Congratulations to MD Juniors!!!
Albuquerque, NM
Competing in the Air Rifle Sportier Class, junior John White took gold with a score of 1106 out of 1200.
The State team took bronze, with a total score 0f 4156/4800.
This was a posting from a partner organization - Maryland Shall Issue. It explains why the laws will be slow to change. MSRPA supports them in this position.
1. The Supreme Court Rules in McDonald case
By now, most of you have no doubt read that the United States Supreme Court has ruled in the McDonald case that challenged the ban on the possession of handguns in Chicago.
Many of you have been contacting us on several issues on the case asking what it means for Maryland, when will the lawsuits be filed, whether this makes Maryland a shall issue state and why we haven't sent out an Update before now.
While this is indeed a landmark decision, it is our opinion that there are still other intermediary cases that are going to have to work their way through the courts in other states before we are in the position to file suits in Maryland. It is the smart play to let other organizations expend their resources in other states and make the stronger case for overturning Maryland's overly restrictive and discriminatory policies for the issuance of permits before we prematurely do so.
Given that most of Maryland's basis for maintaining the current system is based on case law dating back at least 30 years, it is of the upmost importance that we have the strongest case possible before we launch suits, lest we establish even more case law that works against us.
Make no mistake, we are fully aware of the long term effects that McDonald will have on Maryland. However, we also believe that we have a responsibility to move forward in a manner that gives us the best opportunity for success and not just for the sake of riding the wave of enthusiasm that has arisen in the last 7 days over the Court's decision.
We are in discussions with numerous attorneys and 2nd Amendment organizations so that we may put together a cohesive strategy that will best benefit our community and will, naturally, keep you apprised as we move forward on action.
From Dan Green, MSRPA Legislative Council.
The United States Supreme Court today announced its long awaited decision on the case entitled McDonald et. al. vs. City of Chicago, Ill et. al. . This case follows closely on the heels of the Supreme Court's decision in the case of Heller v. Washington DC, where the Court struck down the Washington, DC law preventing private possession of hand guns in a person's home. The McDonald case stands for the proposition that the Supreme Court's holding in Heller applies to the State's through the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, thus preventing the City of Chicago and the suburb of Oak Park from enforcing local ordinances similar to that which was struck down in Wshington, DC by Heller. Justice Alito delivered the opinion of the Court. He was joined by Chief Justice Roberts, Justice Scalia, Justice Kennedy and Justice Thomas. In favor of the Chicago gun ban were Justice Stevens (now retired) , Justice Breyer, Justice ginsburg, and Justice Sotomayor. Thus our important Constitutional rights were decided by a mere 5 to 4 majority! The technical ruling of the Supreme Court in McDonald reversed and remanded the ruling of the lower Court, i.e., the 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals, for a new decision consistent with the Supreme court's holding. This decision now becomes national law in all jurisdictions immediately. The reasoning used by Justice Alito is critical to our understanding of how America must now apply the Constitution to gun laws newly enacted or currently in existence through out the United States. The "right to keep and bear arms" for the purpose of self defense is an individual right that is guaranteed by the U. S. Constitution. This was the ruling of the Heller case. The McDonald case has extended this Constitutional interpretation to all the States and municipalities in America through the language contained in the 14th Amendment. Justice Allito's historical analysis in this decision that the right "to keep and bear arms" is a right fundamental to this Nation's system of ordered liberties. The Court based its reasoning on its holding in the Heller case which recognized self defense as a basic right. Indeed the Heller Court held that self defense is a "critical component" of the 2nd Amendment. Heller further clarified the fact that this right to self defense is, "deeply rooted in this Nation's history and tradition." How does this apply to hand guns? Well the Heller case explained that the need for defense of self, family, and property is most acute in the home and handguns are the preferred firearm to keep and use for protection of one's home and family. Now under the McDonald decision the States can no longer legislate this right away. This was a win by a 5 to 4 majority!
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Joint Statement by Wayne LaPierre, NRA Executive Vice President & CEO,
and Chris Cox, Executive Director of NRA's Institute for Legislative Action
There may be no vote a United States Senator casts that is more important than a vote to confirm a nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court. Now that the Court has clearly stated that the Second Amendment is a fundamental, individual right that applies to all law-abiding Americans, NRA members and gun owners expect a nominee to the Court to fully support, defend and preserve that freedom.
We have carefully examined the career, written documents and public statements of nominee Elena Kagan and have found nothing to indicate any support for the Second Amendment. On the contrary, the facts reveal a nominee who opposes Second Amendment rights and is clearly out of step with mainstream Americans.
Therefore, the NRA is strongly opposed to Kagan's confirmation to the Court.
In testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, she refused to declare support for the Second Amendment, saying only that the matter was "settled law."
This was eerily similar to the scripted testimony of Justice Sonia Sotomayor last year, prior to her confirmation to the Court. When pressed on the Second Amendment then, Sotomayor also referred to the issue as "settled law."
But in the recently decided case of McDonald v. City of Chicago, Sotomayor ignored the "settled law" of the Heller decision and signed a dissenting opinion that declared, "I can find nothing in the Second Amendment's text, history, or underlying rationale that could warrant characterizing it as 'fundamental' insofar as it seeks to protect the keeping and bearing of arms for private self-defense purposes."
It has become obvious that "settled law" is the scripted code of an anti-gun nominee's confirmation effort. The NRA is not fooled. No member of the U.S. Senate should be either.
With no judicial record, only Kagan's political career can be reviewed. And this provides no reason to trust her with Americans' firearms freedom. Throughout her career, she has repeatedly demonstrated a clear hostility to the fundamental, individual right to keep and bear arms under the U.S. Constitution.
As a clerk for Justice Thurgood Marshall, Kagan said she was "not sympathetic" to a challenge to Washington, DC's ban on firearms. As a domestic policy advisor in the Clinton White House, a colleague described her as "immersed" in Clinton's aggressive assaults on the Second Amendment. She was involved in Clinton's scheme to ban more than 50 types of commonly-owned semiautomatic firearms - an effort described as "...taking the law and bending it as far as we can to capture a whole new class of guns."
As U.S. Solicitor General, Kagan chose not to file a brief last year in the landmark McDonald case, thus taking the position that incorporating the Second Amendment and applying it to the states was of no interest to the Obama Administration or the federal government.
These are not the positions of a person who supports the Second Amendment and, in fact, represent a clear and present danger to the right to keep and bear arms.
Kagan's record clearly reveals that she does not believe that the Second Amendment guarantees a fundamental right. In her recent testimony, she refused to acknowledge respect for the God-given right of self-defense.
She should not serve on any court, let alone be confirmed to a lifetime seat on the highest court in the land.
The NRA is strongly opposed to the confirmation of Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court. This vote matters and will be a part of future candidate evaluations.
Maryland: Attorney General Gansler Issues Opinion on .22 Caliber Rifles
Maryland's Office of Attorney General issued a favorable opinion Monday, May 24, as what constitutes a "copy" of a so called "assault weapon." These firearms are subject to Maryland 's "regulated firearm" law.
The issue at hand was whether .22 caliber rimfire rifles that may cosmetically resemble any firearms defined as "assault weapons" in the Annotated Code of Maryland, Public Safety Article § 5-101, should be regulated under that section as "copies" of the listed center-fire models.
According to the opinion, a copy must be similar "in its internal components and function to the designated weapon" and "cosmetic similarity to an enumerated assault weapon alone would not bring a weapon within the regulated firearms law".
The opinion also states that the Maryland State Police will make the initial decision as to whether the gun's internal parts make it a "copy" of an "assault weapon."
This is a victory for Maryland 's law-abiding citizens who use these common rifles for competition, sport shooting and home defense.
You can read the opinion in full by clicking here.
1. SB411, Civil Immunity Bill, Signed Into Law
We're pleased to report to you that SB411 was signed into law by the Governor today. This bill, now law, provides protection to homeowners in the event of the injury or death of an assailant while in the act of committing a crime.
Our community spent several years working on this bill and it's a perfect example of how persistent pressure and focused efforts can reap concrete results.
The law will go into effect October 1 of this year.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to write letters, make phone calls and give testimony related to this bill.
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