WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed to decide whether some state gun regulations violate the Constitution, the second phase of the justices' re-examination of the right to bear arms in the 21st century. Last year, the court ruled that the Second Amendment includes an individual right to self-defense, and struck down a Washington, D.C., ordinance that effectively banned possession of handguns within the capital. That decision rested on the District of Columbia's... (GunPolicy.org)

Three prominent long-gun registry opponents will be in the area Friday to attend a Conservative Party fundraising dinner in Ayton. Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MP Larry Miller is bringing Saskatchewan Conservative MPs Candice Hoeppner and Garry Breitkreuz, authors of separate private member's bills to scrap the registry for long guns, to the party's dinner Friday night. Tickets for the fundraiser are still available by calling 519-369- 7180 or 519-363-3207. Breitkreuz... (GunPolicy.org)

HELENA, Montana — If Montana has its way in a lawsuit filed Thursday, there will be far less federal gun control in the state. The state's libertarian streak — which has spawned efforts to buck the federal Real ID Act and sparked widespread contempt for the Patriot Act — is now triggering a fight over whether Montana should have sovereignty over made-in-Montana guns and equipment. If gun advocates win, the state could decide which rules, if any, would control... (GunPolicy.org)

Ormond Beach Mayor Fred Costello recently has weathered furious broadsides. More than 100 people have fired off e-mails calling him a "loser" and demanding that he "do the right thing." His offense? Public malfeasance? Something more heinous. Mr. Costello had the brass to join Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a group that aims to keep criminals from unlawfully acquiring firearms. Now, he and the other 450 mayors in the group stand in the crosshairs of the National Rifle... (GunPolicy.org)

The South Australian Government is cracking down on people who have unregistered imitation firearms. People caught with unregistered or unauthorised imitations will face a maximum of 15 years in jail or a $75,000 fine. Authorities are concerned that imitations can be converted to fire bullets, and that they are often used in robberies and other crimes. But an amnesty has been declared until the end of the year. After that, Premier Mike Rann says the full force of... (GunPolicy.org)

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court announced on Wednesday that it would decide whether state and local gun control laws may be challenged under the Second Amendment. The court also agreed to hear nine other cases from among those that had piled up over its summer break, including one concerning the constitutionality of an antiterrorism law that is a favorite tool of federal prosecutors. The Second Amendment case, McDonald v. Chicago, No. 08-1521, addresses a question... (GunPolicy.org)

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court could ignite a vigorous new fight over state and local gun controls across the nation when it rules on a challenge to Chicago's handgun ban. The court said Wednesday it will consider a challenge to Chicago's ban, and even gun control supporters believe a victory is likely for gun-rights proponents. If the court rules that the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms doesn't allow the city's outright handgun ban, it could lead to... (GunPolicy.org)

This week, a small sign appeared on the front door of Colosimo's Gun Center, three handwritten words that said "Closed for inventory." A knock drew owner James Colosimo, nearly 80, a stogie pinched between his fingers. "My attorney said not to talk about anything," he said, offering a polite goodbye. But his gun shop, for decades a fixture on Spring Garden Street, wasn't merely closed — as of yesterday, it was officially out of business. That's cause for joy or... (GunPolicy.org)

HOUSTON — A four-month effort to stop the flow of firearms from the U.S. to Mexican drug cartels has helped law enforcement disrupt various gun trafficking rings and gain a better understanding of how these groups try to avoid detection, officials announced Thursday. Many weapons seized south of the border are traced back to Houston, where 100 agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and other personnel were deployed in April to develop... (GunPolicy.org)

High-powered guns purchased at Houston-area stores by a Gulf Cartel cell and smuggled across the border for the syndicate's bloody warfare have been traced to at least 55 killings in Mexico, including the deaths of police officers, civilians and gangsters, federal agents said Thursday. The recent tracking of firearms is the result of a four-month anti-cartel operation focused largely on Houston, which the federal government contends is the No. 1 spot in the United... (GunPolicy.org)

Days after cops reported they found a gun owned by Police Sgt. Harold David Setzer in the hands of a convicted felon, Setzer's son came forward with a cover story. Setzer, 41, of Davis Street in New Haven, remains on paid administrative leave from the Waterbury police force, where he's been a cop for 18 years and a firearms instructor for 10-15 years. He was arraigned in Connecticut Superior Court on Elm Street Thursday morning. He was arrested Wednesday on seven... (GunPolicy.org)

Dallas police are investigating the disappearance of 38 cases of ammunition from storage bunkers at the department's Firearms Training Center in the Mountain Creek area. Officials believe the boxes of ammunition, worth about $3,800, were taken in the last 30 days. "The theft appears to have been committed by someone with access to the facility," Lt. Andrew Harvey wrote in a news release. The department's public integrity unit is investigating. According to a... (GunPolicy.org)