Gun Rights

Adam Winkler, Professor at UCLA School of Law, posted a sobering summary of the effect of Heller on recent lower-court rulings: In June, 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling on the Second Amendment right to bear arms, D.C. v. Heller. For over 70 years, the federal courts had read that amendment to protect only a state's right to organize militias, like the National Guard. In a long-awaited victory for the gun rights movement, the Court reversed course and held that the Second Amendment protected an individual's right to own guns for personal self-defense.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Senate Judiciary Committee began hearings January 15 for the controversial nomination of Eric Holder to the position of Attorney General of the United States. Independent Institute Research Fellow and attorney Stephen Halbrook is among the witnesses testifying, arguing that Holder's reputation as a steadfast opponent of Second Amendment rights makes him an unfit candidate for the job.

Writing on the Buckeye Firearms Association website, Alan Korwin writes:Slipping below the radar (or under the short-term memory cap), the Democrats have already leaked a gun-ban list, even under the Bush administration when they knew full well it had no chance of passage (HR 1022, 110th Congress). It serves as a framework for the new list the Bradys plan to introduce shortly.

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution of January 15, 2009A robbery suspect was shot and killed by his intended victim outside an East Atlanta Village bar on January 14, Atlanta police said.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Two days before the 2009 SHOT Show is to open, a major urban newspaper, the Orlando Sentinel, took the side of self-defense by gun owners in an editorial.

By John R. Lott, Jr.Despite a huge Democratic Senate majority, Eric Holder's confirmation hearings are going to be difficult. He has a long record to defend. Whether it is his involvement and inconsistent statements about Bill Clinton's pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich or his pushing Clinton's clemency of the FALN terrorists or his failure to disclose his work for troubled Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich after Blagojevich's legal problems surfaced, he faces tough questions.

DURHAM, NC -- An effort to get Durham officials to seek legislation that would require people buying ammunition to first obtain a permit has touched off a lobbying campaign by both supporters and opponents.

NEWTOWN, Conn. -- Despite a weak economy, gun sales are continuing to increase amid concerns that incoming lawmakers will institute a new gun ban on law-abiding Americans, according to data derived from the FBI's National Criminal Background Check System (NICS).

As a result of an unprecedented increase in demand for ATF Forms 4473 (5300.9) Part I Revised August 2008, inventory of the form at the ATF Distribution Center is running low.

By a large majority, hunters and shooters feel that the coming changes in Washington D.C. will make it more difficult for them to purchase firearms, according to a recent poll.

New Jersey could soon become the fourth state to limit handgun purchases to one a month.

The NRA is expected to drop the City and County of San Francisco as a named party in the lawsuit, and there are reports of a settlement with the Housing Authority itself that may moot out the suit.