gun bans

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It Ain’t Over Yet In Illinois

January 4, 2013 by

It is too soon to let our guard down in Illinois over the range, AWB, and magazine ban bills. While newspaper reports yesterday indicated that the gun prohibitionists were falling short and had given up their efforts, it isn’t over yet as the lame duck session hasn’t ended.

The Illinois State Rifle Association issued this warning on their Facebook page:

Note to all members and supporters. The bills
put forward in the IL Senate are NOT dead. They are still alive until
the new legislature is sworn in on Wednesday… they could vote as they
clean out their desks.
Keep the calls and emails coming. They are having an effect and will be the difference between your guns being banned or not.

Thirdpower at Days of Our Trailers has this warning along with some comments from Illinois legislators:


NYET!! NINE!!! NADA!!! NOPE!!!

These bills are NOT dead. They are just being held off so the Chicago-crats can try and strong arm enough votes before next Wednesday. Got that? NEXT Wednesday is when the bills are dead, not before.

KEEP making those calls and informing fellow gun owners. They WILL attempt to bring them up again as soon as they think they can get them through, the same way they play the midnight sessions game to get their annual pay raises.

Those of you living in Illinois need to keep up the pressure on your state representatives and senators. Be polite but call them every day. Don’t let them think you’ve let your guard down.

UPDATE: While all the action so far has been in the Illinois State Senate, Todd Vandermyde let me know this morning that his sources in the State House tell him that Gov. Pat Quinn and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel will be pushing similar bans in the House. The House reconvenes for its lame duck session at 5pm on Sunday.

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The Floor Amendments In Illinois (Updated)

January 3, 2013 by 6 Comments

The gun prohibitionists in the Illinois Senate are using existing House Bill 815 and House Bill 1263 as their vehicle to license shooting ranges, ban so-called assault weapons, ban new standard capacity magazines, and require registration and fees for grandfathered magazines. Both bills are the subject of hearings currently on-going by the Illinois Senate Public Health Committee.

HB 815 originally dealt with updating a nuclear safety law while HB 1263 deals with sexual offenders.

HB 815 has two amendments. The first, Senate Floor Amendment No. 001 deals with licensing shooting ranges and “large capacity ammunition feeding devices.” It was introduced by Sen. Dan Kotowski (D-Chicago). The text of the amendment can be found here.

The second amendment to HB 815, Senate Floor Amendment No. 002, requires the registration of grandfathered magazines with the Illinois State Police and the payment of a $5 per magazine fee. It was also introduced by Sen. Dan Kotowski. The full text of this amendment can be found here.

HB 1263 has two amendments and both were submitted by Sen. Antonio Munoz (D-Chicago). Senate Floor Amendment No. 005 contains another range licensing bill and, more importantly, the assault weapons (sic) ban. .50 BMG firearms are also banned. The text of this amendment can be found here.

The second amendment to HB 1263, Senate Floor Amendment No. 006, deals with the existing so-called assault weapons. It requires their registration and the payment of a $10 fee per rifle to the Illinois State Police. .50 firearms will require a $15 per firearm fee along with their registration. The text of this amendment can be found here.

UPDATE: The Senate Public Health Committee who’s chair and vice-chair just so happen to be Chicago Democrats have reported two of the amendments out of committee with a “do adopt” recommendation. They are Senate Floor Amendment No. 001 to HB 815 and Senate Floor Amendment No. 005 to HB 1263.

ISRA issued an alert on the bills this evening.

A pair of nightmare bills is on the move at this moment in the Illinois Senate

These two bills would:

1. Run all gun ranges out of business by imposing heavy fees, imposing special staffing requirements, warrantless searches of ranges and customers, unlimited unannounced “inspections.”

2. Ban all semi-automatic rifles, pistols, and shotguns as well as pump action shotguns.

Here are direct links to the two bills:

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocTypeID=HB&DocNum=815&GAID=11&SessionID=84&LegID=56601

and

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocTypeID=HB&DocNum=1263&GAID=11&SessionID=84&LegID=57242

EITHER OF THESE TWO BILLS WOULD END YOUR GUN RIGHTS ENTIRELY

HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO PROTECT YOUR GUN RIGHTS.

1. Follow the instructions below and contact your Illinois State Senator. Politely tell your senator that you are a law-abiding gun owner and you want them to vote AGAINST HB815 and HB1263. CALL NOW!

2. Pass this information on to your gun owning friends and family, tell them to call as well.

3. Post this alert to all Internet blogs and bulletin boards to which you belong.

The worst of the two bills, HB815 is being sponsored and pushed by anti-gun Senator Dan Kotowski. Go to his link: http://www.ilga.gov/senate/senator.asp?GA=97&MemberID=1724 Call him at the numbers listed and tell him that you do not appreciate him trying to shut down gun ranges and taking your guns away from you. He needs to hear from you!

UPDATE II: The Illinois State Rifle Association just sent out more information about the votes on the two bills in the Public Health Committee.

SENATE COMMITTEE APPROVES BILLS TO RUN RANGES OUT OF BUSINESS AND BAN 80% OF YOUR GUNS

MESSAGE FROM COMMITTEE DEMOCRATS: “Eliminating law-abiding gun owners is a good ‘first step’ towards a ‘civil society.’”

Votes on HB815 and HB1263 were split along party lines in the Senate Public Health Committee Wednesday night with the committee Democrats voting 6-4 and 6-3 to send the bills to the full senate. If these two bills become law, they will resulting most, if not all ranges in the state going out of business as well as the banning of ALL semiautomatic rifles, pistols and shotguns as well as banning all pump shotguns and rifles.

In comments made during testimony, committee Democrats stated plainly that HB815 and HB1263 were “first steps” and that these bills have as their objective the creation of a “more civil society.” In other words, elimination of lawful gun owners is a required first step for creating a more civil society. Of course, there was no mention of the impact of eliminating criminals.

HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO ON THURSDAY:

1. Call Senator Dave Syverson at (217) 782-5413 and tell him “THANK YOU” for supporting lawful gun owners by voting “NO” on HB815 and HB1263.

2. Call Senator Shane Cultra at (217) 782-6597 and tell him “THANK YOU” for supporting lawful gun owners by voting “NO” on HB815 and HB1263.

3. Call Senator Christine Johnson at (217) 782-1977 and tell her “THANK YOU” for supporting lawful gun owners by voting “NO” on HB815 and HB1263.

4. Call Senator Carole Pankau at (217) 782-9463 and tell her “THANK YOU” for supporting lawful gun owners by voting “NO” on HB815 and HB1263.

It is very important that you praise these Senators for their support.

The ringleader of the effort to shut down shooting ranges and take your guns away from you is Senator Dan Kotowski. You may wish to call him at (217) 782-3875 and politely explain to him that, as a law-abiding gun owner, you do not appreciate being treated like a criminal and that you oppose any efforts to regulate shooting ranges, ban semiautomatic firearms, or ban standard capacity magazines.

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Gun Prohibitionists At Work In Illinois Lame-Duck Session (Updated)

January 2, 2013 by 2 Comments

You have to wonder just how committed to democracy and representative government are those politicians who would push for gun bans. I think most people would understand that in the state of Illinois unfortunately power politics trumps democracy and representative government. So it is with the latest moves in Illinois to introduce an assault weapons (sic) ban.

From ISRA:


The ISRA has learned from a credible source that Illinois Senate President John Cullerton will introduce a so called “assault weapons” ban on Wednesday when the legislature returns for its “lame duck” session. Cullerton hopes to ramrod the bill through and get it to Governor Quinn for signature by Friday. If he is successful at doing so, nearly every gun you currently own will be banned and will be subject to confiscation by the Illinois State Police.

Based on what we know about Cullerton’s bill, firearms that would be banned include all semiautomatic rifles, pistols, and shotguns. Pump action shotguns would be banned as well. This would be a very comprehensive ban that would include not only so-called “assault weapons” but also such classics as M1 Garands and 1911-based pistols. There would be no exemptions and no grandfathering. You would have a very short window to turn in your guns to the State Police to avoid prosecution.

ISRA is asking that people in Illinois call your State Senator on Wednesday and politely tell him or her that you are a law abiding firearm owner and that you strongly oppose Cullerton’’s gun ban.

From the NRA-ILA:


URGENT: Illinois Anti-Gun Legislators That YOU Voted Out of Office to Use Their Last Remaining Days in Legislature Exploiting Lame Duck Session and Holiday Break To Impose a Draconian Gun Ban

The NRA-ILA has just learned that anti-gun legislators backed by Governor Quinn are deceptively trying to sneak through a new draconian gun ban as early as Wednesday while the legislature convenes for the Lame Duck Session from January 2 to 9. You voted many of these anti-gun legislators out of office, and now, in their last days as law makers, they want to quietly trample on the rights of all law-abiding gun owners in Illinois. It is imperative that you contact your state legislators

IMMEDIATELY and continue to do so over the next few days. The Lame Duck Session will end on January 9, so this bill will be moving at lightning speed through both the House and Senate, with very little time to spare. Your phone call or email will play an important role in halting this assault on your Second Amendment rights.

The NRA-ILA will continue to send updates on this matter as details become available to us. However, it is of the utmost importance that you act NOW to stop this gun ban and registration scheme. Call and email IMMEDIATELY and let your voice be heard on this matter.

To reach the main line for the Illinois General Assembly, please call 217.782.2000.

Contact information for your state legislators can be found by clicking here.

 Kurt Hofmann has more on this move in his column in the St. Louis Gun Rights Examiner.  Thirdpower at Days of Our Trailers blog has more as well as a suggestion to leave (polite) messages on the Illinois Senate Democratic Causus’ Facebook page. You can reach that here.

UPDATE: Sebastian reports that the attack on gun rights in the state of Illinois is far broader than previously thought. In addition to an AWB, there will be restrictions on ranges, magazines, a lost or stolen requirement, etc. Go to his post here and read the whole thing. If you are a resident of Illinois, get to work. If you have family or friends in Illinois, let them know so they can get to get work calling their state representatives.

UPDATE II: The NRA-ILA has released an alert stating that the vote could come as early as this afternoon on the AWB and magazine bans. Their alert is below:

If you own a semi-automatic firearm or detachable magazine, they may be banned and you could become a felon unless you act NOW

As the Illinois Senate convenes this afternoon for its Lame Duck session, anti-gun legislators led by Senate President John Cullerton and backed by Governor Patrick Quinn (D) are deceptively trying to sneak through a sweeping draconian gun and magazine ban in Springfield. In their last days as lawmakers (some were defeated for reelection and others retiring), these legislators are attempting to quietly trample on the rights of all law-abiding gun owners in Illinois. The many restrictions contained in this legislation are subject to changes, however, this latest attack on your Second Amendment rights as currently drafted would turn law-abiding owners into felons for possession of nearly all common semi-automatic firearms or detachable magazines. Not only would such a ban include classic firearms like the 1911 and common handguns like Glocks, this ban would also outlaw common hunting guns like the Ruger 10/22 and Remington 740 series.

It is imperative that you contact your state Senator IMMEDIATELY to express your opposition and continue to do so every day this week. The Lame Duck session starts today and ends on January 9, so this legislation will be moving at lightning speed in both the Senate and House, with very little time to spare. At this time, it is rumored that both the semi-auto and magazine ban bills will be sent to the Executive Committee this afternoon. Please contact those members (listed below) as well as your state Senator. Your telephone calls will determine the outcome of this assault on your Second Amendment rights.

Anti-gun politicians are attempting to sacrifice your constitutional rights as a scapegoat for the criminal acts of lunatics and violence in Chicago by gangs and drug dealers. Don’t let them succeed in banning your firearms or magazines as an excuse for stopping criminals from misusing them. Criminals — by definition — violate laws, especially gun control laws, including often: murder, rape, robbery, drug-dealing, gang violence, firearm theft, carrying concealed firearms without a license/permit, federal gun-free school zones. They do not obey gun bans, register their firearms, or get subjected to any gun control schemes (like the lone state ban on carrying concealed firearms for self-defense) that only affect and penalize law-abiding citizens like you.

The NRA-ILA will continue to send legislative updates as details become available. However, it is of the utmost importance that you act NOW to stop this gun and magazine ban. Call your state Senator and members of the Executive Committee IMMEDIATELY and express your opposition to banning firearms or magazines.

To reach the main line for the Illinois General Assembly, please call 217-782-2000.

Contact information for your state legislators can be found by clicking here.

Senate Executive Committee:

Senator Don Harmon, Chairman, (D-39)

(217) 782-8176

Senator Ira Silverstein, Vice Chairman, (D-8)

(217) 782-5500

Senator James F. Clayborne, Jr., (D-57)

(217) 782 5399

Senator Maggie Crotty, (D-19)

(217) 782-9595

Senator John J. Cullerton, Senate President (D-6)

(217) 782-2728

Senator Kimberly A. Lightford, (D-4)

(217) 782-8505

Senator Antonio Munoz, (D-1)

(217) 782-9415

Senator Jeffrey M. Schoenberg, (D-9)

(217) 782-2119

Senator Donne E. Trotter (D-17)

(217) 782-3201

Senator Dale A. Righter, Minority Spokesperson, (R-55)

(217) 782-6674

Senator William E. Brady, (R-44)

(217) 782-6216

Senator John O. Jones, (R-54)

(217) 782-0471

Senator David S. Luechtefeld, (R-58)

(217) 782-8137

Senator Matt Murphy, (R-27)

(217) 782-4471

Senator Christine Radogno, (R-41)

(217) 782-9407

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IL Gov. Quinn’s Amendatory Veto Over-Ridden In State Senate

November 29, 2012 by 4 Comments

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn’s amendatory veto of a bill that would have allowed Illinois residents to purchase ammunition by mail order was over-ridden in the Illinois State Senate yesterday by a 49-4 vote. Quinn used the amendatory veto to rewrite the bill to ban semi-auto rifles, standard capacity magazines, and rifles in .50 caliber.

The original sponsor of the bill says that Quinn overstepped his authority:

Republican Sen. Dave Luechtefeld (LUK’-tuh-feld) of Okawville
(OH-kuh-vil) says Quinn overstepped his authority. Luechtefeld’s
original bill merely allowed approved Illinois gun owners who buy
ammunition through the mail to purchase it from Illinois companies as
well as those out of state. 

The Peoria Journal-Star reports that Quinn is not giving up on his attempts to ban semi-automatic rifles with cosmetic features he doesn’t like.

Spokeswoman Brooke Anderson says the Democratic governor will continue
seeking a statewide assault-weapons ban to enhance public safety. She
would not elaborate on his strategy.

The measure now goes to the State House for action on the governor’s veto. If they override it, Illinois residents will be able to purchase ammunition by mail-order from Illinois companies.

Kurt Hofmann, the St. Louis Gun Rights Examiner and a resident of southern Illinois, has more on it here.

UPDATE: Richard Pearson, Ex. Director of ISRA, included this info in his Thursday bulletin about overriding the veto.

On Wednesday, Nov. 28th, 2012, the Illinois Senate passed SB681 in its original form at a margin of 49 – 4. The bill, SB681, was a simple bill that allowed ammunition to be mail ordered from dealers or companies in Illinois and shipped to FOID card holders in Illinois. FOID card holders could already order ammunition from out of state sources.

The Governor illegally used his amendatory veto power and substituted language to turn SB681 into an all encompassing ‘assault’ weapons ban. The Illinois Senate reaffirmed the original language and intent of SB681.

Next week, SB681 will have to be voted on in the Illinois House of Representatives. Be sure to call your state representative and ask them to vote for the override of the Governor’s Veto of SB681. To reach your representative, please click here for the Illinois State Board of Elections website to learn who your legislators are!

 The Illinois House of Representatives goes back in session on Tuesday, Dec. 4th.

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Illinois Governor Proposes AWB

July 31, 2012 by

The Springfield (Illinois) State Journal-Register is reporting late this morning that Gov. Pat Quinn (D-IL) is proposing a ban on so-called “assault weapons” (sic) in Illinois.

The Democrat will use his amendatory veto power Tuesday to include the ban in a bill related to ammunition sales. It would then be up to lawmakers to accept his changes or reject them.

The report states that his proposal faces “big hurdles” noting that other gun control measures have recently failed in the Illinois General Assembly. From a constitutional standpoint, such a law would be on shaky ground as the AR-15 is the highest selling rifle in recent years and should be considered in “common use.”

UPDATE: The Illinois State Rifle Association is taking Gov. Quinn’s proposal very seriously. The bill he hijacked was a pro-gun bill. They sent out the following early this morning:

GOVERNOR QUINN TEAMS UP WITH MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL TO PROPOSE BILL TO TAX AND BAN YOUR GUNS

YOUR IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED

As many of you know, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn today utilized his amendatory veto authority to hijack a pro-gun bill and convert it into a ban on so called assault weapons. Quinn claims that his bill would “…make Illinois a safer place.”

Of course, lawful Illinois firearm owners know better. We know that Quinn’s true aim is to obliterate private firearm ownership in the state. Closer analysis of Quinn’s bill reveals a host of opportunities for Quinn and his buddy Emanuel to make life miserable for the state’s lawful firearm owners.

Here is just a partial list of what this bill would do, if passed:

1. Ban the manufacture, possession or sale of nearly every semiautomatic rifle, pistol and shotgun you own.

2. Specifically ban Glock pistols since they share a common design with the Glock 18, a select fire handgun.

3. Require you to register every semiautomatic firearm and every magazine you own that exceeds 10 round capacity. The kicker is that, under Quinn’s proposal, the State Police can charge you unlimited fees to register your guns. Thus if Quinn’s bill passes, you could very well find yourself paying $100 or even $1,000 per firearm per year to comply with the law. Additionally, you could find yourself paying $50, $100 or even $500 per year for each “high capacity” magazine you own. Can’t pay? Well then you would have to surrender your guns to the State Police for destruction.

This is just a taste of what you could expect from Quinn’s gun ban. Twists and turns in the bill would certainly open up the doors to taxation, regulation, and outright bans on every civilian owned firearm in the state.

Oh, and one thing is for sure, you can forget about concealed carry if Quinn’s gun ban passes.

HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO PROTECT YOUR GUN RIGHTS:

1. Call your State Senator ASAP and politely tell him or her that you are a law-abiding Illinois firearm owner and that you expect him or her to vote against Quinn’s gun ban should it come up for a vote. If you do not know who your State Senator is, please follow this link:

Illinois Board of Elections District Official/Search:
http://www.elections.state.il.us/DistrictLocator/DistrictOfficialSearchByAddress.aspx

2. Pass this alert on to all your friends and family who own firearms. Tell them to make calls to the senate as well.

3. Post this alert to any and all Internet blogs or bulletin boards to which you belong.

4. If you’re not already a member of the ISRA, then it’s time you signed on to protect your gun rights. To join the ISRA, follow this link: www.isra.org/join

5. Make a generous donation to the ISRA today so that we will be able to fight on against gun grabbers like Pat Quinn and Rahm Emanuel: www.isra.org/fight_4_your_rights.

If you live in Illinois, now is the time to act. If you have relatives or friends in Illinois, let them know about this attack on their gun rights.

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The Third Win This Week!

March 8, 2012 by

In what amounts to the third legal victory for gun rights this week, the Washington Supreme Court unanimously denied Seattle’s petition for review of Seattle’s ban on guns in parks. Lower courts had found that Seattle’s gun ban violated Washington State’s preemption law and overturned the park ban.

From the Second Amendment Foundation:

SAF HAILS WA HIGH COURT DENIAL OF SEATTLE GUN BAN APPEAL

For Immediate Release: 3/8/2012

BELLEVUE, WA — The Second Amendment Foundation is delighted that the Washington State Supreme Court has unanimously denied the City of Seattle’s petition for review in the case of Winnie Chan v. City of Seattle, a legal action brought by SAF, the National Rifle Association and five individual plaintiffs.

The decision affirms the state’s long-standing preemption law and two lower court rulings, thus preventing the city from banning firearms from city parks property.

It was the third straight loss for the city, which had first attempted to ban firearms from park facilities under former Mayor Greg Nickels, in open defiance of Washington State’s model preemption statute. Following its initial loss in King County Superior Court, the city, under Nickels’ successor, Mayor Mike McGinn, appealed its loss to the State Court of Appeals. That court also ruled unanimously against the city, which petitioned the state high court last year for review.

“We are proud that the State Supreme Court panel, led by Chief Justice Barbara Madsen, unanimously rejected Seattle’s flagrant attempt to override state law and violate the civil rights of citizens living in or visiting the city,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “Mayor McGinn and the City Council should be ashamed that they pursued this pipe dream in an effort to turn the city into a banana republic. By letting the appeals court ruling stand, other anti-gun officials in city and county governments are on notice that they simply cannot ignore state law.

“We are equally proud of our partners in this important legal action,” he continued. “We were joined by the NRA, Washington Arms Collectors, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and five courageous citizens. Our plaintiffs were willing to stand up to the city and public officials who seem determined to transform Seattle into a political gulag where a civil right can be dismissed at will in the interest of political correctness.

“And finally,” Gottlieb stated, “we are all very proud of our legal team led by Steve Fogg and Molly Malouf at Corr Cronin. They did a marvelous job, not only for their clients, but for the citizens of this state, whose civil rights apply everywhere, whether the City of Seattle likes it or not.”

You will note that both the Second Amendment Foundation and the NRA were parties in the original case. It is good to see that they can work together when needed.

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ABC News And The Media Battle For A New AWB

January 6, 2012 by 9 Comments

Diane Sawyer led off ABC’s World News last night with a story that is claiming that cops are undergunned when facing criminals. According to the visuals in the story shown below, it is cops and their Glock 22s versus violent criminals armed with AKs and ARs. Diane introduces the story using buzzwords like “mow down”, “staggering numbers”, and “high powered guns”.

video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player

The story by Pierre Thomas featured a recent shooting in Ogden, Utah that left one police officer dead and five wounded. The shooting involved a special drug enforcement team serving a warrant on a suspect who opened fire on them with an AK-47. His father said in other reports that he had PTSD.

Thomas says that cops are often facing career criminals who are willing to shoot it out rather than to go back to prison and that they are using “assault rifles” which can be bought a “virtually any gun store, online, or through a vast black market.”

The insinuation that career felons Joe Bob, An’twan, and Paco can walk into a gun store and buy anything is false. Every gun sale made or delivered through a FFL requires a background check by the FBI but that is never mentioned. Moreover, while you can purchase a firearm “online”, it still must be delivered to you at a local FFL who will do the background check. As to the vast black market, this is where criminals get their guns. It is illegal for them to possess these guns and illegal for them to buy them so why does anyone presume to think one more law would stop them.

AR-15s or “patrol rifles” are becoming almost a standard issue firearm in many police departments. Moreover, virtually every patrol car still carries a 12 gauge riot gun which is very effective in close quarters encounters. Of course, none of this was mentioned in the ABC report.

The only rationale I can see for this story is to build a case for a new assault weapon ban. If it was just a story about cops getting killed in a raid, that is all they would have featured. However, Pierre Thomas went well beyond that, Diane Sawyer led off with an introduction filled with emotion-filled buzzwords, and it was the lead story on the newscast. I have no doubt we will see more and more stories like this throughout the year. I just wish they would take time to point out the obvious stuff like how it is already illegal for a felon to possess not just an AK but any firearm. That really is wishful thinking on my part.

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Alan Gura’s Next Target – North Carolina’s Emergency Powers Gun Bans

June 29, 2010 by 2 Comments

I just found this on the Second Amendment Foundation’s website.

SAF SUES TO OVERTURN NORTH CAROLINA’S ‘EMERGENCY POWERS’ GUN BANS

The Second Amendment Foundation along with Grass Roots North Carolina and three individuals are suing to overturn the law in North Carolina that allowed the Town of King to impose a ban on possession and sales of firearms due to … lots of snow.

Having read the law and seen when it was adopted, I’ve always felt it was a racist reaction to the civil unrest on college campuses during the late 1960s. The General Assembly was especially interested in tamping down any civil unrest at the historically black colleges and universities. This was very true in my hometown of Greensboro where the authorities kept a much closer eye on historically black NC A&T State University than on Women’s College (now UNC-Greensboro).