Gun Rights

Last week Gun Reports reported that a Manhattan-based federal appeals court ordered the dismissal of a lawsuit filed against firearms manufacturers by the City of New York that sought to hold the manufacturers responsible for the criminal misuse of firearms. The ruling is a major setback for gun-control groups, principally the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, which pursued and funded many of the municipal lawsuits, including this New York City case, against the firearms industry. …

The firearms from the men and women of the Wild West are now on display at the National Rifle Association's National Firearms Museum. One of the main attractions is a firearm that may have belonged to Jesse James. The old, large-frame Smith & Wesson revolver arrived at the National Firearms Museum accompanied by a small, yellowed receipt that read, 'Received $39.00 from Mr. C.B. Parsons of Lexington, Kentucky for my son Jesse's [Jesse James] pistol, Smith…

The Department of the Interior has proposed a rule change that would allow people to carry a concealed firearm in a national park or wildlife refuge. The new rule says park visitors would need a permit to carry a concealed weapon, and the state where the park is located must allow guns in its own parks. …

The New York Times has reported that a federal appeals court dismissed New York City's blanket lawsuit against the gun industry on Wednesday, ruling that a relatively new federal law protects gunmakers against third-party litigation. That law, the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, banned all third-party suits against the gun industry except for those in which a plaintiff could prove that gunmakers had violated other state…

U.S. Reps. Zack Space (D-Ohio) and Steve King (R-Iowa) have introduced the 'Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Reform and Firearms Modernization Act of 2007' (HR 4900), legislation which represents a major advance in protecting the rights of firearms dealers. HR 4900 is a bipartisan bill that will overhaul many of the administrative penalties for licensed firearms dealers, manufacturers and importers of firearms that currently treat simple paperwork mistakes as purposeful and willful violations of…

FinalCall.com is reporting that New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin kicked off a series of closed-door sessions in Baton Rouge to encourage state legislators, in part, to curb access to what he called 'assault weapons.' Banning assault weapons is one of his legislative priorities for sessions that began April 2 and could last until late June. …

Gov. Sonny Perdue is considering signing a bill that would allow Georgians to carry concealed handguns onto trains and buses and into restaurants that serve alcohol. The bill passed Georgia's General Assembly on the last day of the 2007-08 session. Under the bill, Georgians would not be allowed to carry concealed guns to athletic events, churches, political rallies or bars, but they could carry them onto trains and buses and into state parks, historic sites…

The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance (USSA) has asked sportsmen to contact Meijer, a Michigan-based regional chain of retail superstores, and demand that it dissolve its partnership with the anti-hunting group, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), in an online pet photo contest. Meijer refused a U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance (USSA) request to abandon the partnership, said USSA senior vice president Rick Story. …

…During the week of April 21-25, 2008, thousands of college students will attend classes wearing empty holsters, in protest of state laws and school policies that disarm law-abiding citizens licensed to carry concealed handguns virtually everywhere else.

…Both candidates said they support and respect an individual's right to own guns, but the positions they endorsed -- an ‘assault weapons’ ban, expanded police access to federal gun-trace data, and keeping guns out of the ‘wrong hands’ -- are straight out of the gun-control play book.

…The Associated Press reported last week that a judge had temporarily blocked Philadelphia from enforcing five gun-control ordinances pending a challenge from the National Rifle Association.

…Barack Obama’s presidential campaign has worked to assure uneasy gun owners that he believes the Constitution protects their rights and that he doesn’t want to take away their guns.