Two key provisions of Philadelphia's most recent attempt to impose local gun controls — banning "straw purchase" of handguns and banning assault weapons — were invalidated today by a state appeals court. Following a series of rulings that doomed previous Philadelphia gun control laws, the Commonwealth Court held that the state Supreme Court ruled in 1996 that only the state legislature — not municipalities — has the authority to enact gun laws. But the 6-1... (GunPolicy.org)