Interim DC Gun Law Likely to End up in Court: The District, rebuffed by the Supreme Court last month in a landmark decision on its 32-year-old gun ban, could soon be headed back to court over a new gun law that could take effect as early as Wednesday. The D.C. Council will vote Tuesday on emergency legislation that will require handgun owners to keep their weapons disassembled or under lock and key in what gun rights advocates see as direct defiance of the Supreme Court ruling..."They're doing everything that they can to not comply with the Supreme Court ruling," said Chris Cox, chief lobbyist for the National Rifle Association, who dismissed the proposed legislation as "a joke." ...D.C. interim Attorney General Peter J. Nickles acknowledged that officials expected strong reactions to the emergency legislation, which will be in effect for only 90 days. http://www.washtimes.com/news/2008/jul/15/dc-on-verge-of-new-gun-law-at-risk-of-challenges/ Semiauto Ban Remains: ...But District officials said yesterday that they are braced for the possibility of more legal wrangling as they try to respect the high court while maintaining the strictest controls possible. Residents could begin applying this week for handgun permits in a process that requires a written examination, proof of residency, good vision and ballistic testing. Applicants also would have to pay a fee and agree to fingerprinting and criminal background checks. The legislation does not lift restrictions on semiautomatic handguns, a move that will probably land the District back in court, according to the lawyer who successfully challenged the gun ban..."The semiautomatic ban is clearly unconstitutional," Gura said. "The overwhelming majority of handguns people use in the United States are semiautomatic." Related Commentary: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jul/15/gun-law-shenanigans/ --- Chicago Newspapers Ignore Second Amendment Rally: The July 11 Second Amendment Freedom Rally in downtown Chicago was ignored by both of Chicago's major newspapers (Tribune search on "gun rally," not in quotes, is here [HT Say Uncle]; Sun-Times search on "gun" is here)... http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tom-blumer/2008/07/15/chicago-tribune-ignores-pro-2nd-amendment-rally-has-covered-similar-oppo --- Heller and Obama's New Seal: ...Mr. Obama is beginning to come across as the political reincarnation of John Kerry. And to celebrate that, and understanding how well Mr. Obama enjoys new seals, we humbly submit the following for consideration. http://www.qando.net/details.aspx?Entry=8880 --- BYU Students Discuss Heller: The June 26 Supreme Court decision to rule in favor of an individual's right to own and carry a handgun has brought attention to firearm activist groups and students. The decision came after the Supreme Court ruled a Washington, D.C. handgun ban to be unconstitutional. The Supreme Court decision doesn't extend unlimited rights to gun owners. Some limitations apply such as those laid out in the BYU honor code's firearms policy. According to the BYU policy and procedures handbook, the use or possession of any firearm, explosives, knives or other dangerous weapons is prohibited on or near campus. There are a few exceptions such as ROTC students and members of the BYUSA shooting club... (For starters, the Heller decision appears to allow bans on carrying firearms outside the home.) http://newsnet.byu.edu/story.cfm/69020 --- Campus Carry Gains Momentum in Texas: ...Schober and fellow student Bill Downs were among 13 people who recently completed Cox's shooting proficiency and eight-hour classroom course, prerequisites to obtaining a license to legally carry a concealed handgun in Texas. But even if the two follow through with fingerprints, notarized forms and $140 checks for Texas Department of Public Safety processing, they won't be able to bring their weapons to campus unless the Legislature changes the law. Schober and Downs are part of a nationwide movement that's pushing for the right to carry pistols on college and university campuses in the wake of the April 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech University... http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/5885119.html --- New York Judge Rejects Heller: The recent historic handgun ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court should have no impact on gun control and licensing provisions in New York state, a local judge has concluded... In the matter before Walsh, Daniel M. Groff, of Bridgeport, had had a pistol permit since 1991 that allowed him the unrestricted right to carry a concealed weapon. The judge noted the permit had been revoked in May based on the filing of DWI and reckless driving charges against Groff in Sullivan, Madison County. With proof that Groff pleaded guilty to reckless driving and paid a $300 fine, Walsh last week ordered his pistol permit reinstated. But the judge concluded the original decision allowing Groff to carry a concealed weapon had been a mistake... Based on that and Groff's prior unblemished record, the judge agreed to reinstate his pistol permit but restricted it to possession on premises or for the purposes of hunting and target shooting... http://www.syracuse.com/poststandard/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-14/1216025743248580.xml&coll=1 --- Georgia Pacific Claims Exemption from Florida Parking-Lot Law: Georgia Pacific's paper mill in Palatka is joining two Orlando theme parks which claim they are exempt from a new state law allowing employees to keep their guns in their cars at work. Georgia Pacific told its 1,000 workers in Palatka that the Department of Homeland Security is the reason its employees are prohibited from bringing guns to work, said Jeremy Alexander, a company spokesman... The explanation for the homeland security exemption is that the plant receives large amounts of oil, which are brought in by barge up the St. Johns River into Rice Creek, he said. Palatka is about 50 miles southwest of Jacksonville... (As I recall, it was Weyerhaeuser, another forest-products company, that initiated the fight against a similar law in Oklahoma.) http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/jul/14/georgia-pacific-palatka-plant-exempt-gun-law/ --- Len Savage Claims BATFE Retribution for Olofson Testimony: A gun expert who testified against the government when David Olofson was on trial for loaning to an acquaintance a gun that misfired now says the government is punishing him for that testimony. The allegation comes from Len Savage, who runs Historic Arms LLC and works with antique and historic weapons as well as weapons design and parts for gun makers. His testimony in the Olofson case, in Berlin, Wis., harshly criticized the government's weapons testing procedures. In that case, the defendant was convicted and sentenced to 30 months in jail for loaning a rifle that misfired, letting off three bullets at one time... http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=69668 --- Louisiana Sheriff Provides Youth Firearms Training: Some have fired shotguns while hunting with dad or grandpa, and the closest others have come to a real gun is seeing it on television. But whether or not they are experienced shooters, children participating in the fifth annual Youth Firearms Education Camp are taught how to handle and shoot firearms the proper way... The firearms camp, which began Monday and ends Friday, teaches children the importance of gun safety, urban survival skills, basic first aid knowledge and self-defense awareness... http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080715/NEWS01/807150329 -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .