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How the Gun-Control Movement in America Got Smart
7 February 2013
Atlantic (USA)
Here is how advocates of gun control used to talk about their cause: They openly disputed that the Second Amendment conferred the right to own a gun. Their major policy goals were to make handguns illegal and enroll all U.S. gun owners in a federal database. The group now known as the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence was once known as Handgun Control Inc.; a 2001 book by the executive director of the Violence Policy Center was entitled Every Handgun Is Aimed at... (GunPolicy.org)
UK Officials Say Most Gun Crime Traced to Under 1,000 Illegal Guns
2 February 2013
Washington Post
LONDON — When police on a weapons raid swarmed a housing project after London's 2011 riots, they seized a cache of arms that in the United States might be better suited to "Antiques Roadshow" than inner-city ganglands. Inside plastic bags hidden in a trash collection room, officers uncovered two archaic flintlock pistols, retrofitted flare guns and a Jesse James-style revolver.
These days, that kind of antiquated firepower is about the baddest a British gang member... (GunPolicy.org)
Norway,Switzerland,Finland,Germany,Canada,Australia,United Kingdom,United States
Around the World, Gun Massacres Spurred Gun Control, Public Safety
18 December 2012
ABC News (USA) / AP
If there's anywhere that understands the pain of Newtown, it's Dunblane, the town whose grief became a catalyst for changes to Britain's gun laws.
In March 1996, a 43-year-old man named Thomas Hamilton walked into a primary school in this central Scotland town of 8,000 people and shot to death 16 kindergarten-age children and their teacher with four legally held handguns. In the weeks that followed, people in the town formed the Snowdrop campaign — named for the... (GunPolicy.org)
Canada Is Alone Internationally in Rolling Back Gun Laws
17 December 2012
Now Toronto, Opinion
I'm not going to ask if what happened in Newtown, Connecticut can happen here because now's a time for reflection, not panic and cheap one-liners.
Our gun laws are a good deal stricter than those in the United States. The days when you could purchase a rifle at the counter of the Canadian Tire with little more than a driver's license are over, thanks to Marc Lepine's 1989 outrage.
But when it comes to gun control, we've been headed in the wrong direction for the... (GunPolicy.org)
Appeals Court Upholds New York Hidden Handgun Licensing Law
27 November 2012
Reuters
The state of New York can continue to require residents who want to carry a concealed handgun in public to obtain a special license, a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York rejected a challenge brought by several Westchester residents and the Second Amendment Foundation against the state's handgun licensing scheme.
Like numerous other states, New York imposes restrictions on individuals who wish to carry concealed... (GunPolicy.org)
Toronto Shooting Revives Debate Over Handgun Ban in Canada [Francais]
18 July 2012
Radio France Internationale
[Translated summary: Toronto shooting revives debate over firearms sales and handgun ban. According to Police data, 700,000 handguns are legally held and registered in Canada.]
Toronto est sous le choc après la fusillade qui a fait deux morts et 23 blessés dont un enfant de 22 mois. Les tirs sont intervenus pendant un barbecue qui rassemblait les habitants d'un quartier. Au lendemain du drame, la presse relance le débat sur la vente libre des armes à feu.
« La... (GunPolicy.org)
Is Gun Control Dead in America? Adam Winkler in the Washington Post
13 April 2012
Washington Post, Opinion
Monday marks five years since the massacre at Virginia Tech, where a mentally ill student, Seung Hui Cho, used two handguns he had bought legally to kill 32 people and wound 25 others. Other than a relatively minor law to improve the national database used for background checks, no significant gun-control legislation followed that tragedy.
Since then, there have been several mass shootings, including additional school rampages and the attempted assassination last year... (GunPolicy.org)
US Handgun Production, Imports Double in 4 Years: Women Lead Trend?
11 December 2011
Sydney Morning Herald, Bloomberg (USA)
NEW YORK -- Robin Natanel picks up a compact black pistol, barrel pointed down range. Gripping the gun with both hands, left foot forward, she raises the semi-automatic and methodically squeezes off five shots. The first one creases the left edge of a red bull's-eye on a target 7.5 metres away. The four others paint a 7.5-centimetre pattern around the first. If the target were a person's head or heart, he would probably be dead.
Natanel is a Buddhist, a self-avowed... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Norway,Australia
Australian Gun Control Group Renews Its Call for Semi-auto Handgun Ban
26 July 2011
Herald Sun (Melbourne) / AAP
The National Coalition for Gun Control has renewed its call for a ban on semi-automatic handguns after the Norway massacre.
Coalition co-convenor Samantha Lee said semi-automatic longarms were deemed too dangerous and banned in 1996 after the Port Arthur massacre in which Martin Bryant shot dead 35 people.
But semi-automatic handguns remain available to sporting shooters.
"It only takes one person with a high-powered semi-automatic firearm and access to lots of... (GunPolicy.org)
Norway Shooting Should Force Semi-auto Handgun Ban - Australian Greens
25 July 2011
News.com (Australia) / AAP
The shooting spree in Norway should force Australia to ban semi-automatic handguns, Greens leader Bob Brown says.
More than 80 people were killed and scores more injured when a lone gunman opened fire on a Labour Party youth meeting on the island of Utoeya, near the Norwegian capital Oslo.
Senator Brown said reports the killer had used a semi-automatic handgun should force a re-think of Australia's laws.
"These would not necessarily be prohibited in Australia," he... (GunPolicy.org)
Illinois: Law Requiring Background Checks for Resold Guns Repealed
8 June 2011
Chicago Sun-Times
WAUKEGAN — Past efforts to draft an ordinance requiring background checks for resold firearms came to an end Monday with the City Council instead voting 6-3 to repeal all municipal ordinances regulating firearms.
"Why does Waukegan need (firearm ordinances)? Let's quit paying the lawyers all this money. Just follow the state laws," said 6th Ward Ald. Larry TenPas, supporting 2nd Ward Ald. Thomas Koncan Jr.'s motion to eliminate local measures.
"This is crazy,"... (GunPolicy.org)
Washington DC's Only Firearms Dealer Closes, Handgun Sales to Cease
30 April 2011
Washington Post
The only licensed firearms dealer active in Washington says he is closing his business temporarily, meaning D.C. residents will have no way to legally buy pistols under a landmark court decision that ended the city's handgun ban.
The US Supreme Court struck down the city's 33-year-old handgun prohibition in 2008, ruling that the Constitution guarantees the right to own firearms.
But because of a federal law governing the interstate sale of pistols, Washingtonians who... (GunPolicy.org)
Life is Good for US Gun Lobby, Obama Now the Demon to Defeat in 2012
29 April 2011
National Review (USA)
PITTSBURGH - At first glance, life seems good for the National Rifle Association [NRA or US Gun Lobby] and its members.
While many conservatives bewailed the era of Democratic rule that began in January 2009, Obama actually signed several pieces of NRA-supported legislation, including bills allowing Americans to bring guns onto Amtrak trains and carry them in national parks. Now a largely pro–Second Amendment Democratic House majority has been replaced by a largely... (GunPolicy.org)
America's 'Bring Your Gun to Work' Movement Picks Up Support
4 April 2011
San Francisco Chronicle / Bloomberg (USA)
It's every employer's nightmare. A year ago, Edgar Tillery was told by his supervisor at the Indiana Workforce Development Department that his performance as an auditor was subpar, and that he should shape up or consider resigning.
His response? He went outside to his parked car, grabbed a gun, and came back firing, court documents say.
Luckily the weapon jammed, and no one was hurt. Tillery is now serving a 15-year prison sentence. Business groups seized on the... (GunPolicy.org)
American Gun Lobby Groups Build a 'Bring Your Gun to Work' Movement
31 March 2011
Bloomberg (USA)
It's every employer's nightmare. A year ago, Edgar Tillery was told by his supervisor at the Indiana Workforce Development Dept. that his performance as an auditor was subpar, and that he should shape up or consider resigning. His response? He went outside to his parked car, grabbed a gun, and came back firing, court documents say.
Luckily the weapon jammed, and no one was hurt. Tillery is now serving a 15-year prison sentence. Business groups seized on the incident as... (GunPolicy.org)
30 Years After Reagan Shot, Outlook Looks Dim for American Gun Control
28 March 2011
Miami Herald
WASHINGTON - Wednesday is the 30th anniversary of the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan. Gun-control advocates, including Reagan's wounded press secretary, Jim Brady, will use the day to launch a renewed push for curbs on guns.
Once again, chances are they won't get very far.
The public remains sharply divided, largely along geographic lines, over gun rights vs. gun control. Gun-rights groups, led by the National Rifle Association, dramatically outspend... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Lobby Confident of Making Hidden Handguns Legal in 50th US State
6 March 2011
Peoria Journal Star (Illinois)
PEORIA — Tazewell County Sheriff Bob Huston has been around guns all his life. Target shooting with his grandfather. A member of Manual High School's rifle club in Peoria in the 1960s. Manager of a shooting range 25 years. Almost 40 years in law enforcement, including 12 as sheriff.
In all those years, he's never had to fire a weapon on duty. "Most police officers don't," he says. He's only had to pull a gun once while off duty.
"I was at the track running, I saw a... (GunPolicy.org)
Mainly Wealthy Washington, DC Residents Register Guns After Ban Ruling
8 February 2011
Washington Post / AP
WASHINGTON - Police data shows that since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Washington's handgun ban more than 2½ years ago, hundreds of residents in the District's safest and wealthiest areas have registered handguns — more than those in poor areas with higher crime.
The Washington Post reports that since the 2008 ruling, records show more than 1,400 firearms have been registered with police. Among those, nearly 300 are in the high-income, low-crime Georgetown,... (GunPolicy.org)
Virginia Data Show Drop in Criminal Firepower During US Assault Gun Ban
23 January 2011
Washington Post
The number of guns with high-capacity magazines seized by Virginia police dropped during a decade-long federal prohibition on assault weapons, but the rate has rebounded sharply since the ban was lifted in late 2004, according to a Washington Post analysis.
More than 15,000 guns equipped with high-capacity magazines - defined under the lapsed federal law as holding 11 or more bullets - have been seized by Virginia police in a wide range of investigations since 1993,... (GunPolicy.org)
Waiting for Obama to Fulfill Promise on 'America's Absurdly Lax Gun Laws'
23 January 2011
New York Times, Editorial
It is widely believed in Washington that there is no chance the gun lobby and the new Republican majority in the House would ever permit passage of the modest ideas for tightening America's absurdly lax gun laws that have surfaced since the massacre in Tucson.
That may be true, but it is no reason for supporters of reasonable gun regulation not to put up a fight. Nor is it an excuse for the lack of principled presidential leadership on this issue. We are still waiting... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Control Measures Don't Stop Violence: None Worth Trying in US
19 January 2011
CNN
Against the horrific backdrop of the Tucson, Arizona, tragedy, new gun control proposals are on the way. Some of our legislators will be tempted to apply Rahm Emanuel's aphorism, "Never let a good crisis go to waste."
For example, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-New York, wants to outlaw magazines with more than 10 rounds -- even those already in circulation. She hasn't explained how a ban on previously sold magazines would deter anyone but law-abiding citizens.
Still, the... (GunPolicy.org)
After Tucson: Why Are the Mentally Ill Still Bearing Arms in America?
10 January 2011
Time (USA)
When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the handgun ban in the nation's capital in 2008, Representative Gabrielle Giffords applauded the ruling, calling gun ownership "an Arizona tradition." That she had co-signed a congressional amicus brief against the ban came as no surprise: she has always been pro-gun, and she represents a state with a history of proud gun ownership and lax gun laws.
So there is at least a touch of irony to the fact that her name is being invoked,... (GunPolicy.org)
Arizona Mass Shooting Brings Call to Ban High-capacity Ammunition Clips
10 January 2011
Postmedia News (Canada)
WASHINGTON — Seventeen years ago last month, New York congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy's husband was killed when a deranged gunman opened fire on passengers riding a Long Island commuter train.
It was a crime similar, in some ways, to the weekend rampage in Arizona that targeted McCarthy's Democratic colleague, Gabrielle Giffords, who was one of 14 people wounded in an attack that also claimed six lives.
Now McCarthy, one of America's fiercest gun control advocates,... (GunPolicy.org)
Texas Students Fight Gun Lobby Push for Teens to Carry Guns at School
29 December 2010
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal (Texas)
Several groups, including a university student government organization and a prominent gun-control lobby, this week filed a document in federal court asking a judge to uphold the current ban on handgun sales to people younger than 21.
The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, Graduate Student Assembly and Student Government of the University of Texas at Austin, Mothers Against Teen Violence, Students for Gun-Free Schools in Texas and Texas Chapters of the Brady... (GunPolicy.org)
Living at Gunpoint: Chicago Counts 22 Shooting Victims in a Single Day
5 November 2010
Harvard Crimson (USA)
This summer, Robert Freeman was shot dead in his neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. He was 13 years old and riding his bike at the time. Sources say that after shooting him off of his bicycle, the masked gunman proceeded to stand over his wounded body and fire round after round — 22 in total. Tragic stories like Freeman's are too common these days in my hometown.
If one wants more proof of Chicago's descent into gun-related horror, the evidence is too easy to... (GunPolicy.org)
Right Wing Militias, US Gun Lobby Act as Second Amendment Soulmates
8 October 2010
Huffington Post (USA), Blog
This week's Time magazine cover story on "The Secret World of Extreme Militias" sounds an alarm that cannot be ignored. The threat of terrorism is real, but it does not originate with Al Qaeda alone. The danger of homegrown right wing political violence is just as real.
The Time article describes, in chilling terms, the proliferation of heavily armed, right wing militias engaged in paramilitary training to resist the perceived "tyranny" of government authority. Time... (GunPolicy.org)
Radio Host Convicted of Threatening 3 Judges over Chicago Handgun Ban
14 August 2010
New York Times
A right-wing Internet radio host was convicted on Friday by a federal jury in Brooklyn of threatening three federal judges who had issued a ruling he disagreed with.
Two previous prosecutions of the host, Harold C. Turner, ended in mistrials after jurors were unable to agree on a verdict, but the decision Friday came after less than two hours of deliberation.
Mr. Turner, 48, posted inflammatory Internet messages about the three appeals court judges who had upheld a... (GunPolicy.org)
In Failure to Reject 2 Women Justices, US Gun Lobby Lost Battles, Clout
2 August 2010
The Hill (Washington DC)
The Supreme Court nomination of Elena Kagan presents a political conundrum to the National Rifle Association (NRA), one of the nation's most powerful grassroots lobbying groups.
Republicans lawmakers and conservative activists fear Kagan will emerge as a strong voice on the high court against gun-ownership rights.
But five Republican senators have pledged to vote for Kagan, making her a shoo-in for confirmation.
This puts the NRA in the tricky position of having to... (GunPolicy.org)
Greens Push Handgun Ban, Tough Laws After New South Wales Shootings
27 July 2010
Australian Associated Press
A spate of shootings over the past 24 hours in NSW has lead to calls for both federal leaders to back national uniform gun laws.
NSW Greens Senate candidate Lee Rhiannon on Tuesday said it was time for tighter gun control laws, with a ban on semi-automatic pistols, following four separate shooting incidents.
"The events underline the need for law reform in this area," she said in a statement.
"Handguns are the most concealable firearm, which is why they are the... (GunPolicy.org)
British Example Shows a Little Gun Control Would Be Good for America
22 July 2010
Columbia Missourian (Missouri), Opinion
LONDON – America is known for its trendsetting.
It's the land that brought the world McDonald's, Facebook and Lady Gaga. When Americans buy into something, everyone takes notice.
But some hot items are more dangerous than others. A recent article in Marie Claire's UK edition identified one questionable craze: "Across America, firearms are fast becoming a must-have accessory."
Trend alert?
It's long been the stereotype that Brits view America as a gun-toting,... (GunPolicy.org)
Illegal Guns Flow into Canada While Policymakers Debate Gun-Registry
21 July 2010
Globe & Mail (Toronto), TV review
One of the many unsubtle indicators of how closely we now resemble the United States is an obsession with guns and gun control.
There is an entire political subculture devoted to the issue, it seems. Certainly, there is a vast amount of rhetoric. If we are to believe a lot of the rhetoric, the farmers and hunters of Canada have been insulted, demeaned and made to feel like criminals. They are a group under siege.
The current situation is rooted in reaction to the... (GunPolicy.org)
Chicago Court Upholds Gun Control, Retains Gun Ban on Domestic Abuser
15 July 2010
Associated Press
CHICAGO — A federal appeals court upheld a ban on gun possession for a domestic violence offender in a ruling that several anti-violence advocates applauded Wednesday for providing some clarity after the U.S. Supreme Court's recent landmark decision on gun restrictions.
The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago ruled 10-1 on Tuesday to reinstate a southern Wisconsin man's conviction for having a gun while on probation for a misdemeanor domestic violence... (GunPolicy.org)
Chicago Mayor: New Law 'Not Making Gun Owners Jump Through Hoops'
13 July 2010
Chicago Sun-Times
Mayor Daley today denied that he's making Chicago gun owners jump through hoops to exercise their Second Amendment rights and expressed confidence the city's new gun law can withstand a court challenge.
"We're not jumping through hoops. We have to have accountability. … This is protection of the city from lawsuits from a lot of people," the mayor said.
"You have to ask for reasonable gun laws. Until the federal government seizes more illegal guns, that is the... (GunPolicy.org)
Is Chicago's Gun Law, Like Supreme Court Ruling, Missing Biblical Ethic?
12 July 2010
Chicago Tribune, Blog
It is understandable that Chicago's Mayor Richard M. Daley would implement a new municipal gun ordinance to replace the one recently overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. But frankly, I don't think that what went into effect today (register firearms with the city, take a gun training course, and keep all but one gun locked up) will make any difference. The problem of gun violence in Chicago — and it is a huge problem — is about the proliferation of guns and not... (GunPolicy.org)
Let's Face It, Chicago's Mayor Richard Daley Wants to Ban Guns, All Guns
12 July 2010
Fox News (USA), Opinion
As always, gun control proponents say they merely want "reasonable" gun control laws. Yet, when listing the actual laws they favor, they go well beyond what most people would possibly consider "reasonable." Just look at the gun bans in Chicago and Washington, D.C. that local politicians and gun control organizations such as the Brady Campaign and the Violence Policy Center have fought to protect.
Today, exactly two weeks after the Supreme Court struck down Chicago's... (GunPolicy.org)
Chicago Replaces City Gun Controls, Lobbyists Launch Instant Challenges
11 July 2010
Chicago Tribune
As Chicago prepares to implement its new firearms ordinance Monday, gun advocates have begun a legal assault, filing two lawsuits that constitutional law experts said could be the next round of challenges to how cities can regulate personal gun ownership.
Less than two weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for citizens to have handguns at home, Chicago was hit with the lawsuits that target, among other things, the city's ban on gun shops, a controversial... (GunPolicy.org)
Supreme Court Swayed by 'Gun Rights for African Americans' Argument
11 July 2010
Poughkeepsie Journal (New York), Opinion
Lobbyists for gun possession owe black Americans a historical debt of gratitude.
The Supreme Court reminds us of this debt in its recent decision to overturn Chicago's sweeping prohibition of firearm possession. The decision rests on more than the Second Amendment. It also rests on the 14th Amendment, which brought equal protections under law to freed slaves after the Civil War.
How times do change. An amendment that helped blacks protect themselves from Ku Klux Klan... (GunPolicy.org)
For Every New Gun Control Law, US States Enact Three to Relax Controls
10 July 2010
Age (Melbourne)
Lawsuits and guns go hand in hand in America, as neatly as a Glock 9mm slides into a holster. Seemingly forever have Americans wrestled with the Second Amendment to the constitution, the 27-word clause contained in America's Bill of Rights that would appear on the face of it a relic of the 18th century.
Was its intent to grant individuals an inviolable right to possess a gun? Or was it simply a get-out for states to create "a well-regulated militia" during those... (GunPolicy.org)
In Wake of Supreme Court Chicago Decision, US Gun Maker Shares Rose
9 July 2010
Patriot Ledger (Massachusetts), Editorial
Anyone who thinks the Supreme Court's decision on gun rights last week was an exercise for constitutional scholars – and nothing more – didn't catch what happened with the stock of gun manufacturers Smith & Wesson and Sturm, Ruger. Like a trigger had been squeezed, their stock went up on a day other stocks went down.
The justices' 5-4 decision was a landmark one, establishing clearly that the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms is not a lesser right among... (GunPolicy.org)
Firearm Dealer Sues to Challenge Chicago's New Blanket Gun Shop Ban
9 July 2010
Chicago Tribune
Mayor Richard Daley's newly minted ban on gun stores in Chicago is being challenged in federal court by a man who hopes to sell firearms from a Lincoln Park storefront.
Joe Franzese, who owns Second Amendment Arms in far north suburban Lake Villa, believes the gun regulation the Chicago City Council passed last week is unconstitutional. While the ordinance allows residents to own handguns, it outlaws their sale within the city, said Franzese's lawyer, Walter... (GunPolicy.org)
Chicago Gun Dealers, Residents Sue for Right to Carry, Sell Handguns
7 July 2010
Bloomberg (USA)
A Chicago Mercantile Exchange trader and three other people have joined with the Illinois Association of Firearms Retailers to sue the city of Chicago over a restrictive gun law passed by its legislators last week.
The gun-owning plaintiffs, who include a teacher's aide and a married couple, claim the new ordinance restricting handgun possession to inside the home and mandating firearms training and permitting is unconstitutional.
The measure imposes "new restrictions... (GunPolicy.org)
Chicago's 'Racist' Gun Laws Will Disarm Poor, Vulnerable, Black Citizens
6 July 2010
Washington Times, Opinion
Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Chicago's handgun ban. Gun rights groups hailed the ruling as a seminal moment in their ongoing fight to roll back restrictive gun-control legislation. As far as the National Rifle Association (NRA) is concerned, McDonald settles the matter once and for all: "This decision makes absolutely clear that the Second Amendment protects the God-given right of self-defense for all law-abiding Americans, period." Be that as it may,... (GunPolicy.org)
African-American Otis McDonald, 76, Chosen as Darling of US Gun Lobby
5 July 2010
Vancouver Sun (British Columbia)
The drug dealers carrying guns and the menacing gang members in the street outside his home look as if they come from The Wire, the gritty television police drama set in Baltimore.
But Otis McDonald, a 76-year-old who lives in one of Chicago's poorest and most dangerous inner-city neighbourhoods, was forbidden from carrying a weapon to defend himself.
"I warn them that I'm calling the police but they just laugh and cuss and call me an old so-and-so," McDonald said of... (GunPolicy.org)
Chicago City Approves 'Strictest Handgun Ordinance in the United States'
3 July 2010
Associated Press
The Chicago City Council on Friday approved what city officials say is the strictest handgun ordinance in the United States.
The 45-0 vote came four days after a Supreme Court ruling made it almost certain that Chicago's handgun ban would be overturned. The high court ruled Americans have a right to own a gun for self-defense anywhere they live.
The new city ordinance bans gun shops in Chicago and prohibits gun owners from stepping outside their homes, even onto their... (GunPolicy.org)
American Cities Reshape Gun Controls to Counter Supreme Court Ruling
30 June 2010
Sydney Morning Herald
CHICAGO — American cities began wrestling with how to reshape their handgun laws after the US Supreme Court placed limits on such local ordinances.
The justices, voting 5-4 along conservative-liberal lines in a challenge to Chicago's handgun ban, ruled that cities and states must abide by the US constitution's Second Amendment on the right to bear arms. The decision strengthens the rights of gun owners and opens courthouse doors nationwide for gun rights advocates to... (GunPolicy.org)
Nationwide Crackdown on Handguns Infuriates Israeli West Bank Residents
29 June 2010
Ha'aretz (Tel Aviv)
West Bank residents claim discrimination as nationwide campaign to limit gun use makes no exception for Israelis living beyond the Green Line.
West Bank settlers on Tuesday accused the government of putting them at physical risk by initiating a nationwide crackdown on handguns.
Settlers were infuriated when it emerged at a Knesset meeting on Monday that Israel Police would make no exception for West Bank residents in a campaign to reduce the number of licensed and... (GunPolicy.org)
Utah's Gun Law Already 'Constitutional' - Illinois, DC, NY Are 'Socialists'
29 June 2010
Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)
Nothing that the Supreme Court did in striking down a Chicago handgun ban is likely to change life in Utah anytime soon, advocates on both sides of the gun divide said Monday.
Already, Utahns can keep handguns and carry them just about anywhere they go in the state. The Legislature has directed that guns are allowed in most public places, including the University of Utah. School zone restrictions are likely to get looser, not tighter, according to one state... (GunPolicy.org)
Supreme Court Decision Leaves Room for Sensible Gun Control Efforts
29 June 2010
Detroit Free Press, Editorial
No one on either side of the gun control debate could have been very surprised by Monday's ruling in McDonald v. Chicago, in which a 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court majority all but doomed local and state efforts to ban firearms outright.
The latest ruling came just two years after a similarly divided court struck down Washington, D.C.'s, handgun ban, and there was little reason to believe the majority would be more sympathetic to a similarly restrictive Chicago gun law,... (GunPolicy.org)
Supreme Court Extends Rights of US Gun Owners, Bans Chicago Gun Ban
29 June 2010
Los Angeles Times
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled Monday that cities and states must abide by the 2nd Amendment, strengthening the rights of gun owners and opening courthouse doors nationwide for gun rights advocates to argue that restrictions on firearms are unconstitutional.
In a 5-4 decision, the justices said the right to have a handgun for self-defense is "fundamental from an American perspective [and] applies equally to the federal government and the states."
The high... (GunPolicy.org)
US Faces Wave of Challenges to Gun Control in Wake of High Court Ruling
29 June 2010
Financial Times (UK)
The US could see a wave of challenges to local gun-control measures after the US Supreme Court yesterday overturned a ruling upholding Chicago's 28-year-old ban on handguns - one of the country's strictest gun-control regimes - in a victory for gun-rights activists.
The US's highest court had never previously ruled whether the constitutional right to keep and bear arms applied to US cities and states. But by a 5-4 vote, the justices deemed that the second amendment... (GunPolicy.org)
Chicago Mayor Vows to Fight US Supreme Court Ruling on Handgun Ban
29 June 2010
ABC News (Australia)
A United States mayor is vowing to fight a US Supreme Court decision overturning his city's ban on handguns in the home.
Each day, 80 Americans die from gun violence. Last month 164 people were murdered in Chicago. In the majority of cases a gun was the weapon of choice.
Chicago mayor Richard Daley is convinced the figure would be higher if it was not for a ban on handguns in the home which has been in place in Chicago for the last 30 years.
"Common sense tells you... (GunPolicy.org)
US Supreme Court Chicago Decision 'Proves Gun Control Does Not Work'
29 June 2010
National Review (USA)
The Supreme Court's rejection of Chicago's handgun ban in McDonald v. City of Chicago is more than a recognition that the Second Amendment applies to the states as well as the federal government. The McDonald decision is a harbinger for the end of gun prohibition as an idea. The simple, undeniable truth is that gun control does not work.
McDonald brings the law up to speed with reality, where advocates of gun control have been wrong since the issue became a national... (GunPolicy.org)
Supreme Court Chicago Decision Unsettles US State and Local Gun Laws
29 June 2010
Philadelphia Inquirer
WASHINGTON — A split Supreme Court ruled Monday that Chicago's strict handgun ban violated an individual's right to own firearms, enshrined in the Second Amendment, a landmark decision that casts state and local gun laws into question.
The 5-4 ruling marks the first time the court has determined that the Constitution restricts state and municipal gun-control powers.
"Self-defense is a basic right, recognized by many legal systems from ancient times to the present... (GunPolicy.org)
Chicago to Carefully Replace Handgun Ban with Better, Strict Gun Control
29 June 2010
Chicago Sun-Times
The Daley administration will take its time before rushing through a replacement for Chicago's "unenforceable" handgun ban to avoid providing more legal ammunition for gun control opponents, the city's top lawyer said today.
As a result, the City Council's Police Committee will hear testimony from experts about what can legally be included in a new ordinance, but take no action on specific regulations.
"We're just trying to get it right… . We're trying to figure out... (GunPolicy.org)
Supreme Court Rules Chicago, US Cities Cannot Ban Handguns at Home
29 June 2010
San Francisco Chronicle
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court said Monday that Americans have a constitutional right to have a handgun at home for self-defense, even in cities that until now have outlawed handguns.
The 5-4 decision reversed a ruling that had upheld Chicago's ban on handguns and all but declared the 1982 ordinance unconstitutional. The justices ordered a federal appeals court in to reconsider its ruling.
Monday's ruling extends the reach of the Second Amendment and will open... (GunPolicy.org)
Chicago Mayor Plans Strict City Gun Control After Supreme Court Decision
29 June 2010
Associated Press
CHICAGO — A Supreme Court ruling finding that Americans have the right to bear arms anywhere they live almost certainly means the end of Chicago's decades-old handgun ban, but it may not make handgun ownership there much easier if the city's powerful mayor has his way.
Shortly after the high court voted 5-4 Monday along familiar ideological lines — with five conservative-moderate justices in favor of gun rights and four liberals opposed — Chicago Mayor Richard M.... (GunPolicy.org)
US Supreme Court Gun Decision Relied on 'Selective' Reading of History
29 June 2010
New York Times, Editorial
About 10,000 Americans died by handgun violence, according to federal statistics, in the four months that the Supreme Court debated which clause of the Constitution it would use to subvert Chicago's entirely sensible ban on handgun ownership. The arguments that led to Monday's decision undermining Chicago's law were infuriatingly abstract, but the results will be all too real and bloody.
This began two years ago, when the Supreme Court disregarded the plain words of... (GunPolicy.org)
US Supreme Court Rules 2nd Amendment Invalidates City Handgun Bans
29 June 2010
New York Times
WASHINGTON — The Second Amendment's guarantee of an individual right to bear arms applies to state and local gun control laws, the Supreme Court ruled Monday in a 5-to-4 decision.
The ruling came almost exactly two years after the court first ruled that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to own guns in District of Columbia v. Heller, another 5-to-4 decision.
But the Heller case addressed only federal laws; it left open the question of whether Second... (GunPolicy.org)
US Supreme Court Decision Consigns Handgun Ban to 'Dust Bin of History'
29 June 2010
Wall Street Journal, Opinion
There is a remarkable academic consensus that the original meaning of the 14th Amendment protected an individual right to keep and bear arms against interference by state governments. Yesterday's Supreme Court decision in McDonald v. Chicago affirmed that this is indeed the case. It is, therefore, a great victory for enforcing the original meaning of the Constitution. Thankfully for the rights of Americans, the Chicago gun ban at issue will soon be consigned to the dust... (GunPolicy.org)
In 'Dramatic Win for Gun Owners,' US Court Trashes 28yr-old Handgun Ban
29 June 2010
CNN
WASHINGTON — In another dramatic victory for firearm owners, the Supreme Court has ruled unconstitutional Chicago, Illinois', 28-year-old strict ban on handgun ownership, a potentially far-reaching case over the ability of state and local governments to enforce limits on weapons.
A 5-4 conservative majority of justices on Monday reiterated its 2-year-old conclusion that the Constitution gives individuals equal or greater power than states on the issue of possession... (GunPolicy.org)
US Supremes Reach 'Historic Conclusion,' Ban Chicago's Handgun Ban
29 June 2010
Wall Street Journal
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court Monday extended nationwide the right to armed self-defense, a historic conclusion to an age-old battle over the meaning of the Second Amendment.
The decision gives federal judges the power to strike down state and local weapons laws for violating the Constitution. But the court said that the right isn't unfettered, and the decision is likely to lead to years of litigation as lower courts try to determine what restrictions are... (GunPolicy.org)
California Braces for 'Barrage' of Gun Lobby Challenges to Local Gun Law
28 June 2010
San Jose Mercury News (California)
California can expect a barrage of legal challenges to its many strict gun control regulations as a result of Monday's U.S. Supreme Court ruling that state and local governments are bound to adhere to the constitutional right to bear arms.
In a 5-4 ruling, the court found that a Chicago-area ban on handguns can be challenged on Second Amendment grounds, meaning that the law will not stand if it is found to trample on the right to self-defense inherent in the federal... (GunPolicy.org)
Despite High Court Ruling, Most Chicago Gun Control Laws Remain Intact
28 June 2010
Chicago Tribune
Q: Did the justices once and for all answer whether Americans have an individual right to keep and bear arms?
A: There's no way to predict what a future court will do. But Monday's ruling was quite definitive that Americans have a basic right to own guns. "A majority of the Supreme Court believes that the federal constitutional right to keep and bear arms does not depend on service in an organized militia," said University of Chicago law professor Adam Samaha, who... (GunPolicy.org)
After Supreme Court Ruling, Will US Gun Control Laws Be Under Siege?
28 June 2010
Christian Science Monitor
Gun-rights advocates say that a US Supreme Court ruling today will embolden them to challenge gun-control laws in cities across the country.
The ruling says that the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms applies to every jurisdiction in the country – throwing doubt on a Chicago law that bans handguns in the home.
But lessons from Washington, which had a similar law declared unconstitutional in 2008, suggest that if tough gun-control laws are rewritten... (GunPolicy.org)
US Supreme Court Overrules Chicago Handgun Ban, Weakens Gun Control
28 June 2010
BBC News
The US Supreme Court has restricted the rights of state and city governments to enforce controls on gun ownership.
The US's highest court ruled by 5-4 that a ban on handgun ownership in the city of Chicago was unconstitutional.
Justices said the US Constitution protected the right to keep and bear arms for the purpose of self-defence.
The ruling could potentially change laws on gun ownership in many of the 50 US states.
Debate over the exact meaning of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Chicago 'Not Going to Roll Over' if Supreme Court Removes Handgun Ban
24 June 2010
Associated Press
CHICAGO — If the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down Chicago's handgun ban, the city will likely do what Washington, D.C., did when its own ban was overturned two years ago: Put in place all sorts of restrictions to make it tougher to buy guns and easier for police to know who has them.
Prospective gun owners in D.C. now are required to take training courses that include spending one hour on a firing range and several hours in a classroom learning about gun safety. They... (GunPolicy.org)
After Spate of Gun Killings, Chicago Mayor Again Promotes Handgun Ban
22 June 2010
Associated Press
CHICAGO - Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley defended the city's handgun ban Tuesday after a spate of shootings that left 10 people dead and dozens wounded, saying the violence bolsters the city's argument that the 1982 ordinance is needed.
Daley said the city must continue to fight against handguns even if the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the ban as unconstitional. The court is expected to rule later this month.
"Look at all the guns that shot people this weekend.... (GunPolicy.org)
Chicago Gun Ban Hearings Testimony: 'More Guns Mean More Violence'
18 June 2010
Fox News (USA)
CHICAGO - Chicago's law banning handguns is under fire at City Hall, as the City Council Committee on Police and Fire is considering ways to change the city's ban on handguns if it is struck down by the Supreme Court.
The committee Friday heard expert opinions on gun violence and how it relates to the city's ban, and how the law could be changed if the Supreme Court rules on a challenge to the law.
So far, witnesses have said more guns mean more violence.
Chicago's... (GunPolicy.org)
Chicago Mulls New Gun Controls if Supreme Court Overturns City Gun Ban
17 June 2010
United Press International
CHICAGO - Chicago will ensure that officials can account for handguns if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the city's 28-year-old handgun ban, Mayor Richard Daley said.
"If the ban is overturned, we will see a lot of common-sense approaches in the city aimed at protecting first responders," Daley said Thursday, outlining steps to protect police officers, paramedics and emergency workers from being shot when responding to an incident at a home.
"We have to have some... (GunPolicy.org)
New Missouri Law Forces Retailer to Abandon 6-year Hidden Handgun Ban
17 June 2010
Post Dispatch (Missouri)
The signs barring the carrying of concealed weapons inside Schnucks quietly came down earlier this month — more than six years after they first went up in the grocery chain's Missouri stores following the passage of a state law allowing individuals to carry concealed weapons.
Lori Willis, a Schnucks spokeswoman, said the company's policy change came about during a routine review of its policies.
Schnucks has not barred weapons in four other states — Indiana, Iowa,... (GunPolicy.org)
Chicago Handgun Ban Court Case May Affect Gun Control Across America
14 June 2010
Christian Science Monitor
CHICAGO - Every spring, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley stands before a table full of confiscated firearms and urges federal and state lawmakers to pass new gun-control measures that he says will keep streets safer. This year, there's a twist: Mayor Daley is at risk of losing a gun-control law he already has.
By the end of June, the US Supreme Court is slated to decide whether the city's 28-year ban on handguns – the last of its kind in the nation – is... (GunPolicy.org)
Five Myths About Gun Control - US Professors Critique the Bumper Stickers
13 June 2010
Washington Post
Gun regulation is as American as Wyatt Earp, the legendary frontier lawman who enforced Dodge City's ban on gun-carrying within town limits. But two years ago in District of Columbia v. Heller, the Supreme Court decided for the first time that the Second Amendment grants a personal right to keep and bear arms, a decision that cast doubt on the future of gun control regulations in this country. Now, the court is considering a challenge to Chicago's ban on handgun... (GunPolicy.org)
If Supreme Court Kills Ban on Guns, Chicago Needs Sensible Legislation
7 June 2010
Chicago Tribune, Editorial
Back in the 1980s, people did lots of things that might seem hard to understand today. Women sported big hair and shoulder pads. Pop music fans listened to New Kids on the Block. Motorists bought the Yugo, which has been rated one of the worst cars ever built. And Chicago passed a law barring residents from acquiring handguns.
We can't justify those other developments, but the handgun law passed with the Tribune's support. It was a reasonable attempt to keep guns out... (GunPolicy.org)
Supreme Court Decision on Chicago Gun Ban May Weaken US Gun Laws
23 May 2010
Philadelphia Inquirer, Opinion
The case of Otis McDonald, a 76-year-old black man living in a drug-infested neighborhood of Chicago, is now being considered by the U.S. Supreme Court. McDonald's home has been broken into three times, and drug dealers have threatened him. He would like a gun to protect himself.
Two years ago, in the landmark case District of Columbia v. Heller, the Supreme Court affirmed that the Second Amendment to the Constitution guarantees individuals such as McDonald the right... (GunPolicy.org)
Attack on Chicago's Handgun Ban Could Undo a Winning Police Tactic
23 May 2010
Philadelphia Inquirer, Opinion
In its 2008 decision in District of Columbia v. Heller, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a D.C. law banning handguns violated the Second Amendment to the Constitution. The Second Amendment, however, is a limitation only on federal law. Now, in McDonald v. City of Chicago, gun-rights advocates have asked the court to apply the right to bear arms to state and local gun-control laws.
The Second Amendment says: "A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of... (GunPolicy.org)
Legislators Push Gun Lobby Agenda, Weaken Firearm Laws in Oklahoma
23 May 2010
Tulsa World (Oklahoma), Opinion
If a Martian landed in Oklahoma and read local newspapers with the aim of learning our ways, he'd surely conclude that nothing matters more to us than our guns. Except maybe the reproductive fates of women we don't even know.
Certainly many lawmakers think we place great importance on firearms matters. Why else would they have handily passed so many measures aiming to expand our gun rights?
The conventional wisdom is that we Oklahomans are a gun-loving bunch, and no... (GunPolicy.org)
Chicago Handgun Ban Faces Serious Challenge in US Supreme Court
21 May 2010
CBS News (USA)
Chicago's ban on handguns is facing a serious challenge in the U.S. Supreme Court, and when a reporter asked if the ban is working, Mayor Richard M. Daley didn't mince any words.
Chicago Reader reporter Mick Dumke asked whether the ban is effective, given the amount of gun violence that continues to plague the city.
"It's been very effective," Mayor Daley replied at the City Hall news conference Thursday, smiling as he walked away from the podium. He then picked up a... (GunPolicy.org)
Availability of Guns in America 'Stunningly Negligent Public Policy'
3 May 2010
Philadelphia Inquirer, Opinion
After graduating from college, I served four years as an infantry officer in the Army's 25th Infantry Division. I fired everything from 9mm pistols to .50-caliber machine guns, routinely qualifying as "expert" with an M16A2 rifle.
It's not despite such experience, but precisely because of it, that I think the availability of guns in America is stunningly negligent public policy. And it may get worse.
One needn't be a constitutional law scholar to discern the Founding... (GunPolicy.org)
Texan College Students Say Ban on Hidden Handguns Puts Them at Risk
27 April 2010
East Texan (Texas)
There are laws at A&M-Commerce regarding the possession of concealed weapons on campus. While these laws may be in place to ensure student safety, there are some people who object to those restrictions.
As stated in Section 46.03, Chapter 46, Title 10 of the Texas Penal Code, a person is allowed to carry a concealed weapon on campus, but is prohibited from taking it into university-owned buildings.
"A person commits an offense if the person intentionally, knowingly or... (GunPolicy.org)
Court Considers Reversing Hidden Handgun Ban at Colorado University
4 April 2010
Daily Camera (Colorado)
Valerie Stoyva cringes at the idea of allowing concealed carry permit holders to bring guns on her University of Colorado campus.
"I would like to feel safe — and know that people are not carrying guns on campus," said Stoyva, who is earning her teaching certificate at the Boulder campus. "It's impossible to know the psychology of others."
On the flip side, Susan Wiersma, an incoming freshman from Laramie, said she believes students have Second Amendment rights and... (GunPolicy.org)
Judge Approves Washington, DC's Assault Rifle Ban, Gun Registration Law
26 March 2010
Christian Science Monitor
A federal judge has upheld the new regime of gun laws passed in Washington, D.C., after the US Supreme Court invalidated the city's handgun ban in a landmark Second Amendment ruling two years ago.
The plaintiff in the new case was the same man, Dick Heller, who brought the initial challenge to the handgun ban and won the historic 2008 ruling.
Mr. Heller did not fare as well in his latest round of legal challenges.
US District Judge Ricardo Urbina ruled on Friday that... (GunPolicy.org)
Chicago Mayor Makes Annual Call for Gun Control, Microstamping Pistols
8 March 2010
Chicago Tribune
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 advocates is just one reason it's more important... (GunPolicy.org)
Chicago Mayor Recycles Gun Control Slate, Adds Pistol Microstamping
8 March 2010
Chicago Sun-Times
Mayor Daley today unveiled his annual package of gun control legislation and denied he's "swimming upstream" at a time when the U.S. Supreme Court has signaled its intention to overturn Chicago's handgun ban.
Most of the ideas are re-treads, but there are a few new wrinkles. They include a proposal to make it a mandatory Class 1 felony to "knowingly sell or transfer a gun to a known gang member."
Daley also wants to strengthen penalties for unlawful use of a weapon so... (GunPolicy.org)
Supreme Court Weighs, Could Weaken US State, Local Gun Control Laws
7 March 2010
San Francisco Chronicle
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 even if the court strikes down handgun bans... (GunPolicy.org)
US Gun Case Courts Disaster: Inevitable Increase in Illegal Gun Trafficking
4 March 2010
Philadelphia Inquirer, Editorial
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 of the court's earlier ruling that the Second... (GunPolicy.org)
Chicago's Pointless Handgun Ban: Crime Weakens Case for Gun Control
4 March 2010
Chicago Tribune, Column
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 you'll have." Nadine Winters, a... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Laws: US Supreme Court Should Toss Out Chicago Handgun Ban
3 March 2010
El Paso Times, Editorial
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 but not state and local... (GunPolicy.org)
Government Has No Right to Deny Divine Right of US Gun Ownership
2 March 2010
Augusta Chronicle (Georgia), Editorial
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 would actually be a wise thing... (GunPolicy.org)
All US Gun Laws Could Be in Jeopardy, Depending on High Court Case
2 March 2010
National Public Radio (USA), Transcript
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 government could do. The states had a... (GunPolicy.org)
US Supreme Court Considers National Expansion of Right to Bear Arms
2 March 2010
Reuters
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 right to own guns to all the states and... (GunPolicy.org)
Learning from DC Handgun Ban: Less Gun Control Leads to Less Crime
2 March 2010
Washington Times, Editorial
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 the loudest was Chicago Mayor Richard M.... (GunPolicy.org)
Supreme Court Seems Ready to Up-end Gun Control in US Cities, States
2 March 2010
Christian Science Monitor
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 the Chicago handgun ban at the center of... (GunPolicy.org)
Another Landmark Constitutional Duel Over Right to Bear Guns in America
2 March 2010
Wall Street Journal
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 is Constitutional. Brought by... (GunPolicy.org)
Black Chicago Supreme Court Plaintiff 'Pawn of Wealthy White Gun Nuts'?
2 March 2010
Chicago Sun-Times
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" for the pro-gun lobby in the landmark case that... (GunPolicy.org)
Supreme Court Poised to Rule on Chicago's Longstanding Handgun Ban
2 March 2010
ABC News (USA)
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 that police would have to worry about... (GunPolicy.org)
US Second Amendment Has Become a Frivolous Challenge to Gun Law
1 March 2010
San Francisco Chronicle, Opinion
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 enterprise. Jackson's... (GunPolicy.org)
Handpicked Gun Owners the 'Face' of Drive to Lobby US Supreme Court
1 March 2010
Associated Press
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.
On Tuesday, the four will take their... (GunPolicy.org)
Chicago Handgun Ban Presents Quandary for US Supreme Court Justices
1 March 2010
Washington Post
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 the question of whether the amendment... (GunPolicy.org)
Campaign Grows as More US Gun Owners Flaunt Handguns in Starbucks
28 February 2010
Associated Press
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 "open carry" states, businesses are allowed to... (GunPolicy.org)
US Supreme Court Tipped to Loosen Reins on City, State Gun Control
27 February 2010
Associated Press
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 bans in Chicago and its suburb of Oak... (GunPolicy.org)
