Appeals Court Overturns DC Handgun Ban: A federal appeals court yesterday struck down the District's 30-year-old gun ban, ruling that the right to bear arms as guaranteed in the Second Amendment applies to individuals and not only to militias. D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty said he was "outraged" by the court's decision, which overturns a law that "has been unquestioned for more than 30 years...The ruling also turns aside longstanding precedents and marks the first time in the history of the United States that a federal appeals court has struck down a gun law on Second Amendment grounds." http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20070309-102401-2730r.htm http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/09/AR2007030902416.html http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54627 http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,258067,00.html http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200703/NAT20070309d.html http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/10/washington/10gun.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&ref=us&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin (Note clickable graphic of areas covered by conflicting appellate rulings and link to actual decision.) http://www.prnewswire.com/news/index_mail.shtml?ACCT=ind_focus.story&STORY=/www/story/03-09-2007/0004543259&EDATE=FRI+Mar+09+2007,+01:05+PM (Brief report contains links to the decision and to the original complaint.) Related Commentary: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54640 http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2007/03/major_second_amendment_decisio.html http://www.theconservativevoice.com/article/23373.html http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-09-2007/0004543427&EDATE= http://www.volokh.com/posts/chain_1173454696.shtml http://johnrlott.tripod.com/2007/03/dc-gun-ban-struck-down.html http://www.redstate.com/stories/featured_stories/the_d_c_circuit_court_of_appeals_and_second_amendment_rights http://dougpowers.com/2007/03/10/a-victory-for-the-2nd-amendment/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/josh-sugarmann/court-to-dc-handguns-fo_b_43045.html --- 40 Reasons To Ban Guns Now: ...2. Washington DC's low murder rate of 69 per 100,000 is due to strict gun control, and Indianapolis' high murder rate of 9 per 100,000 is due to the lack of gun control... http://www.barking-moonbat.com/index.php/weblog/40_reasons_to_ban_guns_now/ --- Some National Parks May Reverse Hunting Ban: The ban on firearms in national parks was reputedly initiated as an anti-poaching measure in venues where hunting is prohibited. Two national parks, in Colorado and North Dakota, are faced with an overpopulation of elk and a debate is under way over whether to apply the usual American practice of hunting to cull the herds or whether to have the work done at night, by park employees using suppressed rifles. http://www.washtimes.com/national/20070309-111404-5166r.htm --- Philadelphia Diner Shooting - Owner Speaks: A Philadelphia diner owner told all after he shot and killed a would-be robber and wounded another one on Thursday afternoon. Jason Lee, 45, owner of Sunrise Breakfast in West Oak Lane, said he was not a hero, just a man trying to protect himself and those around him. http://www.nbc10.com/news/11212222/detail.html?dl=mainclick --- No Feces!: An armed, off-duty police officer acted appropriately when he engaged a Bosnian teenager in a gunfight at a Salt Lake City mall during the teen's deadly shooting spree, the Ogden City Police Department has decided. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/03/03/america/NA-GEN-US-Utah-Shooting.php --- "It Was An Accident": The Montgomery County (PA) Sheriff's Department has determined that an incident in which one of its firearms instructors shot himself in the hand was an accident. (Rule One: All firearms are always loaded. Rule Two: Don't let the muzzle cross anything you're not prepared to shoot.) http://www.pottstownmercury.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18053310&BRD=1674&PAG=461&dept_id=18041&rfi=6 --- From AzCDL: Your efforts are paying off. SB 1301, which rewrites 13-3102.F to clarify that if any portion of a weapon or holster is visible the weapon is openly carried, passed in the House Judiciary committee on Thursday, March 8, 2007 by an 8-0 vote (with 2 members absent). SB 1629, which reduces the penalty for carrying a concealed weapon without a permit for law-abiding citizens, passed the Senate Third Read on March 8, 2007 by a vote of 20-8 with 2 Senators not voting. It's now half-way to the Governor's desk. From here it's headed to the House where we will continue our efforts to fight for its passage. Information on these and other bills can be found at the AzCDL website: http://www.azcdl.org/html/legislation.html These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots organization. Join today! AzCDL - Protecting Your Freedom http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html Copyright © 2007 Arizona Citizens Defense League, Inc., all rights reserved. -- Stephen P. Wenger Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .