Guns in America

A federal appeals court today tossed out a lawsuit brought by New York City against gun manufacturers for allowing their weapons to get into criminal hands, the New York Times reports. The city said gun makers create a public nuisance by not keeping a closer eye on retailers—thus supplying underground markets. The court rejected the argument, likely ending more than seven years of litigation on the issue. More »

Wal-Mart approved a plan today to videotape gun-buyers and curb illegal firearm sales in other ways, the New York Daily News reports. The 10-point deal with the bipartisan group Mayors Against Illegal Guns, helmed by New York's Michael Bloomberg, includes inventory controls and a log to trace buyers who have previously bought weapons used in crimes. More »

Florida lawmakers have passed a law that prohibits most businesses from banning employees keeping guns in their cars on company property, Reuters reports. Backers hail the measure as a victory for Second Amendment rights. Business groups, fearing an increase in workplace shootings, are urging the governor to veto the so-called "take your gun to work" bill. More »

A Georgia man who took his own life last week had lived 12 years after receiving a transplanted heart from a South Carolina man who also committed suicide, police said. And in a twist worthy of Edgar Allan Poe, the donor's widow had met and married the recipient, the Hilton Head Island Packet reports. More »

Charlton Heston, the longtime Hollywood leading man who portrayed everyone from Moses to Michelangelo and won an Oscar for his chariot-driving performance in Ben Hur , has died at age 84, the AP reports. Heston, who announced in 2002 that he had Alzheimer's, became the unapologetic head of the NRA in 1998, a position that nearly overshadowed his acting career. More »

Barack Obama is aiming to win pro-gun votes in Pennsylvania by touting the Second Amendment, Politico reports. His camp emailed state gun clubs this week about “the right and traditions of sportsmen" as Obama courted Pennsylvania's pro-gun Democratic lawmakers. The NRA fired back at Obama—and Hillary Clinton, too—calling overtures “scripted rhetorical tricks.” More »

A string of freeway shootings in Los Angeles County is causing more jitters than usual on its jam-packed arteries, the Los Angles Times reports. Windows of six cars were shot out by a mystery sniper wielding a BB gun yesterday, the day after a driver died from a possibly self-inflicted gunshot wound. A motorist was also shot and wounded on Saturday, and two others were killed last month. Police don't believe the incidents are connected. More »

A trigger-happy US Airways pilot whose gun accidentally discharged in the cockpit has been suspended from the federal program that permits pilots to pack heat, reports CNN. He's also been yanked from flight duty pending the results of an investigation by the FAA, the TSA, and US Air. The shocking weekend discharge was the first time a gun has been fired on board since the feds enacted the gun program to discourage would-be hijackers. More »

A pilot’s gun went off in the cockpit of a US Airways plane just as it was landing in North Carolina this weekend, the AP reports. It was the first time a gun was discharged inside a plane since pilots were armed in the wake of 9/11. Though no one was hurt in the incident, the plane has been taken out of service. More »

The state of Virginia is offering $100,000 to each family of the 32 students and teachers killed by a lone gunman in the Virginia Tech massacre, the Virginian-Pilot reports. If accepted, the settlement would prevent families from suing the state for negligence. One attorney called the offer "for a human life an insult, an absolute insult." More »

A Florida man died yesterday after Broward County deputies Tased him for being "naked and belligerent" in public, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports. Paramedics said James Garland, 41, was too violent to treat after being zapped, so deputies drove him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Family members say they may file suit against the sheriff's office. More »

The Supreme Court looks ready to declare Washington, DC’s handgun ban unconstitutional, the LA Times report. The justices heard oral arguments in the landmark Second Amendment case today, and swing voter Anthony Kennedy said, “In my view, there is a general right to bear arms.” At issue is whether the provision applies only to state militias or if it protects an individual right to own weapons. More »

One of the oldest and most hotly debated constitutional amendments—the right to bear arms—comes under scrutiny by the Supreme Court today. The court will hear arguments on the constitutionality of Washington DC's stringent ban on handguns. The ruling, which will arrive in June, is sure to have a major impact on the national debate over firearms, USA Today notes. More »

John Roberts' Supreme Court will get a rare crack at an undefined piece of the Bill of Rights this week when it examines whether Washington, DC's handgun ban violates the Second Amendment. Though Americans' right to bear arms has been debated for 200 years, reports the Washington Post, the court will clarify whether the Constitution guarantees an individual right to gun ownership or if it relates only to militia service.  More »

West Virginia is trying to reverse a decline in hunting by bringing it into the classroom, the New York Times reports. The state, which has seen a 20% drop in hunting permits in the last decade, has passed a bill allowing hunting education in schools where enough students express interest. “For us, guns and hunting was a way of life,” said a gun shop owner. “A lot of places seem to be losing that, and we need to bring it back.” More »

A gunman killed a local firefighter and wounded five others in a West Palm Beach Wendy's today before taking his own life, the Palm Beach Post reports. Shooter Alburn Edward Blake left no suicide note but was said by one witness to be an ex-worker at the restaurant. "Looks like this was just another random shooting like we've seen around the United States," a Palm Beach County Sheriff's spokesman told the AP. More »

Campus shootings keep making headlines, and schools are increasingly adopting text message alert systems as a response—but students aren't jumping on the bandwagon, the AP reports. Experts chalk up low enrollment rates to students' sense of invincibility, unwillingness to reveal personal information and the cost of receiving texts. "It will take time to earn their trust," said one spokesman. More »

Michael Sullivan has spent a long time waiting to become head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, but his appointment has run into a roadblock in the Senate. Not with Democrats—with his fellow Republicans. Gun-rights supporters have blocked the appointment of Sullivan, also a US Attorney who can't be replaced while the ATF job is in limbo, the LA Times reports. More »

The federal government is preparing to loosen a ban on bringing loaded guns into national parks, reports the Los Angeles Times . The NRA has been pushing for the ban to be eased, saying it violates the right to bear arms and puts citizens at risk of attack from savage wild animals—and humans. Others say letting guns in would spoil the park experience. More »

While many states have responded to recent college shootings by debating whether firearms should be allowed on campus, Utah is the only one with such a law on the books—and students at its public universities are taking advantage, CNN reports. Predictably, while some students say they feel safer with their guns on hand, others say it makes classrooms even scarier. More »