Date Set For Court To Hear Oral Arguments In McDonald v. City of Chicago
The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in theMcDonald v. City of Chicago case on Tuesday, March 2, 2010.
The McDonald case is one of several that were filed immediately after last year’s decision in District of Columbia v. Heller, in which the Court upheld the Second Amendment as an individual right and invalidated Washington, D.C.’s ban on handgun possession, as well as the capital city’s ban on keeping loaded, operable firearms for self-defense in the home.
On November 16, the NRA filed its brief with the U.S. Supreme Court as Respondent in Support of Petitioner in McDonald v. City of Chicago. The NRA brief asks the U.S. Supreme Court to hold that the Second Amendment applies to state and local governments through the Fourteenth Amendment.
Two Against Two: Bloomberg And Lautenberg Pair Up To Violate The Second And Fourteenth Amendments -- Is your name the same as, or similar to, that of someone on the FBI’s “terrorist watchlist?” Or, have you been erroneously placed on the watchlist? You can’t find out because the FBI won’t say exactly why people get watchlisted, won’t say who has been watchlisted, and therefore doesn’t offer watchlisted people the chance to clear their names immediately. In fact, small children, federal air marshals, military personnel who have fought terrorists overseas, the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, members of Congress, and many other good Americans have even been stopped from boarding commercial aircraft for this reason. The government has reported that there were 700,000 names in the watchlist as of April 2007, and the ACLU estimates that the number has since risen to 1.3 million.
The UN And International Treaties: Over the last few weeks, we have received many inquiries regarding the UN and the impact of international treaties on our Second Amendment freedom.
The NRA Online Advisory Panel: A few weeks ago, we launched a brand new service, the NRA Online Advisory Panel, a community of our most active and loyal supporters.
Another Way To Get Involved: Online Social Networking: Internet social networking has exploded in recent years. Websites such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter attract millions of users. These on-line communities foster a connection between their users, and allow distribution of user-generated content (like pictures, profiles, music, video, and text).
Help Defend Your Gun Rights One Click At A Time: We have a revolutionary yet simple tool that will allow you to stay connected to NRA-ILA and raise valuable contributions to defend our Second Amendment rights without spending a dime! It’s the NRA-ILA Toolbar, and you can make a difference by downloading and using it.
STATE ROUNDUP (Please note the only items listed below are those that have had recent action. For other updates on state legislation, please go to the state legislation section at www.NRAILA.org, and check each week’s issue of the Grassroots Alert.”)
CALIFORNIA:Faced with an imminent Lawsuit, Richmond City Council Repeals Magazine Ban! On Tuesday, December 1, the Richmond City Council voted to repeal its ill-advised ordinance (initially passed in 2007 but apparently never enforced) in the face of a pre-litigation demand letter recently served on the City by lawyers for the NRA and CRPA Foundation. The letter pointed out that the City’s ordinance was preempted by state firearm laws which allow the possession of such magazines. The City Council’s decision came after being advised by the City Attorney, who studied the authorities cited in the demand letter, that the law was not legally defensible. A copy of the report and related documents are posted at www.calgunlaws.com. The repeal of the City’s ban on large-capacity magazines will become final once the City Council approves the measure on second reading. The second reading is currently scheduled to take place on Tuesday, December 15.
INDIANA: Bloomington Herald-Times Remains Defiant, Refuses to End Searchable Gun Permit Database! On November 30, the Bloomington Herald-Times made the following announcement: “This week, HeraldTimesOnline.com will launch its new gun permit database. You’ll be able to search gun permit records by county, city or town and street." Anyone who visits the newspaper website will be able to search the number of permits on a given street or neighborhood. The newspaper’s website treats law-abiding Indiana gun owners like sex offenders on a searchable database. The editors have shown they have no intention of removing the information and protecting the safety of law-abiding permit holders. It is important that you not only contact the Bloomington Herald-Times but their advertisers as well to respectfully voice your displeasure at the irresponsible action of the newspaper has made. For contact information, please click here.
MICHIGAN: Important Pro-Gun Bills Waiting to be Considered! On Wednesday, December 2, House Bill 5302 and House Bill 5303 were not brought up on the floor of the Michigan House of Representatives as previously expected. It is now expected that these bills will be brought up in the coming weeks and we need all the help we can get to get them passed. HB5302, introduced by State Representative Paul Opsommer (R-93), and HB5303, authored by State Representative Joel Sheltrown (D-103), would prohibit employers from firing employees who safely and lawfully store their firearms in locked vehicles. Please continue to contact your State Representative and politely urge them to vote in favor of HB5302 and HB5303 without any weakening amendments. Contact information for your State Representative can be found by clicking here.
MISSOURI: City of St. Robert Discharge Ban Update! The Board of Alderman of the City of St. Robert previously passed an ordinance banning the discharge of any “projectile device” within the city limits. It was previously thought that the ordinance would prohibit the use of a firearm in self-defense, but in a recent conversation with City Attorney Kevin Hillman it was determined that your right to self-defense with a firearm is still protected under Section 200.250. Thank you for contacting your city leaders regarding the city code on firearms. Your activism began a productive conversation with the City Attorney and brought a resolution that leaves everyone better informed of their rights and city regulation.
NEW JERSEY:Two Pro-Gun Bills Move Out of Committee! The New Jersey Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee unanimously passed A4304 and A4301, while deciding to hold A4308. A4301 is an attempt to comply with the grant eligibility requirements set forth in the NICS Improvement Act. A4304 and A4308 would clarify the original exemption between retail dealers or registered wholesale dealers that was left vague under the original one-gun-a-month law. Once again thank you to all of those who called and please contact your legislators and urge them to vote in favor of A4304. Click here to contact your lawmakers.
WEST VIRGINIA: Delaware and North Dakota Added to West Virginia’s Reciprocity List! On May 8, Governor Joe Manchin, III (D) signed House Bill 3314 into law. This important bill made significant changes regarding reciprocity will allow more states to enter into reciprocity agreements with West Virginia. West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw (D) has recently approved the addition of Delaware and North Dakota to the state’s reciprocity agreement list. This addition will bolster the state’s concealed handgun permit statute and strengthen West Virginians Second Amendment Rights.
