Gun Rights Wins

David Kopel at the Volokh Conspiracy has a major gun rights victory at the University of Colorado, in which a guns rights advocacy group has won a lawsuit allowing concealed carry on campus.

Colorado’s licensing statute for carrying a concealed handgun for lawful protection is explicitly preemptive. The University of Colorado bans concealed carry anyway, arguing that there is an implicit exception applicable to CU. The Mountain States Legal Foundation brings a suit on behalf of SCCC. The trial court dismisses for failure to state a claim. The Court of Appeals unanimously reverses the dismissal, and remands the case for further proceedings. The Court of Appeals holds that: 1. The statutory claim under the Concealed Carry Act should not have been dismissed, because there is no exemption for the University of Colorado. 2. The constitutional claim under the Colorado Constitution’s right to arms provision should not have been dismissed; the proper standard of review, under Colorado case law, is “reasonableness”, which is a higher standard than rational basis.

And in another major gun rights win, Arizona has passed a law allowing concealed carry without a permit. William Teach at Right Wings News comments.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot: Department of Education Requisitions Shotguns

There seem to have been several government agencies that have been buying up guns. Now the department of education is getting in on the action, rquisitioning 27 new shotguns. Why does the Department of Education need any guns at all? Aren’t schools gun-free zones?

From the American Thinker:

Now I don’t know what’s scarier:  The fact that the DoE feels it is necessary to purchase these shotguns or the fact that the type of shotguns DoE wants have been chosen “based on compatibility with ED (Department of Education) existing shotgun inventory…”  This raises more questions than it answers.

Since when did the DoE become an agency that needed firepower?  How do the Dems and Libs justify this purchase while passionately protesting for gun-free schools?  Is there some sort of enforcement arm of DoE that we don’t know about?  Or is this just in preparation for the enforcement/expansion of the liberal agenda in our nation’s school systems?

Read about it here.

Guns!

Yesterday the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the McDonald case, in which it will decide if the Second Amendment actually applies to the States. Unlike the rest of the Bill of Rights, which has been acknowledged to be incorporated to the states through the 14th Amendment, the Second Amendment has not had such recognition, so left-wing politcians and activists have seen fit to infringe the right to bear arms as they please, usually by resorting to spurious arguments and fabricated data.

In the McDonald case, Chicago’s somplete ban on owning firearms is being challenged. In light of the overturning of a similar ban in Washington DC, prospects for this ban being overturned look good.

Civil Rights and Guns

David Kopel at the Volokh Conspiracy follows up a previous post on the importance of gun rights in the civil rights struggle in the 1960’s. Kopel highlights the work of civil rights activist John Salter against the tyranny of the Ku Klux Klan, and the importance of armed self-defense to that struggle.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot: HSA Agents Lose Guns

From the Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Files, compliments of USA Today:

The nation’s Homeland Security officers lost nearly 200 guns in bowling alleys, public restrooms, unlocked cars and other unsecure areas, with some ending up in the hands of felons. The problem, outlined in a new federal report, has prompted disciplinary actions and extra training.

Most of the misplaced weapons — including handguns, shotguns and military rifles — were never found. “Most losses occurred because officers did not properly secure firearms,” says the Homeland Security inspector general report.

At least 15 of the guns ended up in the hands of gang members, criminals, drug users and teenagers, inspector general Richard Skinner found. His report documented 289 missing firearms from fiscal year 2006 through 2008, although not all were lost because of negligence. Some were lost in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and others were stolen from safes.

I feel so safe knowing that people who can’t keep track of their own sidearms are in charge of our national security.