of Assault Weapons Also a Convicted Murderer
ABC News (USA)
19 February 2010
SALISBURY, North Carolina - Authorities have arrested and charged a convicted felon who had a large number of guns at his home in Salisbury. Investigators with the Rowan County Sheriff's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) received a tip that Jessie Sexton was a convicted felon and had several firearms at his home on Jacob Bost Road. Assault rifles, shotguns, handguns, rare and collectible guns... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Some US Coffee Chains Ban Gun-toting Customers, Starbucks Trembles
New York Times, Editorial
19 February 2010
It looked like a casting call for a Sam Pekinpah shoot-'em-up: 100 or so gun enthusiasts showed up at the Buckhorn Grill in Walnut Creek, Calif., this month with revolvers strapped on their hips. "We're not politically involved," the restaurant manager declared as he agreed to serve the supporters of Open Carry, a group that goes around flaunting gun owners' right -- under a benighted California law -- to pack weapons in public. Four... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
If Virginia Lifts One-gun-a-month Pistol Sale Limit, Get Ready for Mayhem
Washington Post, Editorial
18 February 2010
In a rare moment of gun law sanity, Virginia enacted a bill 17 years ago limiting the purchase of handguns to one a month. Almost immediately, the numbers of guns traced to Virginia that were used in crimes in the Northeast, particularly in New York, dropped sharply. Now, thanks to Del. L. Scott Lingamfelter, a Prince William County Republican who is pushing to repeal the law, the Old Dominion may regain the dubious distinction of being... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations,United States
Obama, Clinton Join UN Treaty Push to Set Global Gun Trade Controls
Defense News (USA)
18 February 2010
The United States is working with other countries and the United Nations to impose uniform controls on international sales of conventional arms. But the U.S. State Department said it is likely to be years before an Arms Trade Treaty takes effect. The United States is committed to pursuing a "robust treaty" that sets "the highest possible legally binding standards" for international sales of conventional weapons, U.S. Ambassador... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Report Ranks California Gun Control Law the Best, Utah Worst in America
Orange County Register (California)
18 February 2010
California has the strongest gun laws in the nation, according to a survey released today by a powerful gun-control group as it prods state Legislators to enact further precautions. The survey by the national Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence gave California high marks for making background checks mandatory for all gun purchases and limiting buyers to one handgun a month. It also applauded a new state law that regulates the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Finland
National Handgun Ban Mooted After String of Shootings in Finland
Associated Press
17 February 2010
HELSINKI, Finland - A Finnish government commission on Wednesday proposed a ban on semiautomatic handguns after two school shootings in recent years left 20 people dead. The ban, which needs parliamentary approval, would sharply reduce the number of legal weapons in a country that ranks among the world's top five in civilian gun ownership. "We've had a very weapon-friendly culture," commission chairman Pekka Sauri said.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
'Clarified' Law Allows Utah Gun Owners to Threaten with Firearm if Scared
Deseret News (Utah)
16 February 2010
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- A Senate committee approved a bill to clarify Utah firearms laws and allow gun owners to display and threaten to use their guns in self-defense. The panel passed the bill on Tuesday, despite Democrats who voiced concern that the bill might increase violence. "I'm not sure this is a step in the right direction," Sen. Ben McAdams, D-Salt Lake. In the end he voted for the bill, while a fellow Democrat,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Handgun Sales Up, Arkansas Shooters Urge Trigger Locks, Child Training
KAIT-8 TV News (Arkansas)
16 February 2010
JONESBORO, Arkansas - Gun experts told Region 8 News Tuesday more people have purchased pistols over the last year. According to Cody Driskell with DNW Outdoors, pistol sales have risen approximately 50% in the last year. This comes as law enforcement agencies across the Region 8 viewing area urge parents to safely secure all types of firearms. "As a parent, you need to teach your kid about guns. If you're going to have guns around... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Virginia House Moves to Lift One-gun-a-month Limit on Dealer Gun Sales
Hampton Roads Daily Press (Virginia)
16 February 2010
RICHMOND, Virginia - The House of Delegates advanced legislation Monday that would repeal the state's one-handgun-per-month condition and exempt guns made and used in Virginia from federal firearms laws. The Republican-dominated chamber also set up a final vote on a bill that would block public access to concealed-carry permit records filed in local circuit courts. Final votes on all three measures will occur today, the House's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Virginia Lawmakers Aim to Loosen Firearm Restrictions Even Further
Washington Post
16 February 2010
RICHMOND, Virginia - A little more than a year ago, Virginia gun owners joined millions of Americans who began stockpiling weapons for fear that Barack Obama would win the White House and push for new gun controls. Now that the former Illinois senator is president, the prophesied gun control measures have not come to pass, and Virginia's gun advocates are feeling almost giddy about their chances to loosen restrictions on buying... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Atlanta Asks Georgia Lawmakers for Permission to Restrict Gun Sales
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia)
15 February 2010
The Atlanta City Council voted without opposition Monday for legislation requesting state lawmakers to allow cities to restrict where guns are sold. Council members supported the idea, but predicted it wouldn't get far at the state Capitol, where the Republican-led Legislature is largely supportive of gun rights. "I just think it's going to fall on deaf ears over there," Councilwoman Felicia Moore said during the meeting.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Namibia
Domestic Abuse Shootings Bring Namibia Closer to Tough Gun Control
Namibian (Windhoek)
15 February 2010
The issuing of firearm licences should be stricter, as there have been several reports of women being shot by their boyfriends or husbands, Deputy Prime Minister Dr Libertina Amathila said in Parliament on Thursday. Speaking on the debate on the draft defence policy tabled by Defence Minister Charles Namoloh, Amathila said: "Weapons [licences] are issued easily to the public, are people able to handle guns? Women are shot by their... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
Indian Campaigners Call for Global Gun Trade Treaty, Fewer Firearms
Hindustan Times (Delhi)
15 February 2010
NEW DELHI - Twenty-one organisations from across the country have come together to appeal to the Government to go for welfare instead of warfare. In a parallel event to the Defence Expo-2010 starting this Monday, these organisations, representing civil society, are gathering for "Delhi disarmament events and conference for an arms trade treaty," which will focus on the consequences of arms trade and the way military spending is... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Senator Aims to Jail NY Mayor's Men Who Uncover Illegal Gun Sales
New York Daily News
15 February 2010
West Virginia has a message for Mayor Bloomberg: Don't come 'round here to buy our guns. A legislator there wants to ban the type of undercover stings that Bloomberg has used to showcase illegal gun sales in other states - and throw the mayor's investigators in jail if necessary. "It's for us to handle within our own borders," said state Sen. Jeffrey Kessler, who is running for governor in 2012. "We jealously guard our... ( gunpolicy.org )
Philippines
Another Philippine Police Officer Charged with Election Gun Ban Breach
Visayan Daily Star (Philippines)
14 February 2010
Another Negrense policeman was arrested for violation of the Commission on Election gun ban in Isabela, Negros Occidental, on Feb. 14, the third in Western Visayas nabbed for the offense, police records show. Chief Inspector Romeo Leyte, Isabela police chief, said the policeman identified as PO1 Generoso Ellera is now being restricted at the town police station. Ellera who was believed to be under the influence of liquor... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Is Barack Obama Really Anti-gun? No, He's Anti-gun Control
Chicago Tribune, Opinion
14 February 2010
Among the many groups that opposed Barack Obama's presidential race, few were more certain or vehement than gun-rights organizations. "Barack Obama would be the most anti-gun president in American history," the National Rifle Association announced. "Obama is a committed anti-gunner," warned Gun Owners of America. So it's no stunner that after a year in office, the president is getting hammered by people who have no use for his policy... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New Mexico Moves to Allow Alcohol, Hidden Handgun Mix in Restaurants
ABC News (USA)
14 February 2010
SANTA FE, New Mexico - New Mexicans licensed to carry a concealed handgun could legally go into some restaurants that sell beer and wine under a bill approved by the House. The legislation, supported by the National Rifle Association, was approved Sunday on a 53-to-14 vote over the objections of some lawmakers who said liquor and guns don't mix. The Senate passed a similar bill Friday. Both chambers must pass the same version... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Park Rangers, Public Brace for Gun Ban Reversal in US National Parks
Tulsa World (Oklahoma)
14 February 2010
WASHINGTON -- Officials at Oklahoma's national parks and refuges are preparing for controversial new measures, sponsored by U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, that let visitors carry loaded guns. Approved last year as an amendment to a major credit-card reform bill, the provisions by the Oklahoma Republican take effect Feb. 22. Previous regulations dating back to the Reagan administration allowed park visitors to carry firearms as long... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Mississippi Mulls '2nd Amendment Weekend' Sales Tax Holiday on Guns
Sun-Herald (Mississippi)
13 February 2010
State lawmakers are considering a two-day sales tax exemption for guns and ammunition in honor of "Second Amendment Weekend" which would come just before fall hunting seasons. Some said fear over revenue loss might derail the measure, House Bill 1207, which was authored by Rep. Warner McBride, D-Courtland. It has 39 cosponsors including several from South Mississippi. But the House Ways and Means Committee hasn't taken up the bill.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Judge's Ruling Ends Seattle's Short-lived Ban on Guns in City Parks
Seattle Times
12 February 2010
The rule banning firearms in Seattle parks was tossed out Friday by King County Superior Court Judge Catherine Shaffer, who said the city cannot pre-empt state law. The city now has 30 days to remove the 116 metal signs, which are about 1 by 1-½ feet in size and show a handgun inside a red circle, with a red line crossing out the gun. In all-capital letters there is the warning: "FIREARMS PROHIBITED." Assistant City Attorney... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Licensing, Registration to 'Harass Legitimate Gun Owners' in Maryland
Washington Times, Editorial
12 February 2010
The gun grabbers are at it again in Maryland. Next month, the state's House Judiciary Committee will initiate hearings on legislation forcing firearms enthusiasts to register with the state government before they can exercise their Second Amendment rights. The plan, drafted by Delegate Samuel I. Rosenberg, Baltimore Democrat, and Sen. Brian E. Frosh, Montgomery County Democrat, would mandate that citizens carry a special license... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Bill Would End Federal Regulation of Utah Guns, Gut Background Checks
Associated Press
10 February 2010
SALT LAKE CITY - Guns made and kept in Utah would be exempt from federal regulations under a measure passed by the Utah Legislature Wednesday, despite concerns over an expensive legal fight at a time when the budget is already stretched thin. Senate Bill 11 was passed by the Utah House 56-17. The proposal mirrors one Montana signed into law last year that's intended to trigger a federal court battle. The measures would... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Shame on Maine Lawmakers Who Condone Gun Trafficking Loopholes
Bangor Daily News (Maine), Opinion
10 February 2010
The Brady law requires a criminal background check to find out if a prospective gun buyer is prohibited from purchasing a gun. It is a critical law enforcement tool that prevents felons, domestic abusers and other prohibited people from buying guns. The law works. Since it was passed in 1994, almost 2 million criminals and other prohibited people have been stopped from purchasing a gun. In 2007, 297 people in Maine where prevented... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Control Group Petitions Starbucks to Ban Customers Carrying Guns
CBS News (USA)
10 February 2010
A national pro-gun-control organization wants Starbucks to take a firm stance on whether it allows customers to carry unconcealed firearms in its stores. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence wants its members to sign a petition telling the international coffee company to keep guns out of its locations, according to The Seattle Times. The petition has more than 15,000 signatures, the newspaper reported. The petition... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Utah Governor Wary of Spending Money on Secessionist Gun Lobby Bill
Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)
10 February 2010
A bill that would exempt Utah-made firearms from federal regulations is headed to Gov. Gary Herbert's desk, but a spokeswoman said the governor has concerns about the bill's constitutionality. "Governor Herbert conceptually supports legislative efforts to reaffirm states' rights, but is concerned about constitutional challenges to legislation at a time when the state can ill-afford to invest money in potentially costly legal battles,"... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Maine Aims to Ban Hidden Handguns in Parks, Declare Gun Free Zones
Bangor Daily News (Maine), Editorial
8 February 2010
A bill now before the Legislature would restore the decades-old policies regulating guns in Acadia National Park, the St. Croix International Historic Site and the state's portion of the Appalachian Trail. Specifically, it would require gun owners to keep their weapons unloaded, broken down and stowed away in vehicle trunks, glove boxes or other such compartments. LD 1737 should be passed, and legislators should not allow it to turn into... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Gun Lobby Groups Fight for the Limelight in Crucial High Court Case
Washington Post
8 February 2010
The National Rifle Association was on the outside looking in when the Supreme Court handed gun rights activists a landmark victory in 2008. After the court ruled that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to gun ownership and that the District's handgun ban was unconstitutional, it was an upstart band of libertarian lawyers that celebrated on the marble steps and received the glory for the breakthrough decision. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
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