Rink
07-12-2003, 04:00 AM
Supreme Court Urged to Take on Gun Rights
Thu Jul 3, 2:36 AM ET Add Politics - AP to My Yahoo!
By GINA HOLLAND, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court is being asked to overturn an appeals court ruling that said the Constitution does not guarantee people a personal right to own a gun.
The court's past rulings on Second Amendment gun rights — many in the 1800s — are a mess that should be straightened out when the justices return from their summer break, an appeal being filed Thursday at the court said.
The appeal relates to one of two closely watched cases from the liberal-leaning 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (news - web sites) in San Francisco. The high court will also decide later this year whether to review a 9th Circuit ruling that banned teacher-led reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools because of the phrase "under God."
The gun case includes an unlikely group of challengers — not the National Rifle Association or other organized groups, but some rugby teammates and friends. They include a police SWAT officer, a Purple Heart recipient, a former Marine sniper, a parole officer, a stockbroker and others with varied political views. They had sued the state over laws banning high-powered weapons.
"Citizens need the Second Amendment for protection of their families, homes and businesses," their attorney and rugby teammate, Gary Gorski of Fair Oaks, Calif., wrote in the appeal of a ruling that upheld California's assault weapons ban.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=536&ncid=536&e=8&u=/ap/20030703/ap_on_go_su_co/scotus_gun_rights_2
Thu Jul 3, 2:36 AM ET Add Politics - AP to My Yahoo!
By GINA HOLLAND, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court is being asked to overturn an appeals court ruling that said the Constitution does not guarantee people a personal right to own a gun.
The court's past rulings on Second Amendment gun rights — many in the 1800s — are a mess that should be straightened out when the justices return from their summer break, an appeal being filed Thursday at the court said.
The appeal relates to one of two closely watched cases from the liberal-leaning 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (news - web sites) in San Francisco. The high court will also decide later this year whether to review a 9th Circuit ruling that banned teacher-led reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools because of the phrase "under God."
The gun case includes an unlikely group of challengers — not the National Rifle Association or other organized groups, but some rugby teammates and friends. They include a police SWAT officer, a Purple Heart recipient, a former Marine sniper, a parole officer, a stockbroker and others with varied political views. They had sued the state over laws banning high-powered weapons.
"Citizens need the Second Amendment for protection of their families, homes and businesses," their attorney and rugby teammate, Gary Gorski of Fair Oaks, Calif., wrote in the appeal of a ruling that upheld California's assault weapons ban.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=536&ncid=536&e=8&u=/ap/20030703/ap_on_go_su_co/scotus_gun_rights_2