Setback In Heller: In a brief order on today's order list the Supreme
Court dashed the hopes of gun rights advocates who hoped to have two
lawyers and additional time arguing their cause before the Supreme Court
when it hears arguments in the historic case D.C. v. Heller on March 18.
Without explanation, the Court denied the motion of Texas Solicitor
General R. Ted Cruz for argument time on the side of Alan Gura of Gura &
Possessky, who has argued the pro-Second Amendment position from the
start of the case. But the Court did agree to give Solicitor General
Paul Clement 15 minutes to argue, in addition to the 30 minutes for each
side in the case. The Court's action can be read as a small but not
insignificant victory for supporters of D.C.'s handgun control ordinance
at issue in the case.
http://www.law.com/jsp/dc/PubArticleDC.jsp?id=1203939950378
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CCRKBA Calls For Investigation Of Ammo-Coding Campaign: The Citizens
Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms today is calling on
lawmakers in the states of Washington, Arizona, New York, Illinois,
Hawaii and several other states to scrutinize legislation that would
require ammunition coding, because it mandates a soul [sic] source
monopoly for a Seattle-based company that owns the technology. Based on
a story in the new edition of Gun Week, and a look at virtually
identical legislation that has been introduced in several states, CCRKBA
Chairman Alan Gottlieb said there are serious questions that need to be
addressed about these measures, and the effort to pass them into law.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/ccrkba-suggests-investigation-of-ammunition-coding-campaign,291194.shtml
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Park Rangers Protest Easing Of Gun Ban: Park rangers, retirees and
conservation groups are protesting a plan by the Interior Department to
reconsider regulations restricting loaded guns in national parks. The
groups say current regulations requiring that visitors to national parks
render their weapons inaccessible were working and have made national
parks among the safest places in America. "Loaded guns are not needed
and are not appropriate in our national parks," said Doug Morris, a
retired park superintendent and member of the Coalition of National Park
Service Retirees. The plan to reconsider the gun regulations "could
break what is not broken and change the nature of our national parks,"
Morris said Monday.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5irWgvJzXz3UFknRjrJgjierKwnFwD8V1KB1O0
---
Both Sides Have Bills In Minnesota Legislature: Minnesotans would find
it easier to claim self-defense if they shot someone but harder to buy a
pistol in the first place under dueling gun proposals before the
Legislature. While the bills have attracted little attention so far amid
high-volume debates over transportation, taxes and health care, they
demonstrate that long-running battles over gun control haven't ended...
http://www.startribune.com/politics/state/15926837.html
---
Campus Carry Bill Advances In Arizona: A Senate panel voted Monday to
let students and staff at community colleges and state universities arm
themselves for protection, but not their counterparts at public schools.
The 4-3 vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee came after Sen. Karen
Johnson, R-Mesa, agreed to limit SB 1214 only to publicly operated
colleges and universities. Johnson said it was not a change she wanted
to make. But she conceded there are not enough votes for her original
bill to also allow guns into K-12 schools...Approval of Johnson's
legislation came as the House gave preliminary approval on voice vote to
two separate measures easing restrictions on carrying a concealed weapon...
http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/226896
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0226guns0226.html
---
Maine University Debates Campus Carry: ..."When an event of this
magnitude happens, I focus on how the university and I can be of
assistance to UMaine students," Dean of Students Robert Dana said. "I
sent out a campus-wide e-mail informing students and faculty of the
services available to them." Since the shootings at VT, UMaine has
worked to update its emergency plans and brought the ... emergency siren
to campus...Shortly after the NIU shootings, several students began
posting to the UMaine forum. Trevor Taylor, a fourth-year biology major,
made a post that received several replies. Taylor believes those who are
able to legally carry a concealed gun outside of campus should be able
to carry one on campus if they choose, including class.
http://media.www.mainecampus.com/media/storage/paper322/news/2008/02/25/News/A.Right.To.Bear.Arms.On.Campus-3232221.shtml
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What Gives Them The Right?: In a ceremony that received virtually no
attention in the American media, the United States and Canada signed a
military agreement Feb. 14 allowing the armed forces from one nation to
support the armed forces of the other nation during a domestic civil
emergency, even one that does not involve a cross-border crisis. The
agreement, defined as a Civil Assistance Plan, was not submitted to
Congress for approval, nor did Congress pass any law or treaty
specifically authorizing this military agreement to combine the
operations of the armed forces of the United States and Canada in the
event of a wide range of domestic civil disturbances ranging from
violent storms, to health epidemics, to civil riots or terrorist
attacks. (As JPFO points out, Canadian troops have no tradition of
respect for the private ownership of firearms.)
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=57228
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=403d90d6-7a61-41ac-8cef-902a1d14879d&k=14984
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From AzCDL: (AzCDL has been a spectacularly successful organization
during its short life. I urge all list members in Arizona to join if you
haven't done so yet.)
SB 1214, an AzCDL requested bill, passed out of the Senate Judiciary
Committee on Monday, February 25, 2008, by a narrow 4-3 partisan vote.
An amendment that narrowed the scope of SB 1214 to public colleges or
universities was also approved by the committee.
SB 1214, as amended, proposes an exception to ARS 13-3102 (misconduct
with weapons) for adults with CCW permits to carry concealed firearms on
the grounds of public colleges and universities. Federal law (18 USC �
922(q)(2)(B)(ii)) already allows permit holders to possess firearms on
school property.
In other news, also on Monday February 25, 2008, the following important
bills were voted out of the House Committee of the Whole (COW) with "do
pass" recommendations for the House "Third Read."
HB 2389 - An AzCDL requested bill removing the violations in ARS 13-3102
(misconduct with weapons), relative to the prohibitions for carrying a
concealed weapon without a permit in vehicles. An amendment was passed
in the House COW that further clarified that "misconduct with weapons"
does not apply to a person carrying a weapon (without a CCW permit) "in
or on a means of transportation, excluding any public transit."
HB 2630 - An AzCDL requested bill that reduces the penalty for carrying
a concealed weapon without a permit to a petty offense (except in the
commission of a crime).
Information on these bills and other legislation that AzCDL is tracking
can be found at:
http://www.azcdl.org/html/legislation.html .
Stay tuned! As relevant legislation progresses, we will keep you up to
date via these Alerts:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AZCDL_Alerts/
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 � 2008 Arizona Citizens Defense League, Inc., all rights
reserved.
--
Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
