 |
|
Reply
| | From:  Gunrockets (Original Message) | Sent: 08/08/2008 13:45 |
W.Va. examines gun laws after Supreme Court ruling
MARTINSBURG, W.Va. (AP) -- A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down as unconstitutional a citywide handgun ban in Washington, D.C., has at least one West Virginia city tweaking its law.
Martinsburg City Manager Mark Baldwin says the Eastern Panhandle city needs to clarify that its ban applies only to city buildings, not city streets and sidewalks.
Martinsburg officials decided to revisit the issue after the Supreme Court ruled June 26 that the ban in the nation's capital violated the Second Amendment, which guarantees the right to have guns for self-defense.
In Washington, the D.C. Council quickly amended its law to allow residents to keep handguns, but only for self defense -- at home unloaded and disassembled, or equipped with trigger locks.
In Charleston, the West Virginia Citizens Defense League is urging the city council to align its gun law with the state's, but has met a cool reception from Mayor Danny Jones and at least one city council member.
Charleston has limited handgun purchases to one a month since 1993, when the capital city was rocked by a series of deadly shootings. The city also bans weapons on city property.
Jones said he's not interested in changing the law, but "if someone else wants to take it up, they can.''
Last month, Ranson City Council, also in the Eastern Panhandle, indefinitely tabled a proposal to prohibit guns at city parks, saying it was too vague. The council discussed the idea after concerns were raised about a man who legally carried a gun to the Charles C. Marcus Field, where children play.
There is a three-day waiting period for gun purchases in West Virginia, and guns are banned from all federal government property, law enforcement offices, jails, county courthouses and schools.
Anyone age 21 or over who passes a background check and takes a gun training course is eligible for a concealed weapons permit. |
|
 First
Previous
2 of 2
Next
Last
|
Reply
| |
I live in Charleston, WV, and there is a 3 day wait on purchases here in the city, but not state wide. I never buy anything here in town, and I can always take it home the day I buy it. Not a bad state to live in if you're a gun owner. We also have a state open carry law, but Charleston has a law against it. Normally state law supercedes local laws here, but the city law was already in effect, so it stands, which I think is pretty dumb. |
|
|
Recommend