Government - Private Ownership Of Firearms Threatens Public Safety:
Since "unrestricted' private ownership of guns clearly threatens the
public safety, the 2nd Amendment can be interpreted to allow a variety
of gun restrictions, according to the Bush administration..."Given the
unquestionable threat to public safety that unrestricted private firearm
possession would entail, various categories of firearm-related
regulation are permitted by the 2nd Amendment," he wrote in the brief,
the Times reported.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=59674
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/gun_control_d.c./2008/01/13/64033.html
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/la-na-guns13jan13,1,5918084.story?coll=la-news-politics-national&ctrack=1&cset=true
NRA Comments On Government Brief In Heller: ...However, the government's
position is also that a "heightened" level of judicial scrutiny should
be applied to these questions. The National Rifle Association believes
that the Court should use the highest level of scrutiny in reviewing the
D.C. gun ban. We further believe a complete ban on handgun ownership and
self-defense in one's own home does not pass ANY level of judicial
scrutiny. Even the government agrees that "the greater the scope of the
prohibition and its impact on private firearm possession, the more
difficult it will be to defend under the Second Amendment." A complete
ban is the kind of infringement that is the greatest in scope. The U.S.
Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit correctly ruled that D.C.'s
statutes are unconstitutional. We strongly believe the ruling should be
upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. (Is this why "right to carry" requires
a permit?)
http://www.nraila.org/
Government Brief May Affect GOP Primaries: Gun control hasn't been a
huge issue in the GOP primaries. This is largely because gun control has
ceased to be a huge issue in any election anywhere, as Democrats have
largely given up on promoting it. They like to win elections, see. But
now the Bush administration has filed an amicus brief in what is the
largest 2nd amendment case to come before the supreme court in more than
seventy years. And this amicus is sure to roil the NRA and may have a
large impact on the primaries...
http://news.aol.com/political-machine/2008/01/12/the-nra-and-the-gop-primaries/
---
Manhattan DA Urges Overturn Of Heller: Manhattan District Attorney
Robert Morgenthau is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to toss out a lower
court ruling that he says could make it easier for criminals to get away
with gun-related crimes. Morgenthau was joined by 17 fellow prosecutors
Friday in calling on the high court to reverse an appeals court ruling
striking down the District of Columbia's three-decade ban on handgun
possession. Morgenthau fears that if the Supreme Court affirms the
decision, the ruling could be applied to states like New York.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/01/12/2008-01-12_da_urges_court_to_toss_gun_ruling-3.html
Albany DA Urges Overturn of Heller: Albany County District Attorney
David Soares joined other district attorneys around the country calling
on the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a ban on handgun possession in
Washington, D.C. The 18 district attorneys - including those from San
Francisco, New York, Chicago, Detroit, Dallas, Boston, San Diego and
Atlanta - filed an amicus curiae brief related to the case of District
of Columbia v. Heller.
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=654553&category=REGION&newsdate=1/12/2008
---
The Second Amendment And Self-Defense: ...To consider the practical
aspects of gun ownership, I propose we conduct a mental or intellectual
exercise. In this exercise, we will look at three cases and consider
the impact on the balance of power in potentially violent physical
confrontations. These three cases are, first, where the relationship
between assailant and victim is one-to-one; second, where the
relationship is one assailant to many victims; and, third, where the
relationship is many to many....
http://www.enterstageright.com/archive/articles/0108/0108selfdefsecamnd.htm
---
Second Amendment Research: Dave Kopel provides links to three scholarly
articles on the Second Amendment, its origins and its meaning. (The
latter two require a download process which I was only able to do via
Internet Explorer; I'm told it will also work with Firefox.)
http://volokh.com/posts/1199810389.shtml
---
"Veterans Disarmament Act" May Affect Pennsylvania: Individuals who've
been involuntarily committed to mental hospitals still can legally buy a
gun in Pennsylvania - despite a 40-year-old federal law that says they
can't. That's because the Pennsylvania State Police do not report a
person's involuntary hospital stay to the FBI's criminal background
check system for gun buyers. The state police believe that doing so
would violate federal privacy laws regarding medical records. That might
change soon...
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/111-01132008-1470213.html
--
Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
