 In Chicago, U.S. District Judge Milton Shadur rejected a pro-gun rights challenge to anti-gun ordinances there and in Oak Park, Illinois. The gun-rights challenge maintained that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in District of Columbia v. Heller that the D.C. handgun ban violated the Second Amendment should apply to the Chicago and Oak Park ordinances. Judge Shadur said the Supreme Court decision did not give him the authority to take such action. Shadur’s decision was appealed. Attorney Stephen Halbrook said he thought the gun rights argument will prevail in a higher court. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley maintains that the ruling striking down the law in Washington, D.C., a federal city, cannot be extended to states and cities not under federal control. While defending the Windy City’s handgun ban, Daley admitted he was looking at less restrictive measures. He said he’s looking at new D.C. laws requiring gun owners to go through five hours of safety training, register their firearms every three years, and undergo background checks every three years.
Two-thirds of the participants in a TCPalm.com internet poll say teachers should be allowed to carry guns to school and one-third think they should not. The publication covers Florida’s Treasure Coast and Palm Beaches. Columnist Geoff Oldfather writes that, “We don’t like the idea of guns on an airliner but today’s reality means pilots are packing heat. So, teachers should be allowed to have firearms even at school. I’ll take it further: Considering how vulnerable our campuses and students are, if teachers are trained and have concealed weapons permits that require background checks and training, they should be allowed to carry them wherever they go.”
“South Bend woman, 70, halts break-in suspect at gunpoint,” reports WSBT TV from South Bend, Indiana. “Police say Cyrus Brown, 28, of South Bend was involved in a crash,” indicates WSBT. “Officers later found Brown being held at gunpoint by an elderly woman in her home, which he allegedly broke into. An elderly woman held a suspect at gunpoint Sunday night until police arrived, after the man broke into her home. St. Joseph County emergency dispatch said they were called to the home after the woman confronted the intruder. Arriving officers found a screen removed and window broken at the home, where the woman was in the kitchen, still holding Brown at gunpoint, Sgt. Bill Redman of the St. Joseph County Police said. Brown was involved in a crash. After hitting a utility pole, the man fled on foot. He then broke into the nearby home – which turned out to be a big mistake.”
“A federal appeals court panel has ruled that a defamation case brought by gun store owners against New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg should proceed in Georgia’s Cobb County Superior Court, not federal court, reports Legaltech. “Finding that the federal courts don’t have jurisdiction over the matter, the December ruling by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the lawsuit be sent back to Marietta, where it was filed originally. Jasper lawyer Edwin D. Marger, who represents the gun store and its owners, said his clients ‘absolutely’ have a better chance of prevailing on their defamation suit in Cobb County than they would have had in federal court. Marger said his client Jay Wallace is a well-liked fixture in Cobb County.” At the heart of the claim is a 2006 news conference in which Bloomberg announced that New York City was filing suit in federal court against 26 gun dealers, including Wallace’s store, Adventure Outdoors, to force them to comply with the city’s interpretation of gun laws.
A new proposal by the District of Columbia Zoning Commission could allow for gun stores in every quadrant of the Nation’s Capital, reports WTOP radio. The commission has adopted temporary emergency rules that would allow gun ships to open in some industrial areas, throughout downtown Washington, D.C. and in neighborhoods that aren’t zoned for neighborhood retail. The stores would have to be at least 300 feet from a library, school, church, home or playground.