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DC: Decision to Overturn DC Gun Ban Under Fire
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff

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(CNSNews.com) - An appeals court decision overturning the District of Columbia's extensive gun ban continued to draw strong reaction on Monday, with one group calling the ruling "'judicial activism' at its absolute worst" and another hailing it as "a tremendous victory for the common man."

The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruling on Friday "deprives residents of the District the basic right of self-determination in determining their own public safety laws," said Ladd Everitt, president of the D.C. Chapter of the Million Mom March. "This is 'judicial activism' at its absolute worst."

A Victory for Self-Defense
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff

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Robert A. Levy is [CATO] senior fellow in constitutional studies and served as co-counsel to the plaintiffs in Parker v. District of Columbia.

Unless and until the Supreme Court says otherwise, it looks as though the District of Columbia's 31-year-old gun ban is history. Good riddance.

In a landmark opinion Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit reversed a lower federal court on all counts and concluded that "the Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep and bear arms."

TX: Bill: Deadly force OK in self-defense Submitted by: Mark A. Taff	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
MISSION — Whether deserved or not, Texans have long had a reputation for meting out their own special brand of justice. Now, state lawmakers stand ready to approve a bill that would allow private citizens to take whatever means necessary to defend their lives and property from criminal intrusion — including the use of deadly force.

DC: Guns and the Constitution in the District Submitted by: Mark A. Taff	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
I am grateful to the Cato Institute and to the six District residents who fought for the right of law-abiding citizens to own handguns for protection against the predations of criminals ["D.C.'s Ban on Handguns in Homes Is Thrown Out," front page, March 10].

Conservative Win
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff

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The conservative movement won an historic victory last Friday. In the case of Parker v. District of Columbia, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled that the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution does, indeed, protect a right for individual citizens to keep and bear arms for self-defense and other legal uses. Consequently, the court struck down a nettle of D.C. gun-control laws which effectively prohibited gun ownership and use within the District by law-abiding citizens.

Showdown at the Constitution's Last Frontier
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff

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Most presidential elections contain an issue that acts as a third gunman, ultimately stacking the odds against one of the main two combatants. It was Iraq in 2004, ethics in 2000, the economy in 1992, and so forth. Last Friday, the 2008 election may have found its third gunman with a court decision that, somewhat appropriately, also sets out an important marker on one of the last untamed frontiers of constitutional law.

OR: Why we defend right to bear arms
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff

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I don't want to be melodramatic about this fear, but it is ingrained in American culture. It runs through our blood from the docks of Boston through Lexington and Bunker Hill. It was seared into our collective soul in Chancellorsville, Bull Run and Antietam.

We watched and learned from victims of Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, Pol Pot, Idi Amin and Slobodan Milosevic. We studied the Quislings and the Vichy. We bled with the Jews and the Tutsis. We are bleeding now with the tribes being slaughtered in Darfur.

Chief among all of these lessons is the certain knowledge that an evil government or an occupying force can come to power anywhere. It could happen here.

DC: Locating Gun Rights Submitted by: Mark A. Taff	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Last Friday's Parker v. District of Columbia ruling ruling (pdf) was an incredible triumph for gun rights. The federal D.C. court of appeals ruled that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep and bear arms, striking down the District's laws (A) mandating all guns be stored locked and unloaded and (B) effectively banning handguns. The Supreme Court will likely hear the case.

DC: Federal court upholds Constitution, film at 11
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff

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The rate of violent crime also went up dramatically, and reached its highest points after the gun ban took effect. This must leave liberals, who design all their grand ideas in a vacuum, scratching their heads in between dodging all the bullets.

In 1977, the population of Washington, D.C., was 690,000. In 2005, the population was 550,521. I'm still trying to figure out how many of those 139,000-plus people fled, and how many were murdered as a result of being saved by the gun ban.

AL: Alabama Attorney General King Praises Federal Court Ruling As A Victory For Second Amendment
Submitted by: Mark A. Taff

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"This is a tremendous victory for the citizens of Alabama and of the United States," said Attorney General King. "The Court's order is soundly based upon common sense and a thorough analysis of the law. The Second Amendment was provided by our Founding Fathers to guarantee that the people—the individual citizens—have the right to bear arms for their own protection. In order to preserve this fundamental, cherished right for the people of Alabama, I joined this brief to urge the Court to rule in a manner consistent with what the framers of the Constitution intended. "

NJ: New Jersey bill portends New York rifle ban
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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I am writing in response to an Associated Press article in the March 6 Journal News, "N.J. may ban sale of .50-caliber weapons: Large rifles don't belong in civilian hands, advocates say." In the article, so-called experts make statements about the purpose of New Jersey bill S1498. With comments like, "Gun control advocates argue that, .50-caliber rifles are inappropriate for civilian use because they can fire armor piercing rounds that can penetrate and ignite chemical plants, refineries and rail tank cars." You are misrepresenting what the law is looking to ban.

Guns and Grammar
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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As Mayor Bloomberg pursues his campaign against what he calls illegal guns, quite a drama is shaping up among the judges who ride the United States appeals circuits. On Friday, the riders of the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that it is on the people, not states wanting militias, that the Second Amendment confers the right to keep and bear arms. Such a ruling, being in conflict with at least some of the findings in other circuits, now provides an opportunity for the Supreme Court to act with a clarity it has long eschewed.

AZ: Court Papers Show How 'Iron River' of Guns Flows Into Mexico
Submitted by: R.S.G.

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MESA, Ariz. -- Human and drug-smuggling organizations in Mexico are getting their guns from the same places law-abiding U.S. citizens are getting theirs: licensed gun dealers and gun shows, according to court documents.

"There's an iron river of guns flowing to Mexico," said special agent Thomas Mangan, spokesman for the Phoenix office of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Search warrant affidavits show smugglers are getting guns from "straw purchasers," people with clean records who buy guns for smugglers, who then sneak them across the border for a few hundred dollars.

Submitters Note: How long before we hear the words "Gun Show Loophole" even though "straw purchasers" are already breaking the law.

Working Hard to Misconstrue the 2nd Amendment
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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In a startling case that may single-handedly revive interest in the Second Amendment's "right to bear arms," the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled 2-1 Friday that a D.C. law barring residents from keeping handguns in their homes violated citizens' Second Amendment right to have guns, aside and apart from service in a militia. In carving out an "individual" right, the case of Parker v. District of Columbia proves that bad history makes for bad law.

Owning the Power to Control My Destiny
Submitted by: Buckeye Firearms Association
Website: http://www.buckeyefirearms.org

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Recently I watched The Suze Orman show on the local PBS channel. The show was entitled "Women & Money". Now you ask, what does that have to do with gun rights?

Ms. Orman proceeds through out the show to explain the "eight qualities of the wealthy woman". Number three is "courage"! Suze explains "courage is the ability to face danger, difficulty, uncertainty, or pain without being overcome by fear or being deflected from a chosen course of action." Wait a minute! In my pro gun mind, Suze can't be talking about financial stuff! She must be confused and instead is talking about self defense! These are the type of words I would say to my students as I instruct them in my concealed carry classes.

OH: The importance of the Parker (D.C. gun ban) case
Submitted by: Buckeye Firearms Association
Website: http://www.buckeyefirearms.org

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By Ken Hanson

The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) is making some significant and breathtaking progress in the field of Second Amendment jurisprudence. SAF, together with Virginia attorney Alan Gura, has come up with an exquisite legal strategy to get the question of the Second Amendment as a fundamental, individual right squarely before the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) in the next two years.

While it is shocking to most people, the SCOTUS has never really had a case squarely dealing with the Second Amendment as an individual right, and has never reached the issue of whether the Second Amendment even applies to states.

VA: Shedding light on concealed handguns Submitted by: Anonymous	There are no comments on this story Post Comments \| Read Comments
Anti-gun "journalist" took it upon himself to publish list of ALL VA concealed permit holders.

NC: Employees of Fayetteville Man Shot in Botched Home Invasion
Submitted by: jac

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Fayetteville -- Two men have been arrested in connection with a home invasion of their employer in Fayetteville Friday night that left both suspects with gunshot wounds.

Investigators said the men allegedly entered the home of James Wiggins, 66, of 3411 Cumberland Road shortly after 8:00 p.m. Both suspects were wearing black ski masks, dark clothing and had a handgun in their possession, authorities said.

Wiggins told detectives his dog began to bark and he spotted the men approaching the home. Wiggins went to his bedroom, retrieved his gun and began shooting at the men when the backdoor of his home was forced open, investigators said.

DC: D.C. Chapter of Million Mom March Condemns Federal Court Decision to Overturn City's Handgun Ban
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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The District of Columbia Chapter of the Million Mom March (MMM DC) is strongly opposed to the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to overturn the city's gun laws. The court declared the District's longstanding handgun ban unconstitutional on Friday in a 2-1 decision in the case of Parker v. District of Columbia. Provisions governing the safe storage of firearms in the home were also overturned.

MD: Police expert lied about credentials
Submitted by: Anonymous

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Ballistics specialist killed himself after being confronted with deceit...

State police said that they learned while looking into the circumstances surrounding Kopera's death that defense lawyers had questioned him. Kopera, 61, died from a self-inflicted gunshot March 1- the day his sudden retirement took effect.
Given the length and breadth of Kopera's work, prosecutors and criminal defense attorneys alike said yesterday that the implications of the investigation could be tremendous, with the analysis of every bullet and every weapon that has passed through Kopera's crime laboratory called into question.

George Washington, GENERAL ORDERS, "no Arms, but such as are good, and fit for immediate Use", Feb. 24, 1776
Submitted by: GunShowOnTheNet.com
Website: http://GunShowOnTheNet.com/

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"...The General having the Credit of this Army, much at heart, and anxious that it should not only behave well, but look well..."

"...The Commanding Officer of each Regiment, may apply for a Warrant for Five- hundred Dollars, to put into the hands of such Officers, as they send into the Country, On the recruiting Service, to buy Arms; these Officers are in an especial manner charged to purchase no Arms, but such as are good, and fit for immediate Use -- Kings Musquets, or Guns as near that quality as can be had, should be got, and with Bayonets, if possible..."

NY: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Urges Governor Spitzer to Consider all Points of View When Proposing Gun Legislation
Submitted by: New York State Rifle & Pistol Association
Website: http://www.nysrpa.org

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The NYSRPA is delighted that after many years of touting the value of the shooting and hunting sports to the New York State economy a downstate politician has finally listened. We applaud Governor Spitzer for understanding our traditions and proposing initiatives to expand land use, reduce landowner liability and promote the hunting sports in New York. However... we remain cautious and apprehensive regarding gun laws in New York.

George Washington To Gov. Jonathan Trumbull, "Prudence indeed points out the expediency of providing for private as well as Public Exigencies", Feb. 19, 1776
Submitted by: GunShowOnTheNet.com
Website: http://GunShowOnTheNet.com/

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"...This matter is mentioned to you in confidence; -- your zeal, activity and Attachment to the cause, renders it unnecessary to conceal it from you, or our real stock of Powder; which after furnishing the Militia (unfortunately coming in without, and will require upwards of 50 Barrels and compleating our other Troops to 24 Rounds a Man..."

"...our Military Operations are intirely at a stand, for want of Powder principally and Arms; It is inconsistent with good policy, to hoard up Town Stocks of either; better it is, to fight an Enemy at a distance, than at one's door. Prudence indeed points out the expediency of providing for private as well as Public Exigencies..."

NY: Manhattans Littlest Soldiers
Submitted by: Anonymous

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Park Avenue between 66th and 67th Streets is not the first block you might try if you were looking to find boys and girls with guns. And none of Manhattan, for that matter, presents good odds for turning up children engaged in paramilitary maneuvers.
But Tuesdays, from 5 to 6 p.m., that is what you would find, when the Knickerbocker Greys cadet corps holds its weekly drill sessions. The site is the old Seventh Regiment Armory, a crenellated red-brick fortress, and perhaps there is some comfort to the knowledge that in this era of architectural repurposing, at least one of New Yorks old armories, when it isnt housing antiques fairs, is used in a way that actually involves the taking up of arms (particularly as theyre not loaded).