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NH: New Hampshire Town Allows Workers to Carry Guns to Work
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The manager of the small New Hampshire town of Nottingham doesn't understand all the fuss surrounding the decision to allow town employees to bring their guns to work.
"Everyone wants to know if I'm packing," Charles Brown told ABCNews.com. "Honestly, all the hoopla is over the top."
For Brown and other officials in the town of 4,800, it's a matter of constitutional rights.
Under the old legislation, all Nottingham employees except police officers were banned from brining their guns onto town property during work hours. The town's selectmen voted last week to allow guns on municipal property, and the change went into effect on Thursday. |
WA: Supreme Court ruling protects gun rights, reasonable restriction
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The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling a week ago in McDonald v. Chicago, applying the Second Amendment to the states, will have hardly any effect in the state of Washington. Gun rights already exist here.
Since 1889, the Washington Constitution has guaranteed "the right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state," which is more or less the rule the Supreme Court has now proclaimed for all the states.
The Second Amendment, which grants a right "to keep and bear arms," has been in the U.S. Constitution for more than two centuries. But it was only two years ago that the court applied it to individual citizens. |
Court stands up for founders' 'blood'
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One small example of that played out in the Supreme Court this week. The Second Amendment to the Constitution reads, �A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.�
It seems a simple enough statement, yet any number of communities have sought to ban gun ownership. Yet this week, the Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment applies across the board, not just to the federal government, but also to states and communities.
...
After all, as the author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, wrote, �The beauty of the Second Amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it.� |
VA: Virginia gun-rights enthusiasts celebrate Va. law on firearms in bars
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When Anthony Dahm visited Champps Americana restaurant and bar Thursday, his menu of options had doubled: Thanks to a change in Virginia's gun laws, he could carry a semiautomatic handgun hidden behind the pouch holding his children's allergy medicine -- as well as the one worn openly on his hip -- without fear of committing a crime.
That was cause enough for Dahm to celebrate at the Reston restaurant with about 80 other members of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, a gun-rights organization that had long pushed for the new law, which allows people with concealed-weapon permits to go armed in places that serve alcohol as long as they don't imbibe. |
Most Americans Agree With SCOTUS, Say Cities Can't Ban Handguns -- CCRKBA
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A new Rasmussen poll showing a majority of Americans believe cities cannot ban handguns "goes along with what we have been saying, and what the Supreme Court affirmed," the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.
"The high court ruled in its 2008 Heller decision that the handgun ban in Washington, D.C. violated the Second Amendment," noted CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, "and this week's McDonald ruling incorporates the Second Amendment to the states. That effectively nullifies municipal gun bans nationwide. The court has spoken twice, and a majority of Americans concur. |
MT: State university ban on guns may take fire
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The head of a prominent gun-rights group is mulling whether to challenge a firearms ban on Montana's public college campuses now that the U.S. Supreme Court has given gun owners a green light to take on local and state governments over Second Amendment protections.
Gary Marbut, president of the Montana Shooting Sports Association, said Thursday that he will review state regulations and laws to see whether it's worth challenging any gun restrictions. Although he said the state is pretty good about respecting rights of firearm owners, he said the ban on guns at public colleges stands out as an infringement that should be removed. |
IL: Chicago approves new handgun restrictions
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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.
Residents convicted of violating the city's ordinance can face a fine up to $5,000 and be locked up for as long as 90 days for a first offense and a fine of up to $10,000 and as long as six months behind bars for subsequent convictions.
Mayor Richard Daley moved quickly to get a new ordinance in place and has indicated that he expects legal challenges to the new restrictions. |
NY: How Two Questions Caused Death Penalty Misstep
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After five months, the death penalty trial of Ronell Wilson had entered its last few minutes when a federal prosecutor presented some parting thoughts for the jurors to consider as they deliberated.
If Mr. Wilson, who had executed two undercover police officers on Staten Island, truly accepted responsibility for the killings, why had he not pleaded guilty? And if Mr. Wilson truly felt remorse for his actions, why had he not taken the witness stand to say so?
It is not known whether those statements contributed to the jury's decision to issue the first death sentence in New York in more than a half century. |
MD: Frantic minutes preceded intruder's shooting in Prince George's
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Then Jackson grabbed his own gun.
"I just couldn't allow it to go down the way it was trying to go down," Jackson said in an interview on Thursday, his first public statements since Monday's fatal shooting, which Prince George's County police say seems to be a case of self-defense. "I know pretty much he was capable of doing what he had to do. First chance, I had to go for it."
Jackson shot and killed ... Fletcher, 20, a father of two young boys who lived in Southeast Washington and in Oxon Hill with his mother. Law enforcement sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity because police are still looking for other suspects, said he was shot multiple times in the upper body -- but only after he squeezed off a shot at Jackson. |
WI: District Attorney declares most state gun laws unconstitutional
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Wisconsin Army National Guard JAG officer, and Jackson County District Attorney, Gerald R. Jackson has something to say about the US Supreme Court's decision in McDonald v. Chicago released earlier this week and holding that the Second Amendment's protections apply against state regulation. In a press release Jackson declared 5 Wisconsin state statute unconstitutional:
"I hereby declare that this office will no longer accept law enforcement referrals for violations of the following statutes:
Section 167.31, prohibiting uncased or loaded firearms in vehicles;
Section 941.23, prohibiting the carrying of concealed weapons, including firearms;
. . .
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NY: U.S. Court Strikes Down Death Sentence for Killer of Two New York Officers
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An appeals court struck down the first successful federal capital-punishment prosecution in New York State in more than 50 years on Wednesday, overturning the death sentence given to a Staten Island man who was convicted of killing two undercover New York City police detectives in 2003.
The man, Ronell Wilson, now 28, was sentenced by a federal jury in January 2007 to die by lethal injection for shooting each of the detectives in the back of the head in a car on a dead-end street on Staten Island. The detectives, James V. Nemorin and Rodney J. Andrews, had been posing as gun buyers. |
TX: Property Owner Shoots Suspected Thieves
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Denton County investigators are looking into a possible case of vigilante justice.
Authorities said two men were stealing an air conditioning unit, when the owner of the property shot them. It happened at a race car driving school at Texas Motor Speedway near Justin where the owner lives.
Investigators said Starr heard noises outside, went out, confronted two men in their '50s, and then shot them with a 12-gauge shotgun.
"It's Texas, so everyone has a gun," said Kelly Worthington, owner of nearby Worth Printing.
The pair had stolen Starr's A/C condenser and put it in the back of their pickup truck, according to the Denton County Sheriff's Office.
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WI: Wisconsin firearms laws fall in Jackson County - will others follow?
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As with the other fundamental rights, such as the freedom of speech, of religion, of association, or of security in our homes, persons, and effects, government limitations on fundamental rights are lawful only in the rare case that the state can show a compelling governmental need that can be accomplished only by enacting a narrowly-tailored restriction, in terms of time, place and manner. Clearly, a blanket prohibition against carrying your loaded firearm in your personal vehicle does not pass that test.
Ed.: This article contain the D.A.'s entire press release. |
WI: District Attorney say he won't enforce gun laws
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The Jackson County district attorney says it's now OK to carry a concealed weapon in his county. But, the sheriff and Black River Falls police chief disagree and say they'll still arrest people for breaking the law.
District Attorney Gerald Fox says he'll no longer prosecute people for five notable gun violations because of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling this week.
Fox says he won't prosecute laws prohibiting people from carrying a concealed weapon, from having an uncased or loaded gun in their car, from carrying a gun in a public building or having one in a place where alcohol may be served. |
NC: No charges to be filed in fatal Greensboro shooting
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No charges will be filed in the fatal shooting of a 21-year-old man in north Greensboro in early June after prosecutors determined it happened in self defense.
Howard Neumann, Guilford County's chief assistant district attorney, said Friday he met with police this week to review their findings in the death of Rance Slaughter, who was fatally shot June 3.
Police have said Slaughter and two other men broke into a residence at Northwinds Apartments at 1373 Lees Chapel Road around 8:45 p.m.
Someone inside the apartment opened fire and in an official recording of a 911 call made from the apartment, a man said his �people� shot someone who kicked his door in. |
CA: Supreme Court's gun ruling may be prescription for injuries and death, legal expert says
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The plaintiff ..., Otis McDonald, wanted a gun to protect himself from the drug dealers and other assorted thugs that had taken over his neighborhood and broken into his home. But the gun he seeks �may just increase the risks of homicide, suicide, and accidental injury and death of those who live in or, like his grandchildren, visit his home,� writes Dr. Julie Cantor, whose scholarship focuses on the intersection of health, law and ethics.
Cantor points out that gun violence causes more than 30,000 deaths and 60,000 injuries each year, making it a leading public health problem. Studies have shown that the mere presence of a handgun substantially raises the risk of homicide and suicide, with abused women being particularly vulnerable. |
Mayor Daley, Sen. Burris: Meet DA Gerald R. Fox of Jackson County, WI
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Washington State could use some guys like Jackson County, WI District Attorney Gerald R. Fox, a fellow who might give Chicago Mayor Richard Daley heartburn and Illinois Sen. Roland Burris (a Democrat, naturally) a cardiac.
While Burris was busy bylining an opinion piece for The Hill about the travesty of Monday�s 5-4 Supreme Court ruling in McDonald v. City of Chicago � the Second Amendment Foundation�s historic victory that essentially destroys the Windy City�s 28-year-old handgun ban � Fox was telling reporters that, because of the ruling, he is no longer going to enforce several anti-gun regulations in the Badger State. |
IL: City Council passes Daley gun restrictions 45-0
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"Alderman voted 45-0 in favor even as some of them acknowledged how little the restrictions would do to quell violent crime."
"And the ordinance outright bans gun sales, firing ranges"
"Several aldermen, however, said the ordinance is more likely to affect responsible, law-abiding gun owners than the thugs causing mayhem."
Submitter's note: yet they voted for it anyway. Cowardice in action. Petty children masquerading as Alder"men."
My favorite part: "People who now own firearms illegally would get a 90-day grace period after the new law takes effect to register the guns without penalty." Thus we see, most people fare better in the end if they DON'T beg government for permission.
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PA: Pennsylvania self-defense bill appears dead
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HARRISBURG -- Supporters are trying to salvage a bill stalled in a House committee that would allow a person to shoot an assailant in self-defense outside of the home, without taking steps in retreat.
The so-called "stand your ground" legislation, hailed by gun advocates, is an extension of the "Castle Doctrine" law that allows a person to use lethal force without retreat on an intruder in one's home, or "castle." Outside the home, the law requires a person who is threatened to literally step backward before shooting an attacker in self-defense.
House Bill 40 eliminates the duty to retreat when outside the home -- in a driveway, yard, the street, or any place that person is legally permitted to be, ... |
Gun Owners and Gun Manufacturers: Happy Independence Day!
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Not surprisingly, the stocks of the two publicly-traded U.S. gun manufacturers jumped on the news; Smith & Wesson (NasdaqGS: SWHC) rose 5.6% and Sturm, Ruger (NYSE: RGR) was up 2.2%. Smith & Wesson released full-year 2010 and fourth-quarter earnings on Wednesday that I will talk about shortly, but first I need to give my take on the Court decision.
It�s bad legal analysis, a dangerous attack on public safety, and a shocking example of judicial activism by a supposedly �conservative� Supreme Court. |
WI: Jackson County Will No Longer Prosecute Certain Gun Crimes
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Jackson County's District Attorney Gerald Fox says it's every law-abiding American citizen's right to arm themselves for self defense," The 2nd Amendment as part of the Bill of Rights really does protect an individual American's right to keep and bare arms for defense of self, home, family and community."
Fox says his office won't take any cases police might refer that are solely about gun violations, such as concealed carry, uncased or loaded weapons in vehicles, guns in public buildings or where alcohol is served.
...
A spokesman for state Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen says Fox's policies are a matter of his discretion as the District Attorney and had no comment about his decision and announcement. |
WI: Wis. DA says he won't prosecute some gun laws
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Peter Hamm, a spokesman for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said he was stunned. He said Fox is inviting crime into his county and if he won't enforce the state's laws he should be removed from office.
"To announce this publicly, to tell all these would-be scofflaws they can go ahead and break the law, makes matters worse," Hamm said.
Fox, a Democrat with self-described Libertarian leanings, faces re-election in 2012. He said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press but if the Brady Campaign wants to mount a recall drive, the organization should "bring it on." |
UT: Concealed carry
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Some Utah legislators believe that because the Second Amendment guarantees individual Americans the right to keep and bear arms, the state should not require a permit for a person to carry a concealed gun. We beg to differ.
First, though the U.S. Supreme Court did rule two years ago that Second Amendment rights are individual rights, breaking with decades of precedent, so far the court has only held that right to encompass the ability to keep handguns in a home for self-defense. In fact, it has explicitly stated that concealed carry can be prohibited. |
Groups fill NRA void in gun rights movement
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The gun rights movement may have more momentum now than ever, but the groups behind it aren't all united.
Many are grass-roots organizations formed in the last few years because the powerful National Rifle Association was too busy, or too big, to help fight city and statewide gun laws. The constellation of smaller splinter groups are more aggressive and will play a leading role in hashing out the scope of the Supreme Court's latest ruling supporting gun rights, in part by filing lawsuits at the local level. |
The Second Amendment wins again in the Supreme Court
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To some, the Supremes sang an old song this week, ruling once again that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to bear arms in self-defense. Been there, done that, two years ago in the Heller case. Yawn.
But most of us court junkies look at each new decision as legal crack, and couldn't wait to see if the justices would follow precedent and extend that right to the states, since Heller covered only gun owners in the District of Columbia. In other words, we wondered if they'd do their job and not pander to the gun-control crowd.
Well, I guess five out of nine ain't bad. On Monday, by a 5-to-4 vote, the court held that the right to bear arms applied nationwide, mainly through the due-process clause of the 14th Amendment. |
NY: Congressional Candidate Blasts Unconstitutional and Biased "Sullivan Law"
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If we need the permission of the police and judges to bear arms, it�s not a right but a privilege. The Court also demonstrated that it understands that so-called "gun control" in America had its origins in government discrimination and a desire to prevent newly freed slaves from defending themselves against lynch mobs.
Yet, we in the North should not be too smug. ...New York makes it very difficult for lower-income people, the people who often need them most, to obtain pistol permits. If people have a right to bear arms for self-defense, it is unconscionable for state officials to make them jump through hoops for a year or longer to get a permit. In many high-crime neighborhoods, people can�t wait that long to protect themselves. |
NY: Microstamping plans attack owners' rights
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Here we go again. State government wants to punish licensed gun owners by enacting "microstamping" legislation. It would require all semi-automatic handguns delivered to any licensed firearms dealer in New York to mechanically stamp certain information about the firearm on the cartridge when the gun is discharged.
Who would support this bill and what is the real intent? Why it's New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, which is really a misnomer, since Mayor Bloomberg really wants to deny citizens their Second Amendment right and ban all guns. |
IN: Hoosier Workplace Gun Law Stirring Opposition
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Is a court challenge looming to see if Indiana's new workplace gun law can survive?
It�s an interesting case, because two powerful lobbying groups that normally are on the same side of an issue are against each other in this instance.
The Indiana Chamber of Commerce and Indiana Manufacturer's Association find themselves at odds with gun rights advocates over the law that took effect Thursday.
It says employees of Hoosier businesses have the right to bring a gun to work, provided they keep it locked and out of sight in their car. |
IL: Gun battles in Chicago
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The ordinance would prohibit gun owners from stepping outside their homes, even to their porch or garage, with a handgun. It also prohibits gun shops in Chicago; limits the number of handguns residents can register to one per month; requires residents in homes with children to keep their handguns in lock boxes or equipped with trigger locks; ...
Professor Cottrol believes that at some provisions of the ordinance will not survive a legal challenge.
"The part about not being able to go out on your porch or to your garage with the gun you legally own - I don't think that can stand," Cottrol said. "if you have the right to protect yourself and your family in your home, then that right will extend to your porch and your garage." |
IL: City quickly enacts gun measures
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Several aldermen, however, said the ordinance is more likely to affect law-abiding gun owners than the thugs causing mayhem on hot weekend nights.
"You cannot legislate criminals. They are going to be criminals no matter what," said Ald. Ed Smith, 28th. "The people who intend to do crime, they are going to do it in whatever manner they can. They are going to get a gun wherever they can, and they are going to use it. They are not going to register their gun."
After making a similar acknowledgement, Ald. Deborah Graham, 29th, issued a plea: "I also would encourage gangbangers who get those guns unlawfully to stop getting them unlawfully. We're going to increase the penalties to make sure our communities are safe." |
Another Brick in the Wall SCOTUS Incorporates the Second Amendment
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Of all of the 9 Justices and their 5 concurring and dissenting opinions, only Justice Clarence Thomas really got it right. Justice Thomas joined with Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Scalia, Kennedy, and Alito in declaring the Second Amendment applies to the states and overturning Chicago�s handgun ban as a violation of that amendment, but only Justice Thomas based his decision on the Privileges or Immunities clause of the 14th Amendment rather than the Due Process clause that the others relied on.
As a practical matter the mechanism used to apply the right to arms to the states makes little difference. What matters is that it is applied. |
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