New York Times Sep 19, 2008
Editorial: Gun Lobby First
The House stampeded past serious public safety concerns and the democratic rights of residents of the District of Columbia on Wednesday to approve a bill that would gut sensible gun controls in the nation's capital. In all, 85 Democrats joined with a nearly unanimous block of Republican lawmakers to pass the dangerous measure 266 to 152, a reminder that catering to the gun lobby during election season is a bipartisan affliction. The bill was pushed by the National Rifle Association and opposed by the District Police Department. Supporters of the bill argued, disingenuously, that the bill was necessary to bring the district ...read the full article


Washington Post Sep 18, 2008
House Votes to Ease D.C. Gun Restrictions
The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly yesterday to legalize semiautomatic rifles in the District and repeal its gun registration laws, but the bill's future appeared in doubt as a prominent senator announced she would try to block it. "If this bill comes to the floor of the United States Senate, I will do everything in my power to stop it," Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said in a statement. The House bill passed 266 to 152, with the support of 85 Democrats. It was the second time in four years that the chamber had voted to overturn most D.C. gun laws. The 2004 ...read the full article


Philadelphia Inquirer Sep 18, 2008
Editorial: Gun Control: Murphy ducked
If U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Murphy (D., Pa.) had not served as an Army captain in Iraq, the Bucks County congressman might be suspected of running scared as he faces a spirited challenge for reelection. It sure looked that way yesterday, when Murphy voted with the National Rifle Association - and against the best interests of cities in his own backyard trying to stem gun violence, including Philadelphia. Murphy was among 85 House Democrats who joined 181 Republicans in approving a bill that would roll back gun-safety measures enacted by the District of Columbia, after the Supreme Court struck down the city's ...read the full article


Washington Post Sep 18, 2008
Editorial: Open Season on the District: Only the Senate stands in the way of gutting gun regulations.
THE U.S. SENATE represents the last, best hope to stop the mindless push to enact a dangerous gun law in the District. And stop it the senators must. The House voted yesterday to adopt a measure that would gut the District's gun laws and that goes far beyond the Supreme Court's finding this summer of an individual right to bear arms. The bill would prohibit the District from requiring that weapons be registered -- the most reasonable and benign of measures. It would allow ownership of semiautomatic handguns and rifles and would place no age restriction on gun possession. And it ...read the full article


Washington Post Sep 17, 2008
U.S. House, D.C. Council Wrestle Over Gun Control
The struggle to regulate guns in the District in light of a historic U.S. Supreme Court ruling sparked competing legislative efforts yesterday as members of Congress debated taking control of the issue and the D.C. Council implored them to leave it in local hands. On the most significant day of legislative activity on gun control since the high court ended the District's 32-year-old handgun ban in June, the council voted unanimously to ease some contentious firearms restrictions while the U.S. House of Representatives considered a more dramatic measure that would limit the city's power to regulate guns. The issue of gun control ...read the full article


Cox Newspapers Sep 17, 2008
NRA shoots a round
It begins to appear that the National Rifle Association and the rest of the guns-first crowd won't be satisfied until something approaching the whole American nation is armed against itself. Washington is the latest example. Washington's ordinance outlawing handguns was the vehicle that led to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling this year that the Second Amendment is an individual right and thus forbids any such blanket ban. The district's City Council has scrambled into compliance with a temporary ordinance and is working toward a permanent one. The council is inclined toward enacting some safety controls that the NRA would abominate -- ...read the full article


Philadelphia Inquirer Sep 17, 2008
Mayors pledge to enact tough gun laws
READING - A regional coalition of mayors yesterday announced a joint effort to enact local gun legislation, following the lead of Philadelphia officials. Members of the coalition, PA Mayors for Gun Safety, pledged to introduce legislation in their cities that would require gun owners to report lost or stolen weapons or be subject to possible fines and/or jail time. The announcement was made at a news conference at City Hall here. The group includes Mayor Nutter and the mayors of Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, Lancaster, Reading, Pottsville and York. The mayors said they were following in the footsteps of Philadelphia, which passed legislation involving ...read the full article


Salt Lake Tribune Sep 17, 2008
Editorial: Guns in parks: In most cases, they don't belong
Gun advocates in Utah say that cities and counties are breaking state law when they post signs banning firearms in parks. But just as there are other things and behaviors that don't belong in public parks - bows and arrows, nudity, drinking alcohol, dogs not on leashes (except for dog parks) - it makes sense for local government to tell people not to bring their guns. The gun rights crowd is right that state law gives people with concealed-carry permits free rein to bring their guns with them pretty much anywhere. The few exceptions include the secure ...read the full article


Washington Post Sep 17, 2008
Congress Tries To Blow Away D.C. Gun Law
This much is clear: The nonsense that Democrats peddle about being the party that will advance the cause of home rule and voting rights for the District of Columbia is nothing more than campaign blather. When push comes to shove, as it did today on the House floor, the Dems are perfectly happy to elbow Washingtonians out of the way. Eighty-five Democrats joined with 181 Republicans to approve a bill that strips the District of its ability to write its own new gun laws in response to this summer's U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning the D.C. ban on handgun possession. Of ...read the full article


Daily Herald Sep 15, 2008
Looking into the 'whys' of tragedy
It's a story that's become too familiar: Someone guns down an ex-spouse on a suburban street, then his or her own life with the same weapon. Frankly, it might not even shock or surprise us. Such stories have become such a part of our day-to-day lives that they often elicit little more than a weary shake of the head and a sigh of resignation. Many of us are so numbed by the violence around us that we seldom even ask ourselves why, or what, if anything, we can do about it. But perhaps those questions deserve more attention and thought. I think we ...read the full article