The Heller Decision: Obviously, this is the big news of the day. Since I have to get to my day job, I will dispense with the usual introductions and simply list the source for each of these links. As I have said earlier, the devil is in the details and there are plenty of details left to be settled. The Decision: http://www.scotusblog.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/07-2901.pdf Second Amendment Foundation: http://www.saf.org/viewpr-new.asp?id=269 Jews for the Preservation of Firearm Ownership: http://jpfo.org/alerts02/alert20080626.htm American Jewish Committee: http://www.ajc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=ijITI2PHKoG&b=849241&ct=5613801 Brady Bunch: http://www.bradycampaign.org/media/release.php?release=992 Violence Policy Center: http://www.vpc.org/press/0806heller.htm WorldNetDaily.com: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=68046 The Washington Times: http://www.washtimes.com/news/2008/jun/27/dc-gun-struck-down/ http://www.washtimes.com/news/2008/jun/27/officials-upset-by-court-decision/ http://www.washtimes.com/news/2008/jun/27/candidates-differ-on-overturned-gun-ban/ http://www.washtimes.com/news/2008/jun/27/justice-kennedy-once-again-casts-decisive-vote/ http://www.washtimes.com/news/2008/jun/27/ruling-galvanizes-pro-gun-groups-opposition/ http://www.washtimes.com/news/2008/jun/27/gun-control-in-most-countries-more-stringent-than-/ http://www.washtimes.com/news/2008/jun/27/gun-control-in-most-countries-more-stringent-than-/ http://www.washtimes.com/news/2008/jun/27/gun-ban-ruling-praised-in-state/ http://www.washtimes.com/news/2008/jun/27/the-gun-ban-ends/ The Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/26/AR2008062604247.html?hpid=topnews http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/06/23/ST2008062300649.html?hpid=topnews http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/26/AR2008062604129.html?hpid=topnews http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/26/AR2008062604325.html?hpid=topnews http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/26/AR2008062603988.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/26/AR2008062600615.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/26/AR2008062603509.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/dc/2008/06/dc_gun_ban_decision_poll_and_c.html?hpid=topnews (Poll) --- Townhall.com: http://www.townhall.com/columnists/LindaChavez/2008/06/27/right_to_bear_arms http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MichaelReagan/2008/06/26/liberty_wins_a_big_one http://www.townhall.com/columnists/AmandaCarpenter/2008/06/26/dc_gun_ban_overturned_by_supreme_court Reason.com: Alan Gura, Glenn Reynolds, Randy Barnett, Brian Doherty, Sanford Levinson, Jacob Sullum, and Dave Kopel respond to D.C. v. Heller. http://reason.com/news/show/127201.html Newsmax.com: http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/candidates_guns/2008/06/26/107698.html The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/27/washington/27scotus.html?_r=1&hp=&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1214568580-DZBLy+YLQmWSY0gcUiDapg http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/27/washington/27guns.html?hp http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/27/washington/27React.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1214568813-2ZcJRatvo71S9mX+5kYzzA Los Angeles Times: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-scotus27-2008jun27,0,6740044.story http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-legal27-2008jun27,0,3173451.story Legal Times: http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2008/06/supreme-court-1.html HumanEvents.com: http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=27223 http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=27217 CNSNews.com: http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200806/NAT20080626e.html http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200806/NAT20080626f.html --- Chicago's Next: Following Thursday's 5-4 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of District of Columbia v. Heller that the Second Amendment protects an individual civil right to keep and bear arms, and that a municipal gun ban violates that right, the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA) filed a federal lawsuit challenging the City of Chicago's long-standing handgun ban. The case is McDonald v. City of Chicago. http://www.saf.org/viewpr-new.asp?id=270 The National Rifle Association, with today's U.S. Supreme Court opinion rejecting the District of Columbia's handgun ban, has launched plans for further legal challenges in cities like Chicago and San Francisco where other bans now exist..."We are very pleased with the Supreme Court's ruling today. This is a win for all Americans, and it vindicates the individual's right to keep and bear arms," Rachel Parsons, a spokeswoman for the NRA, told WND. "We are now going to go after other cities' laws that unlawfully ban gun ownership by law-abiding people." http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=68093 http://cbs2chicago.com/local/supreme.court.handguns.2.757471.html http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200806/NAT20080627b.html --- Ruling Won't Affect New York Laws?: Local law enforcement officials don't expect any problems enforcing state and city gun laws in the wake of a momentous U.S. Supreme Court ruling Thursday defining a person's right under the Constitution to have a firearm in the home. New York City prosecutors believe that current gun licensing laws are reasonable regulations that are safe from the kind of challenge that scuttled the District of Columbia's ban on handgun possession... http://www.newsday.com/news/local/ny-liguns0627,0,2670709.story --- Bloomberg Makes Lemonade: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said today's U.S. Supreme Court decision will help mayors keep guns out of the hands of criminals...Bloomberg said the coalition of 320 mayors have always said fighting illegal guns has nothing to do with Second Amendment rights. "Today's decision by the Supreme Court upholding those rights will benefit our coalition by finally putting to rest the ideological debates that have for too long obscured an obvious fact: criminals, who have no right to purchase or possess guns, nevertheless have easy access to them," he said in a written statement. "Mayors and police chiefs have a responsibility to crack down on illegal guns and punish gun criminals, and it is encouraging that the Supreme Court recognizes the constitutionality of reasonable regulations that allow for us to carry out those responsibilities." http://www.1010wins.com/Bloomberg--Fed-Gun-Ruling-Will-Help-Crime-Fight/2488825 --- Heller's Effects in Arizona Debated: Thursday's U.S. Supreme Court decision voiding an absolute ban on guns in Washington D.C. could have a ripple effect here, even though Arizona already has some of the most permissive gun laws in the country. Two areas where the potential for conflict exists, local experts said, are keeping guns out of the hands of people involved in domestic-violence cases, and sorting out the rights of people who live in places where guns are prohibited, including college campuses... http://www.azstarnet.com/news/245758 --- Colt Hails Heller Decision: New England's prominent gun makers said Thursday's landmark Supreme Court ruling that affirms the right to keep guns at home for self-defense is a moral victory for their beleaguered industry and law-abiding gun owners..."It really is a good day. This is just incredible," said Carlton Chen, a vice president and general counsel at Colt's Manufacturing Co. in West Hartford, where the 500-plus employees all received copies the court's decision Thursday... http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/connecticut/ny-bc-ct--gunruling-reax0626jun26,0,4479598.story --- Smith & Wesson Shares Rise on Heller Decision: Shares of Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. climbed Thursday, breaking free of a downturn in the broader market after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a handgun ban in Washington DC...Smith & Wesson shares rallied in heavy trading, rising 44 cents, or 8.6 percent, to $5.55. Analysts said the ruling will have little effect on Smith & Wesson's sales, however. Cowen & Co. analyst Cai von Rumohr said the Washington DC restrictions were far tighter than most others in the country, and DC is a small market... http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/06/26/ap5158988.html --- More New York Women Buying Firearms: More women are turning to firearms for sport and protection, according to a local gun shop. At B&J Guns in Colonie, women now comprise 30 percent of the clientel, up from three percent just a few years ago. The National Rifle Association also reports an increase. "The women are buying everything from handguns to assault-type rifles to shotguns," said Jeff Gildersleeve, general manager at B&J's. "Some are (for) sporting purposes and a great deal are for self-defense purposes...maybe not a direct threat, but something that just had occurred in the area that made them worry and just got them thinking about self-defense." http://www.cbs6albany.com/news/protection_1255879___article.html/gun_shop.html --- Feds Raid Blackwater Armory: Federal agents raided Blackwater Worldwide this week as part of an investigation into whether the private security company sidestepped federal laws prohibiting the private purchase of automatic assault rifles, the company said Thursday. Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell said investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives searched Blackwater's armory at its corporate headquarters in Moyock on Tuesday as part of the investigation. Court documents show that agents seized 22 guns as evidence from a vault dedicated to county authorities... http://www.washtimes.com/news/2008/jun/27/feds-raid-blackwater-armory/ --- From AzCDL: In an historic ruling, the Supreme Court, in the D.C. v. Heller decision, affirmed that the pre-existing individual right of firearms ownership is protected by the Second Amendment. A copy of the decision is available at AzCDL's "Educational" page: http://www.azcdl.org/DCvHeller1.pdf . We'll let the pundits and experts dissect and spin the minutiae of the decision. A web site to get the latest reviews and opinions on this and other Supreme Courts cases is http://www.scotusblog.com/wp/ . Alan Korwin, AzCDL member and author of many books on gun laws (http://www.gunlaws.com/) is preparing a book on the Heller decision that is expected to be published shortly. The impact of the Heller decision in Arizona appears to be negligible. The Arizona Constitution has its own version of the Second Amendment in Article 2, Section 26: http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/const/2/26.htm . In DC v. Heller, the Supreme Court upheld virtually all existing Arizona laws and court decisions affecting your right to keep and bear arms. AzCDL deals with the reality of Arizona law. Our focus will continue to be the successful restoration of your rights through the legislative process. Like many recent Supreme Court decisions, Heller won by a narrow 5-4 majority. The Supreme Court is composed of two factions. Four justices want to impose a Marxist dystopia in America using creative interpretations of the Constitution as a "living document." Another four justices lean towards reading the Constitution as it was written. In the middle of these two factions is a "wind-sock" justice that blows more left than right. A number of the justices are elderly and some are dealing with serious illnesses. It is certain that whoever the next President is will be appointing at least one replacement Supreme Court justice. Who makes that choice is dependent on how YOU vote this November. If you sit out the election, you are voting FOR a future Supreme Court that might overturn today's Heller decision. The choice is yours. Choose wisely. Right now, we urge everyone to celebrate today's historic Supreme Court decision by exercising your Second Amendment right at a local gun store or shooting range. A right not exercised is a right lost. Information on pro-rights legislation in Arizona can be found at the AzCDL website: http://www.azcdl.org/html/legislation.html 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. We apologize for pulling your attention away from today's D.C. v. Heller victory (an Alert is in the works), but your activism is needed on an important pro-rights bill, HB 2389, at the Arizona Legislature. HB 2389 is the AzCDL-requested bill that clarifies that it is permissible to carry a weapon, without a CCW permit, visibly or concealed, anywhere within a means of transportation, excluding public transit. HB 2389 has passed both the House and Senate but, because of amendments added in the Senate, it needed to go through a conference committee where the differences could be worked out. The House had assigned conferees, but not the Senate. Thanks to the pressure YOU put on the Senate Leadership last week, Senate conferees were finally assigned, a meeting was held, the differences were ironed out, and HB 2389 passed out of committee. Before being sent to the governor, HB 2389 must now pass a final vote in both the House and Senate. The 2008 Legislative session is expected to end any day now. Unless HB 2389 gets through a final vote in both chambers, it is dead for the year. We need to once again remind the Legislature and their leadership to do the right thing. Please take the time to send a polite note to Senate President Tim Bee (tbee@azleg.gov), Speaker of the House Jim Weiers (jweiers@azleg.gov), and your own Senator and Representatives, encouraging them to pass HB 2389 so that it can be sent to the Governor. You can use your own words, or the template provided below. You can find your Senator and Representatives here: http://www.azleg.gov/alisStaticPages/HowToContactMember.asp . Be sure to include your name, address and telephone number in all correspondence. Subject: HB 2389 The Arizona Citizens Defense League has informed me that HB 2389, a bill that clarifies that it is permissible to carry a weapon, without a concealed weapons permit, visibly or concealed, anywhere within a means of transportation, excluding public transit, recently passed out of a House/Senate Conference Committee and is awaiting final floor votes in both chambers before being sent to the Governor. I urge you to schedule a floor vote on HB 2389 in order to allow it to progress to the Governor's desk before the end of this legislative session. Sincerely, Your Name Street Address City, State, zip-code Telephone number Stay tuned! Information on this and other bills can be found at the AzCDL website: http://www.azcdl.org/html/legislation.html 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 .