A Victory In The Courts
Date: Jun 13, 2006 7:05 PM
GOA wins battle in San Francisco courts!
– Thanks contributors to the Foundation for making battles like this
possible

Gun Owners of America E-Mail Alert
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
http://www.gunowners.org

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Good news out of California!

Yesterday, San Francisco Superior Court Judge James Warren overturned
voter-approved Measure H, a city ordinance that banned the private
possession of handguns and the sale of all firearms in the city.

Gun Owners of America — and Gun Owners Foundation along with Gun
Owners of California — underwrote the costs of filing a friend of
the court (amicus) brief by the founder of Gun Owners, California
state Sen. H.L. Richardson (ret.).

Sen. Richardson’s amicus brief was important in this case because,
while in his service in the California Senate, he sponsored the law
that prohibits what the voters of San Francisco recently did.
California state law preempts, thanks to Richardson, any local
measures banning or registering firearms.

Gun Owners is thankful that the courts did not disregard the
preemption law Richardson enacted. We all know that courts
frequently have a problem following the law and seeking guidance from
the record of those who made the law.

Richardson’s preemption law has been upheld in previous cases, so
with the obvious meaning of the law and the history of judicial
rulings supporting it, prospects for overturning the plebiscite
looked good.

Victory in court now frees the 42 percent of San Franciscans who
voted against violating a constitutional right to own a handgun in
the city. Unhappily it is for practical purposes impossible to get a
concealed carry permit there, so, lots of luck when venturing forth
from one’s San Francisco dwelling. Unless, that is, you are someone
important such as Mrs. Gun Ban, a.k.a. Sen. Diane Feinstein.

The city has already announced it will appeal the ruling, even though
S.F. Mayor Gavin Newsome has reportedly said that this effort was
contrary to state law. Interestingly, the San Francisco Police
Officers Association opposed the ban, saying the law nullified “the
personal choice of city residents to possess a handgun for
self-defense purposes.”

GOA would like to thank all of those who have contributed to Gun
Owners Foundation, which makes lawsuits like this possible. Gun
Owners Foundation is part of the Combined Federal Campaign — Agency
Number 1054.