May 23, 2013
A coalition of gun owners, gun dealers and firearms rights organizations have sued the governor and members of the state's attorney's office, contending that the gun law passed in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings violates the Constitution.
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May 23, 2013
A House panel advanced a bill Wednesday that would allow South Carolinians with permits to carry concealed weapons to take guns into restaurants and bars, removing proposed Senate restrictions that would have barred guns after midnight and in areas dedicated to serving alcohol.
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May 23, 2013
Alabama's governor has signed legislation that expands where people can carry guns in Alabama.The bill by Republican Sen. Scott Beason of Gardendale passed the Legislature Monday, and Bentley's press secretary, Jennifer Ardis, announced the Republican governor signed it into law Wednesday."With Gov. Bentley's signature today, Alabamians' Second Amendment rights are more secure than ever," said House Speaker Mike Hubbard, R Auburn.The new law, pushed by the National Rifle Association, says employees can have firearms in their cars at work, and businesses can't be sued for any harm resulting from the use of those weapons.
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May 22, 2013
Journalists, bloggers or anyone else who intentionally publishes concealed carry handgun permit information would be subject to stiff penalties under a bill passed by the Louisiana Senate on Tuesday. Two other gun bills also were approved. House Bill 8, sponsored by state Rep. Jeff Thompson, R Bossier City, would penalize the release of concealed handgun permit information. The bill was approved 33 2 with New Orleans Democrats Karen Carter Peterson and Edwin Murray voting against it.
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May 22, 2013
Kansas legislators gave final approval Tuesday to restrictions on using state funds to promote or oppose gun control policies, despite criticism that the new law would violate public officials' free speech rights.
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May 22, 2013
Concealed handgun license holders in Texas would be allowed to carry a revolver or semi automatic pistol, regardless of what they trained with on the shooting range under a bill advancing in the Texas Legislature.
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May 22, 2013
Shortly after the speeches ended, members of the Senate Finance Committee did just that by voting 4-3 to advance SB221. The bill now awaits a full vote of the Senate.
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May 21, 2013
The sheriffs thought they were being summoned to the Capitol to discuss ideas for changes to New York's gun control law, the SAFE Act. Instead, Gov. Andrew Cuomo told them to keep quiet.
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May 21, 2013
Senator Chuck Grassley, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, made the following statement after an Office of Inspector General Report showed that U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke leaked a sensitive document to the press regarding a whistleblower who had come forward with allegations of gunwalking, that he leaked an internal memo regarding Fast and Furious suspect Jaime Avila to the New York Times, and that he lied to Deputy Attorney General James Cole. The document leaked to Fox News was deemed so sensitive by the Justice Department that it was not provided to Congress, except in a secured room at department headquarters."The Inspector General outlined the Justice Department's efforts to undermine Special Agent Dodson's credibility, the whistleblower who had the guts to come forward and tell Congress the truth about Operation Fast and Furious. The Inspector General confirmed that Mr. Burke went to great lengths to discredit Special Agent Dodson and Congress investigation into the gunwalking that led to the death of Customs and Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. Mr. Burke's refusal to cooperate with the Inspector General's investigation shows me that he didn t operate in good faith. His actions are indicative of this administration's willingness to attack whistleblowers who cooperate with Congress and show the administration's commitment to undermine legitimate congressional oversight.
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May 21, 2013
To understand the current state of the gun ban crowd's "conversation" about destroying the Second Amendment, it boils down to this: insanity versus sanity.With the horrific series of mass murders culminating in the cold blooded killing of children and teachers at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., last December, this latest iteration of "gun control" is entirely directed at making the sane pay the price for unthinkable acts committed by the insane. It is the root of the civil disarmament movement in America today.
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May 21, 2013
The bill considered Monday would limit the sale or delivery of a gun magazine to no more than 10 bullets. It advanced 12-3 but faces an uncertain fate in the full Senate amid the objections of gun manufacturers and the National Rifle Association.
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May 21, 2013
The Alabama House on Monday gave final approval to a gun bill that makes transporting weapons easier and allows owners with concealed carry pistol permits to keep firearms in their vehicles at work. It also changes concealed carry permitting and clarifies where Alabamians legally can carry their pistols.Gov. Robert Bentley said Monday afternoon he needed to review the bill, but planned to sign it. Assuming he does, it will go into effect Sept. 1.
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May 21, 2013
The Texas House late Monday approved a plan to train some teachers who are already licensed to carry firearms for gunfights that could erupt in their classrooms.
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May 21, 2013
A federal appeals court has upheld a Texas law that says 18 20 year olds cannot receive a concealed handgun license.The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that the Texas law limiting handgun licenses is constitutional. Lawmakers had decided that those under 21 were not mature enough to carry concealed handguns in public. The law makes an exception for members of the military.
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May 20, 2013
The Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General published a new report Monday that confirms former U.S. Attorney for Arizona Dennis Burke leaked a document intended to smear Operation Fast and Furious scandal whistleblower John Dodson.
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May 20, 2013
Colorado sheriffs upset with gun restrictions adopted in the aftermath of last year's mass shootings filed a federal lawsuit Friday, challenging the regulations as unconstitutional.The lawsuit involves sheriffs from 54 of Colorado's 64 counties, most representing rural, gun friendly areas of the state.The sheriffs say the new state laws violate Second Amendment protections that guarantee the right to keep and bear arms. Opponents are criticizing the lawsuit as political maneuvering.
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May 20, 2013
The law, signed by then Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, made California the first state to require micro stamping, which engraves the gun's serial number on each cartridge. But the legislation specified that it would take effect only when the technology was available and all private patents had expired.
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May 20, 2013
While similar attempts failed earlier this year, Quinn said he wants to see the ban on his desk before the General Assembly's May 31 scheduled adjournment.
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May 20, 2013
The Hill has a story today that leaves one wondering if, when it comes to gun control, there is any line too ridiculous for progressives to cross:A House Democrat inspired by the last James Bond movie has offered legislation to produce handguns with "personalization technology."The idea is to produce guns that can only be used by the gun's owners. Rep. John Tierney (D Mass.) cited the latest James Bond movie, "Skyfall," as inspiration for the bill.
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May 20, 2013
Kansas legislators are close to approving restrictions favored by the National Rifle Association on the use of state tax dollars to promote or oppose gun control measures or to lobby local, state or federal officials on the issue.
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May 17, 2013
As an NRA leader who's worked there for over two decades told me, "I think our volunteers' passion and intensity cannot be matched. You can't pull a switch; your grassroots has to have sustainability and you have to train people. We might be happy with a recent legislative victory, but we examine why we won, we evaluate what we need to do better, and get our volunteers geared up for the next battle." But how do they foster that culture, that fervor?
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May 17, 2013
We have just gone through a period when scorn was heaped on the NRA for opposing new gun rules out of the very same logic that compels reporters to react so strongly against the AP subpoena. The NRA will not abide an infringement on anyone's legitimate right to bear arms, and it fears what could come of enhanced state power. Like the reporters, it casts a jaundiced eye on the reassurances of government. What they are to the First Amendment, it is to the Second.
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May 17, 2013
Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.) hasn't given up on his bill to expand background checks for gun purchases, he said Thursday, signaling more willingness to return to the plan than he had publicly shown before."If we could find a way to bring some more folks on board, then of course it would be worth bringing it up again," Toomey said in an interview.
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May 17, 2013
Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy stopped by City Hall Wednesday and held a closed door strategy session on gun control with Mayor Bloomberg.Following the meeting, Malloy said three objectives should be pursued to reverse last month's setback, when the Senate voted down a bill to significantly expand background checks for gun purchases.
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May 17, 2013
A measure spelling out who can carry concealed handguns and where they can carry them emerged Thursday after months of contentious negotiations, a system with one set of rules for violence plagued Chicago and another for the rest of Illinois.Though the attempt at a compromise cleared its first hurdle in the Senate, it faces considerable opposition from gun rights advocates who derided it as an effort to greatly restrict where guns could be carried for self defense and argued that it gave too much leeway to law enforcement in denying permits."You put lipstick on a pig, and it's still a pig. That's what this is," said Todd Vandermyde, the National Rifle Association's Illinois lobbyist.
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May 17, 2013
Gov. Martin O'Malley signed a gun control measure on Thursday to give Maryland some of the nation's tightest gun laws and the National Rifle Association plans to challenge it in court.
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May 17, 2013
Legislation that would make California the first state to ban the use of lead ammunition in hunting has cleared the state Assembly.The bill from Democratic Assemblyman Anthony Rendon of Lakewood would require hunters to use non lead ammunition.
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May 16, 2013
The bill, the Personalized Handgun Safety Act of 2013, mandates within two years that newly manufactured handguns be equipped with the technology that allows the guns to only work in the hands of their owners or other authorized users. Manufacturers that do not meet the standards could be held liable. And individuals or businesses selling older handguns must have them retrofitted with personalization technology within three years after the bill is enacted, at the expense of the federal government.
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May 16, 2013
The D.C. Council is considering requiring people to purchase liability insurance before they can get a license to own a gun.The bill would mandate that prospective gun owners maintain at least a $250,000 policy. The policy would cover damages from negligent acts or intentional acts that aren’t undertaken in self-defense.
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May 16, 2013
State House lawmakers voted Wednesday to forbid law enforcement officers from destroying fully-operating firearms, even if they were used in a crime.House Bill 714, "Disposal of Abandoned Firearms," says that, if a firearm is fully functioning and still has a legible identification number, sheriffs and other law enforcement officers cannot destroy it, regardless of its background.
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May 16, 2013
Republican lawmakers began pushing for the measure after learning about the new license procedures early in the legislative session. The push accelerated in March after a Stoddard County man filed a lawsuit challenging the procedures. It said that scanning documents, such as birth certificates and concealed weapons permits, were an invasion of privacy.
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May 16, 2013
The Atlanta City Council is considering a proposal that would make it more difficult to open indoor shooting ranges.
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May 16, 2013
The family of a second-grader suspended from his school in Anne Arundel County for chewing his Pop-Tart-like pastry into the shape of a gun has lost a bid to have the episode expunged from the child’s record, according to the family’s attorney.
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May 15, 2013
The House passed House Bill 972 from Allen Fletcher, R-Tomball, which would allow concealed carry unless the university opts out every year after talking with students, faculty and staff. The bill then went to the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, where it passed 4-2.
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May 15, 2013
A gun-control bill calling for background checks at gun shows has been temporarily set aside.The bill scheduled for debate Tuesday was tabled and could be taken up again as soon as Wednesday. It would require that a national instant criminal background check be performed prior to the sale or transfer of a firearm at a gun show. The bill would require gun show operators to post signs at gun shows to notify exhibitors of the background check requirement. Failure to perform a background check could result in a $2,500 fine, not $10,000 as initially proposed.
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May 14, 2013
State police have charged a 31-year-old Dutchess County driver with a misdemeanor after he was pulled over and found with two more bullets in his handgun magazine than allowed under New York's new gun control law. Gregory Dean Jr. of Hopewell Junction was stopped for an inadequate light on his license plate about 9:45 p.m. Sunday in New Lebanon, troopers said. Police said their investigation showed the semi-automatic on the passenger seat was a legally possessed, but its magazine contained nine rounds, not seven as required since April 15.
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May 14, 2013
New York's pistol permit holders are facing a Wednesday deadline to submit opt-out forms that would keep their records confidential. Some county clerks said they would not have all of the forms processed by the deadline.
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May 14, 2013
The Texas Senate is to hear legislation that would allow concealed handgun license holders to carry their weapons into college classrooms.The bill has failed in previous sessions but has gained new momentum since receiving state House passage two weeks ago. The Senate Criminal Justice Committee has scheduled a hearing for Tuesday afternoon that is likely to draw dozens of witnesses to testify.
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May 14, 2013
Police departments and other law enforcement agencies would not be able to destroy confiscated guns that are still in good working order under a bill passed by the House Judiciary Subcommittee B. The measure, House Bill 714, says departments may sell or auction weapons, use them for training or otherwise re-purpose them, but may not destroy a gun if it is legal to own and in good working order.
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May 13, 2013
Most Americans recognize that there are more gun owners in the United States today than there were 20 years ago but don’t know that gun crime in the country has gone down in that same period of time.
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